turning elm

[Brad Barnhart]

I've found a stash of elm that has been cut & stacked. It hasn't been split for firewood. Yet. Its in several different diameters & lengths. I wondered about turning a platter or two out of some of it, or maybe a bowl just to see what it'd look like. Living here in NW Kansas, trees are hard to come by. Would it be worth the time to try & turn a blank or two of elm? Or will it just fly to pieces? This wood is good & dry, so no worries about green turning. I'm pretty new to turning, & thought I'd ask here, & I'm doing some research on it, too. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks for your time. In case you're wondering, My turning tools are just the basics. Matter of fact, they are the red handled set from HF.

[David Hill]

Brad--turn it!
That set is good for spindle turning--not bowls, and will need frequent sharpening. For bowls I'd say look around and get either a bowl gouge (1/2 in is good), or explore a carbide tipped chisel.
There's Elm that grows around here and it turns ok. Not sure if all Elms do, but from around here the grain in the wood interlocks and makes for interesting sanding. Has a pleasant scent too--as opposed to something like Cottonwood.

[daryl moses]

I've turned Elm and it turned very well. I agree with ^^^^^^ David, purchase a good bowl gouge and give it a try.

[Frank Drew]

I like elm for turning; the prominent grain looks great in the finished bowl or platter or whatever.

Brad, is this cut and stacked stash logs, or boards? If the wood is still in full log form and it's been a couple of years since they were cut I'd expect a lot of radial cracking which should be evident on the log ends.

[Paul Williams]

I really like the look of Elm's grain. It is possible that the wood will still be somewhat wet in the center of a longer log even one that has been stored for more than a year. Cut back the ends about 6 inches if the log is long enough to do that and still meet your needs. That should eliminate any cracks that started after the log was cut.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

As was mentioned above, the wood is probably split at the ends and still wet inside, even if it sat for a couple of years, especially if thicker logs.

Though Elm having cross-linked grain is less likely to split very badly like other woods, still if split, I would not turn it, but maybe if the logs are long enough you can saw enough length off, to get past the splitting.

White Elm AKA American Elm is just one of several Elm species and grows/grew all over the US and Canada, now scarce in many places for the Elm disease, Siberian Elm is another one that grows all over and is much better able to withstand the Elm disease, though a smaller tree it has nice wood for turners.

And yes get a good bowl gouge to turn a bowl or platter, it is the right tool to turn it safely.

Here are a couple of pictures, first ones are a platter/tray, turn a platter or tray from quarter sawn wood, it will warp little, the other pictures are from American and Siberian Elm, just for the looks of it.

White Elm platter.jpg White Elm platter 1.jpg White Elm platter bottom.jpg

Large American Elm.jpg Siberian Elm.jpg Siberian Elm bowl.jpg

[Brad Barnhart]

Thanks for all the advice, gentlemen! Looks like I'll be turning some elm soon! I really appreciate the help & advice, guys! No doubt I'll be back w/plenty more newbie questions for all of ya! I'm not sure how long this wood has been cut & sitting. Like I said, long enough, by the looks of it, its good & dry. Frank, the wood is small logs. Probably 6" - 12" in diameter average. I'll look into getting a bowl gouge soon!! The lathe I have is a HF 12" x 33 3/8" w/a reversible head lathe. The head swings around for large bowl turning. Bottom speed is 600 rpm & top speed is 2400. Nothing fancy or extravagant, but has been awesome to learn on. Another question. I don't have a chuck of any kind yet, just the faceplate that came w/the lathe. What type & length of screws do I need to to fasten the work piece to the faceplate? Beautiful work, Mr. Leo!! Thank you for your advice, Sir.

[Chris Gunsolley]

Thanks for all the advice, gentlemen! Looks like I'll be turning some elm soon! I really appreciate the help & advice, guys! No doubt I'll be back w/plenty more newbie questions for all of ya! I'm not sure how long this wood has been cut & sitting. Like I said, long enough, by the looks of it, its good & dry. Frank, the wood is small logs. Probably 6" - 12" in diameter average. I'll look into getting a bowl gouge soon!! The lathe I have is a HF 12" x 33 3/8" w/a reversible head lathe. The head swings around for large bowl turning. Bottom speed is 600 rpm & top speed is 2400. Nothing fancy or extravagant, but has been awesome to learn on. Another question. I don't have a chuck of any kind yet, just the faceplate that came w/the lathe. What type & length of screws do I need to to fasten the work piece to the faceplate? Beautiful work, Mr. Leo!! Thank you for your advice, Sir.

Get flat head, #12 sheet metal screws that are 1 1/4" long. Sheet metal screws are stronger than wood screws, and the flat head type will countersink into your faceplate. Make sure the surface that you are mounting the faceplate to is flat, use all of the screw holes in your faceplate, and be careful not to over tighten the screws.