I recently used some elm harvested out of a tree, which was cut down a
couple of years ago, to turn some feet for a buffet I made for my wife.
The reason for using elm was because I could not find a piece of maple
in the size needed. I was pleasantly surprized how nicely the elm
turned in my lathe and how nicely it stained.
Has anybody else used elm for their project needs?
Also having an abundance of sycamore on my property, I'd be interested
to know if any of you woodworkers could share your experiences using
either sycamore or elm for your projects.
Doug
Doug,
Thanks for your quick response. I am encouraged by your comments and
picture. I'm going to try harvesting and drying some sycamore so I can
try working with it. Thanks again.
Doug
Doug Miller wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
"Doug" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >Also having an abundance of sycamore on my property, I'd be
interested
> >to know if any of you woodworkers could share your experiences using
> >either sycamore or elm for your projects.
>
> Sycamore, when flatsawn, is prone to warp, and rather boring to look
at.
>
> When quartersawn, though, it's stable, and generally exhibits really
dramatic
> ray flakes. For example:
> http://www.milmac.com/Furniture/SycamoreEndTables.JPG
>
> A higher-resolution photo that shows the grain better is at
> http://www.milmac.com/Furniture/SycamoreEndTables.BMP
> but be warned: it's a little over 5MB. If you're on a dialup
connection, it
> may take a while.
>
> My inspiration for these was a similar table I saw in a photo of the
interior
> of a Frank Lloyd Wright home somewhere in Arizona IIRC.
>
> I love working with sycamore, though. It's an easy wood to work, the
> quartersawn grain is so beautiful, and it has a very pleasant,
somewhat spicy,
> scent when it's cut. The only real downsides that I see are that it's
a bit
> soft for any purpose where it could see heavy use, and it soaks up
liquids
> like a sponge. You have to make sure to use plenty of glue in any
joint,
> because a lot of it will be absorbed. And it soaks up finish pretty
quickly
> too. :-)
>
> --
> Regards,
> Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)
>
> Get a copy of my NEW AND IMPROVED TrollFilter for NewsProxy/Nfilter
> by sending email to autoresponder at filterinfo-at-milmac-dot-com
> You must use your REAL email address to get a response.
If you really want drama in Elm, let the log sections lay out in the
weather for about 6 months-- They spalt readily & when dry they display
really white against black spalt lines-- I cut down an Elm on Elm St
(not kidding), brought the log sections home & they sat & sat-- I was
starting to split them for firewood when I saw the spalting-- I still
have a few sections with painted ends, in the shop-- going to use them
for boxtops, turnings, etc
"Doug" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I recently used some elm harvested out of a tree, which was cut down a
> couple of years ago, to turn some feet for a buffet I made for my wife.
> The reason for using elm was because I could not find a piece of maple
> in the size needed. I was pleasantly surprized how nicely the elm
> turned in my lathe and how nicely it stained.
> Has anybody else used elm for their project needs?
>
> Also having an abundance of sycamore on my property, I'd be interested
> to know if any of you woodworkers could share your experiences using
> either sycamore or elm for your projects.
Turning elm is sort of like another activity - once you get past the
smell....
Though you can turn it green and almost throw it into the sun to dry without
split, it's not the friendliest wood in the world to work in the flat, due
to the grain reversals that make it almost unsplittable. The grain can be
extremely dramatic - almost _too_ loud for large projects. Makes nice
drawer fronts and door inserts, where it's an accent only.
Sycamore is really noisy, too. For my money, a small project or accent wood
only. Turns well, but can be dicey to dry, because the smallest check on a
ray line can run quickly, like beech.
"Hank Gillette" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, "George" <george@least>
> wrote:
>
> > Turning elm is sort of like another activity - once you get past the
> > smell....
>
> You've tasted a durian? Was it as sublime as they say?
>
Don't they have to eat 'em outdoors over there? Seems I saw a National
Geographic or such where you were not allowed to bring 'em into a building.
Talk about the courage of the first oyster eater!
In article <[email protected]>, "Doug" <[email protected]> wrote:
>Also having an abundance of sycamore on my property, I'd be interested
>to know if any of you woodworkers could share your experiences using
>either sycamore or elm for your projects.
Sycamore, when flatsawn, is prone to warp, and rather boring to look at.
When quartersawn, though, it's stable, and generally exhibits really dramatic
ray flakes. For example:
http://www.milmac.com/Furniture/SycamoreEndTables.JPG
A higher-resolution photo that shows the grain better is at
http://www.milmac.com/Furniture/SycamoreEndTables.BMP
but be warned: it's a little over 5MB. If you're on a dialup connection, it
may take a while.
My inspiration for these was a similar table I saw in a photo of the interior
of a Frank Lloyd Wright home somewhere in Arizona IIRC.
I love working with sycamore, though. It's an easy wood to work, the
quartersawn grain is so beautiful, and it has a very pleasant, somewhat spicy,
scent when it's cut. The only real downsides that I see are that it's a bit
soft for any purpose where it could see heavy use, and it soaks up liquids
like a sponge. You have to make sure to use plenty of glue in any joint,
because a lot of it will be absorbed. And it soaks up finish pretty quickly
too. :-)
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)
Get a copy of my NEW AND IMPROVED TrollFilter for NewsProxy/Nfilter
by sending email to autoresponder at filterinfo-at-milmac-dot-com
You must use your REAL email address to get a response.
"Doug" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I recently used some elm harvested out of a tree, which was cut down a
> couple of years ago, to turn some feet for a buffet I made for my wife.
> The reason for using elm was because I could not find a piece of maple
> in the size needed. I was pleasantly surprized how nicely the elm
> turned in my lathe and how nicely it stained.
I bought a piece of elm from the close out bin at a supplier. I resawed it
to 3/8 and used it for a couple of boxes and a tray. Looks nice with a
Danish oil finish. If we are talking about the same elm, it needs no stain,
IMO.
"Doug" <[email protected]> wrote in news:1104771614.303563.47140
@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:
> I recently used some elm harvested out of a tree, which was cut down a
> couple of years ago, to turn some feet for a buffet I made for my wife.
> The reason for using elm was because I could not find a piece of maple
> in the size needed. I was pleasantly surprized how nicely the elm
> turned in my lathe and how nicely it stained.
> Has anybody else used elm for their project needs?
>
> Also having an abundance of sycamore on my property, I'd be interested
> to know if any of you woodworkers could share your experiences using
> either sycamore or elm for your projects.
I've used some Iowa red elm for making a largish telescope tripod. Darned
stuff had some huge stresses in it -- taught me a lesson in the importance
of rough ripping on the bandsaw. Whether that was due to drying or growth
habit, I don't know. It was relatively straight grained, and a bit off
from flatsawn.
It finished nicely with a tung oil varnish mix.
Another poster mentioned that it was not pleasant smelling to mill, and
that seems familiar to me as well.
"Doug" <[email protected]> wrote in news:1105050142.306505.5250
@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:
> Nate,
> I too have learned my lesson about working the wood too close to
> finished dimensions before completely curing it. Now I rip my timber to
> 5/4 so I have some left to remove after any warping or cupping while
> curing.
> Thanks,
> Doug
>
The problem I had was a more serious one with residual stresses in the wood
... I jointed an edge on the jointer, then continued to rough dimension by
ripping on the table saw. As I ripped it, the residual stresses in the
wood caused it to contract and pinch off the kerf as it was cutting,
burning at the back of the blade and pinching on the splitter. Made me
glad that I always use a blade guard/splitter wherever possible. I think
that without a splitter it might have kicked back pretty good.
Since then, I prefer to rough rip on the bandsaw, let it sit for a day, and
then joint and finish dimension on the tablesaw.
FWIW I've bought a lot of other wood from this same supplier and never had
a similar problem with any other wood. So I don't know if the stress was
due to improper drying, or whether it was due to reaction wood caused by
the tree's growth habit.
p.s. I do agree with your other advice, too.
In article <[email protected]>, "George" <george@least>
wrote:
> Turning elm is sort of like another activity - once you get past the
> smell....
You've tasted a durian? Was it as sublime as they say?
--
Hank Gillette