When to cut elm..

[Pat B.]

I'm hoping some of you experts can guide me down the proper path..

Osage I don't have but I do have access to elm trees.. In fact, I cut one this morning and split it in 3 pieces and peeled the bark off..
Glued the ends..   My question is about when to cut elm. Is a fella better off to wait until early fall or is it ok to cut it now ?

Sure is pretty wood and darn straight...

[PatM]

 Right as the sap starts to come up is ideal. Just cut a bunch myself.
 I will also not hesitate to cut it in the winter either since the bark can be moistened and pushed off without too much trouble.
 I don't like to cut it as it is laying down a growth ring since it makes the back rougher. The higher moisture content also makes it warp even more.

[DarkSoul]

You can cut elm any time of year (just like any other wood). The only difference is that in spring and early summer the bark will be easy to peel off and in winter till early spring the wood moisture content will be a little lower. Elm can be hard to ID without leaves, though.

[PatM]

Really? What tree would you mistake it for? Nothing really resembles Elm here except other Elms.

[Slackbunny]

I think there is a species of elm that can look a little like hophornbeam.

[PatM]

Very little. Elm always has a hint of cork to the bark.  However if you are cutting a HHB that you thought was an Elm, you don't really have a problem.
 The leaves of the two look as much alike as anything else on them that you might confuse, maybe even more so.

[Weylin]

I think there is a species of elm that can look a little like hophornbeam.

What a tragedy it would be to confuse those two when you're hunting for good bow wood.   

[Buckeye Guy]

Cut that Elm now the bark will be very pliable now, so you can use it to make Elm bark baskets or even a quiver hurry the time is upon you!
Have fun
Guy