What about Chinese Elm?

[Poppers-n-Pens]

Has anyone ever turned Chinese Elm into anything useful? I may have access to a few burls of C. E. in the coming months, but if they don't hold up well, I'm not going to pursue them. Your thoughts?

Terrence

 

[woodbutcher]

I have made boxes and hollow forms from Japanese Elm. They were beautiful and very stable. I normally rough cut pieces and throw them in a box for at least 6 mos. Not sure if Chinese elm is in the same family of trees.

 

[raltenhofen]

There is a tree called Chinese elm that is used as a landscape tree here in Phoenix. It has very attractive gray and tan splotchy bark.

Now if we're talking about the same tree, then yes, I have turned Chinese elm. Makes really nice bowls. The dried wood is very hard. Turning green is a pleasure.

The wood is cream colored with open pored annular rings.

I have not used it to make pens. I don't think it would be sufficiently attractive in small pieces to be worthwhile. Just my opinion.

 

[thewishman]

Chinese elm is hard to split for firewood - very stringy. That same challenge (quality?) should make it hold together when being turned.

Chris

 

[BernieW]

I have turned a lot of chinese elm into pens, lidded boxes, vases, hollow forms and bowls. Turns nice and finishes real well.

 

[rd_ab_penman]

Gee!! At first glance I thought you guys were talking about turning me into a pen or box! Then I realized you were talking about Chineese Elm and not a Swedish Elm!
Les Elm
Red Deer,
Alberta

 

[kent4Him]

Terrence,

I've turned some and it is nice. Takes a polish well.

 

[low_48]

It seems that around here, most call the tree Chinese Elm. I believe it is really called Siberian Elm. My Dad used to call them **** Elm because of the stink and incredible amount of water that is held in the tree. The stink is quite similar to a cattle barn. I cut one on my property when I first moved in. After the tree was on the ground for 20 minutes or so, water was collecting on the standing stump and was dripping out of the log. If you turn it green the sap wood will shrink at a much higher rate than the heart wood. Also the sap in the cambium layer will sling out like snot, and get all over the place. I once knocked all the bark off a bunch of burl and hit it all with the pressure washer. I was covered from head to toe with the slime. It looked like I was just off the set of the movie "GhostBusters". One last bad item, it is possible that it will have alot of bark inclusions in the burls. It can make a much better bowl than pen, but I have gotten some burl that has smaller limb buds and that makes a nice pen. NOW DON'T GET DISCOURAGED BY ALL THE ABOVE; get all of it that you can. It turns nicely and can be beautiful. The bark is thick and will really throw the dust if it is dry. Added a pic of a natural edge bowl. Nice the best color representation, the birdseye maple table kinda added alot of yellow to the shot. You can see where the bark inclusions were. I always pick the out with a dental pick during the final sanding.