Elm?

[Misifus]

The recent thread on Martin's America1 model got me to thinking. On Youtube recently I saw a video on sawing a log of elm, and the wood was absolutely beautiful to look at. I wondered if: 1, this wood sounded good, and 2, if there was enough of it around to be a practical tone wood?

[Nyghthawk]

With the caveat that I know nothing of lutherie, elm trees are nicknamed iron wood around here for how hard they are to work with (saw, chop, etc.) once dried. I don't know what that might do to the acoustic properties.

[acoustigoat]

From the Tonewood Data Source website:

An underrated wood. Sounds like maple, but warmer in the highs. This is an amazing tone wood and looks incredible. Elm wood is tight grained and generally comes in an ash-gray or brown color. The beauty of this wood is its discernible oblong ridges within the wood pattern itself. Hard and tough, elm still bends when steamed and when dry, holds its shape. As the wood is resistant to decay, it is prized in woodworking, furniture and flooring. Nearly impossible to split due to interlocking grain. In terms of musical instruments, Elm isn't as commonly used as other woods but it still produces a sturdy instrument. Can be a little unstable. It's quite dense.

Here is the specific link; just scroll down.

[charles Tauber]

Elm is a tough wood used for hockey sticks and, historically, wagon wheels. It has been regarded as a "secondary" wood for fine woodworking. It is susceptible to Dutch elm disease, which, ultimately kills the tree and makes it a liability for homeowners who are forced to cut them down as mature trees. There isn't great demand for the lumber in fine woodworking applications. It would probably work adequately for instrument parts if someone wanted to use it for that purpose.

[The Bard Rocks]

In addition to what I said in the TWDS, I should mention that Elm doesn't get super hard until it has cured for a while. Fresh elm is soft. I once spent ALL my spare time for a week sawing a 12x12x36' beam into 3 pieces. A chain saw wouldn't touch it. But the beam was over 100 years old.

And there is plenty of it around.

[Big Band Guitar]

I have milled Elm, oak, cherry, maple, pine, apple, ash, plus some others.

Fresh from the tree no harder than any of the others. I used it for trim in one of the rooms in my house. I was nice to work but a little dusty. Beautiful grain and figure. I haven't tried to bend it.

[printer2]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

It is susceptible to Dutch elm disease, which, ultimately kills the tree and makes it a liability for homeowners who are forced to cut them down as mature trees.

My city has the biggest concentration of elm trees in North America. We had about 280,000 of them and are loosing about 5000 a year. Any afflicted tree is removed and we are not allowed to keep the wood even if it is debarked. I tried to get a section of a large log to try it out in a guitar. No luck. The unstable designation is a point against it but with the interlocked grain it might not crack too easy. One day I will get a piece to try.

[merlin666]

Originally Posted by printer2

My city has the biggest concentration of elm trees in North America. We had about 280,000 of them and are loosing about 5000 a year. Any afflicted tree is removed and we are not allowed to keep the wood even if it is debarked. I tried to get a section of a large log to try it out in a guitar. No luck. The unstable designation is a point against it but with the interlocked grain it might not crack too easy. One day I will get a piece to try.

And there l thought Winnipeg had the most but according to Google there are only about 230000 so you win easily wherever you are.

[Inyo]

Originally Posted by printer2

My city has the biggest concentration of elm trees in North America. We had about 280,000 of them and are loosing about 5000 a year. Any afflicted tree is removed.

Originally Posted by merlin666

And there l thought Winnipeg had the most but according to Google there are only about 230,000 so you win easily wherever you are.

There is no argument among aficionados of botany that Winnipeg boasts the largest urban elm canopy in North America.

For example, from the page over at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manit...arch-1.4220087 :

"There were more than 200,000 adult elm trees growing throughout Winnipeg as of the spring of 2015 — the largest such population in North America — and about 5,000 were being removed on average each year, the city's forester Martha Barwinsky previously told CBC News.

"The city's rapid-removal project targets Dutch elm trees already infected or at risk of spreading the disease, and most removal is done in the fall and winter months."

By the way, I'm all for using more elm in Blues guitars. Call it the Elmore James model.

Addendum: Elm guitars would be perfect for playing Looney Tunes music, too. Call it the Elmer Fudd model.

[BluesKing777]

Originally Posted by Inyo

There is no argument among aficionados of botany that Winnipeg boasts the largest urban elm canopy in North America.

For example, from the page over at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manit...arch-1.4220087 :

"There were more than 200,000 adult elm trees growing throughout Winnipeg as of the spring of 2015 — the largest such population in North America — and about 5,000 were being removed on average each year, the city's forester Martha Barwinsky previously told CBC News.

"The city's rapid-removal project targets Dutch elm trees already infected or at risk of spreading the disease, and most removal is done in the fall and winter months."

By the way, I'm all for using more elm in Blues guitars. Call it the Elmore James model.

Addendum: Elm guitars would be perfect for playing Looney Tunes music too. Call it the Elmer Fudd model.

The Beatles would have loved them!


BluesKing777.

[Hello,Guys]

Lakewood made some of their guitars out of this alternative wood.
Have a listen:

https://youtu.be/uqWEVFg-9hw


https://youtu.be/R0x5PE35ckM

[printer2]

Originally Posted by merlin666

And there l thought Winnipeg had the most but according to Google there are only about 230000 so you win easily wherever you are.

We both win, or we are loosing. Before Duch Elm disease showed up we had 280,000, now I will go with your 230,000.