Stopped by my sister's house to shoot my bow and BS with my brother in law and he'd just cleared some small trees and brush. I spotted what looked like some nice little white wood logs so I took a couple pics for my Picture This app and it identified it as American Elm. Biggest one is only around 5" diameter and they're all only 5' long.

I boogied back home for my shellac and sprayed the ends. Got a question for you guys that use this stuff. Should I strip the bark now and split the bigger one in half and seal the backs? Or are they good to dry with the bark on?

Shooting my bow with a smile this evening. I hear it's good stuff :)

It may be too early for the bark to be peeled off easily, but it's the best way to get a pristine back. It will take heat treating well and can make a very good bow.

That's what I figured about the bark, thanks Bob. We took a stroll through the yard (10 acres) and found a few I can cut later when the leaves start to pop out.

Shooting from my new Waldrop seat at 15 yards. I like it.

Nice haul. I’d split it out, knife the bark and cambium off, seal the backs and stash it. It splits straight and easy. It’s not prone to twisting as it dries.

Awesome, that's what I wanted to know. I'll get on it tomorrow morning. Thanks Chris!

maybe some day I will get to try it as well. good luck

The stuff here certainly doesn't split straight and easy. I think most like to kerf with a circular saw and then split from there.

Yep. I split a bigger log, 14-15" diameter and 6' long. I had every one of my 15 wedges buried in it down both sides and ends, and it still won't open up. The interlocking grain was crazy stubborn. I ended up cutting the interlocking grain down inside with a reciprocating saw and long blade. Hopefully your small ones are easier to deal with.

If it were me, and the biggest was 5" dia, I'd just cut the staves out on the bandsaw. Less waste. Less risk. Without access to a bandsaw, I'd kerf them with a circular saw, then split. Be careful doing that, the saw can kickback. Hang on tight with both hands and stand to the side.

Jeff, I think it changes from log to log. I've had that nasty, wavy grain you are talking about and then the next one is straight and falls into staves easily. Elm is like that I guess. No idea what cause it.

I still remember being a little kid. The big elm all died off like the ash trees have now.

I remember huge blocks my dad tried to split with every wedge he could find stuck in them. I would go with the cerf method to.

Also if you have access to a good high pressure washer with hot water. Take the big stuff off with draw knife and then use washer to remove cambium. It leaves a perfect back.

I think there several different elm species. I think some must have different characteristics.

Bjrogg

Thank you much, gents!

I'm gonna get crackin on this stuff here soon, I'll peel the bark off and try splitting the bigger one. Broke the tension hinge on my bandsaw recently and haven't replaced it yet. If it splits nice I'll be happy, if it's like some of the stuff I helped a buddy cut up and split, yikes. Got a sawzall so should be good to go if it gets stubborn.

The smaller stuff? If I leave those as whole logs how do I go about sealing those with the bark off? Wouldn't it defeat the purpose to have the entire surface sealed? Or should I blank those out and seal the backs? Sorry for the newbie questions!

Elm is the toughest wood I’ve ever split, those fibers interlock and man it makes it tough! I personally would split it and get the bark off and seal the back and ends, it’s much easier to take bark off while it’s green

BJ, thanks. We must've been typing at the same time. My washer is cold only, unfortunately.

Thanks, Bill!

I know Red Elm is awesome for limb laminations in takedowns but have not experimented with the white American variety. Does anyone know if they perform similarly?

Chris, I concur with your assessment. They're not all as I described. And I admit I haven't split enough elm to make any concrete determinations, or even generalizations, one way or the other, if they even exist. But elm has fought me harder than any wood I've played with. I'm not complaining mind ya... I kinda dug it :^)

That elm log was the last piece of bow wood I cut from the property I was raised on before mom sold it. Miss that place.

Glad you got to get some wood off the place, Jeff. The places we're raised are special.

Welp, I split and debarked the bigger one. It was the kind with the interlocking grain lol. No biggie. I was wrong about the length on these, though. This one is only 53". One's a little longer and I'll make sure to cut at least 6' when I'm the one cutting ;)

Should be able to try a bendy or two and get a couple kiddy bows with this stuff. Any other ideas? Maybe do a spliced one? I've been wanting to do a take-down too.

It appears they have some crooks, knots and such... ultimately I strive for clear-ish full length staves, spliced or not, and would avoid such deformity in pursuit of their betterment. I'd look at those logs first as billets, in order to splice their pieces into very good full length staves. I don't have a use/want for that many short/bendy's. But if I got one or two as remnants of my pursuit, that would be fine.

Thanks, Jeff. My first thought was billets out of the clearest sections. The ones I go back to cut myself I'll definitely be picky with. There were a few nice ones. Hopefully less knotty than this stuff. But hey, I'm no stranger to the character stuff. Even though it can get old :)

chain saw.

I think Elm interlocks because the growth rings get laid down in random or alternating waves and spirals, even in a relatively straight appearing log.

I was told that Elm would split easily when frozen. I had one chance to try that when the temp was about 25 below. The wood split as clean as Ash. Still not sure if that was random or truth. lol

"Elm is the toughest wood I’ve ever split"

You guys ever split green hickory logs...8^)

Yep. Hickory is a cakewalk compared to elm.

I split a big hickory a couple years ago and it had sat out for too long before I got it. That was a lot of work for smoker chunks. Elm? Not sure I'd wanna tackle one that big.

Jeff, have you crafted any hickory bows? Thanks...

Yeah, I've made a few. Working on one now. I made a hickory selfbow with stone age tools once. Cut it down with a stone hand axe and split it with two deer antler sheds. It split easy, but it wasn't very big, about 3" in diameter I'd guess.

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