Turning chinese elm

[sbwertz]

I have a 45 year old chinese elm in my yard and have been keeping trimmings from it for several years, anticipating getting a lathe. Now I have the lathe, and have made a couple of pens from it. It is a beautiful golden amber wood and I really like the look of it. Are there any known problems associated with this wood? I have two different varieties and the grain is different on the two trees, but both are very attractive if you like blonde wood.

Sharon

 

[JeffinWIS]

Sharon, I recently made this form Chinese Elm. Didn't have any specific problems with it, othen than differences in hardness between the heartwood/sapwood/cambium/bark layers. A tow-tone pen might be really nice.

 

[David Keller]

it can be a little soft, but no trouble for pens