LOL ,, Pat I know what ya mean,, I stuck two wedges and a maul in a block one time as a young man, learned real fast what gum was
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White elm is about as bad,, I beat on a 6 inch log for about half an hour a few weeks ago,, thought it was red elm when I cut it and didn't want to waste it so I knocked it apart,, took the other section home and kerfed it with a chainsaw.
Gum if cut from a live tree and stored well should make a good bow, wide and long.
wvflintknapper