How hard is Elm ??

[dangerous brian]

Thats why boat builders love it.

[Henk]

My dad (joiner) used to make coffins and guttering out elm back in the old days - it also makes the best mallet heads for green woodworking. So it must be very hard!

[dangerous brian]

but is it as hard as holm oak splitting wise i mean.

[woodworm]

It makes the best firewood imo. Elm and beech only wood good enough to get my woodburner glowing red. I love it

[Hodge]

I have found elm splits better when its a few years old, or use a machine powered splitter.

[s.varty]

I have been trying to split some Elm for the home fires, and i have forgotten just how hard it is.

Picture One, After repeated hitting with splitting maul, i resort to a splitting wedge. Wedge goes in and the log does not split.

Pictrue two, go all around the log where i think it might split hitting it with the maul. Log still does not split

Picture three, Resort to brick bolster and finally crack log. The log still required a further 10-15 blows with the maul

 

Total time to split log in half, about 1/2 an hour.

Still got another 10 logs to go !!!!!!

 

Get the whole lot, put it somewhere dry until the bark falls off and you will have the best firewood money can buy, until this stage it is very stringy and near impossible to split with a maul. Even with a splitter i have to put another lump of wood underneath it so the blade goes through the whole log, When it is well seasoned it splits great.

[delabodge]

get the apprentice on it,,lol....

[Darren]

Looks like Wych Elm. I've split a load for charcoaling don't remember it being tough.

[Chris Sheppard]

One year we ended up with a load of standing dead elms to take down round the Estate, biggest was only around 15" dbh. was billeting it all up with the Thor (20 tonne PTO) and it was that tough I managed to stall out the County on one lump - that old splitter would split pretty much anything you could throw at it but the Elm was just nuts. Burnt fantastically though!

[nantmoel]

I have split a load with a Roughneck Diamond Wood / Log Grenade Splitting Wedge, they are a wonder, never failed to split anything I have had. Cost me £10, some on eBay at £6.19 and £3.99 delivery (they are really heavy)! Your local chainsaw shop should sell them.