How to process Elm?

[Sidewinder]

I have been hearing so many good things about red elm that I have decided to try and harvest some and give it a try. As I have read, elm is hard to split and I have heard that using a draw knife to reduce it is useless. How do you get the log into manageable sections if splitting it is next to impossible? I know with white woods you should debark and not violate the rings and that is the back, so I've got that part down, but like I asked, how do you process the log into stave form.   Danny

[sailordad]

i have never used red elm
but  i have split some elm that(american i believe) we have here
all i can say is, get a maul,a bunch of wedges,a couple of sandwiches and something to drink
and not to mention and afternoon that you got nothing better to do

for me it works best, with interlocking grain woods like elm,hhb etc
to let the log sit alone for a few months and then split in half,then i leave it for a another month or two and split them halves in half again
i find that once the wood looses a little moisture the wedges wont wanna bounce back out when you hit them
i start on the nub end whee it was cut and tap a wedge in,then i start going down each side of the log tapping wedges in alternatly
i also keep a snips handy to cut them stringers that hold the splits together
good luck

[Holten101]

If Red Elm is anything like Wych Elm then splitting is no big deal...especially if the log is green. When dry its more difficult, but by no means impossible. Using an axe or draw knife to reduce it is very easy when the stave is green....very hard when its dry. It can be done but it takes time and you got to be carefull not to gouge it. I prefer to split with wedges and reduce with axe when green. Or split with wedges and reduce by bandsaw when dry.

If Red Elm is not like Wych, then forget my input;-)

Cheers

[Granite Mtn]

We just peel the bark then split into quarters with chain saw.  We then rough in bows with a 14 in stihl chain saw.  Two guys can rough in about twenty bows in a weekend provided you stay away from the adult beverages.

[Sidewinder]

So because there is interlocking grain, you are bound to violate some, then there is no concern about sawing the straight logs into staves? If that is the case then I like the chain saw idea. It sure would help a guy get several processed pretty quick versus having to labor through splitting them. I know on wood that splits easily it goes pretty qucik but I'm thinking that if Granite Mtn does it that way with the saw , it must be ok.
  I know what you mean about the adult beverages, thats why if I'm on a mission I wait until I've acheived my objective before I allow myself the beverage beacuse I know that once I start, my productivity will suffer.   Danny

[osage outlaw]

I've split one elm log and I never plan on splitting another one.  That thing kicked my butt. 

[wvarcher]

I have split a lot of Red Elm and only one really big American elm log.  Some of the Red E. splits easily.  Sometimes it does not.  I do as Dean Torges suggests and saw a kerf down the length of the log before is start to split it.  This helps,but it will not guarantee a clean split.  Have an ax, hatchet or chainsaw handy to force the wood to split straight.