You are here

2 posts / 0 new
Last post
wbrent
wbrent's picture
Log splitting
I may be getting my hands on some elm taken down on a friends property. There are three pieces about 5 feet long that are around 33" diameter not including a crotch or two on two of them. I may not be up for milling them all. Especially since there will be several other smaller pieces. But if I tackle one of the pieces what advice can you give me? I have a moderates size Stihl with a 20" bar, And a smaller Stihl with a 16" bar. How easy or hard is it to rip these down the middle with the saws I have? For Elm, is it worth it? If I get it ripped down the middle, should I rip it again so I can more easily quarter saw it? I have an LM 29 with 14 hp kohler.
eddiemac
eddiemac's picture
You can make nice lumber from elm. With interlocked grain, it is somewhat difficult to dry without warp or twisting, and chip-out can be a problem when planing. It cannot be split except with a chainsaw. Plan on spending a lot of time sawing, and do keep a sharp chain. The prettiest lumber comes from flat-sawing. There's not much point in quarter-sawing.