High quality Elm?

[upstatenybowyer]

I'm pretty sure I've read a thread where Marc S.L. mentioned that there is no definite way to determine where/how to find high-quality Elm, but I couldn't find that thread anywhere and I still have a question or two.

1. Did I really read that, or are there certain ecological conditions to look for (more/less water, elevation, soil type, ect.)

2. Once you have cut some, how do you tell if it's high-quality? (thin/thick rings, late growth, sap vs. heartwood, ect.)

Thanks

P.S. It's mostly Red Elm around me with the occasional American and/or Siberian

[PatM]

Start by just cutting American Elm.   I have cut good Elm in all kinds of locations. Honestly I can say that I've never seen any Elm that I would call bad.  Once you cut it and dry it you just need to let the wood type dictate the design. Elm can kind of mimic every good type of bow wood you can find.

[Marc St Louis]

I have come across top quality Elm from high elevation to low, in sandy soil, rich soil near creeks and around lakes.  I have found that larger diameter trees are not as good as smaller trees with some of the best wood coming from 4~6" trees.  All the trees I have cut that I would call sub quality had very little sapwood and thin rings.  All the top quality Elm had a lot of sapwood and medium thick rings, from 1/8" to 3/16" thick.  You have to remember that I live in a somewhat colder climate than most and that does affect tree growth.

Elm can mimic every good type of bow wood but some of them mimic some bad ones too.

[bushboy]

The best seems to grow near a water source in a high canopy forest where it grows strait and very few knots.the Sapwood has a yellow to light pink tinge.and like Marc I fing the smaller trees are superior.that said,I've never had one fail in tension,but some are more elastic than others.if it's straight and knot free I'd cut it.I suppose a core sampler could come in handy but I don't own one.

[upstatenybowyer]

This is reassuring. I recently cut a 3" diameter tree that exhibits some of those high-quality characteristics. The straightness and clarity seems to be key. From my limited experience, Elm seems to be a wood with unforgiving grain. That is one must really follow it closely, or it will splinter and pull the draw knife wherever it wants to go. 

[Marc St Louis]

Another thing I have noticed with some Elm, that grow up here anyways, is that they can have a variable thickness of growth ring.  That is to say a particular ring can be 1/8" thick at one point and then the same ring can be 1/4" thick just a couple feet away.  This does not mean the wood is sub-par but it is not the best either.  The very best Elm I have cut have very uniform rings

[PatM]

This is reassuring. I recently cut a 3" diameter tree that exhibits some of those high-quality characteristics. The straightness and clarity seems to be key. From my limited experience, Elm seems to be a wood with unforgiving grain. That is one must really follow it closely, or it will splinter and pull the draw knife wherever it wants to go. 

 You can't really follow that grain. It's not uniform through the tree. If you actually did follow it your bow would look like a braided rope.

[upstatenybowyer]

This is reassuring. I recently cut a 3" diameter tree that exhibits some of those high-quality characteristics. The straightness and clarity seems to be key. From my limited experience, Elm seems to be a wood with unforgiving grain. That is one must really follow it closely, or it will splinter and pull the draw knife wherever it wants to go. 

 You can't really follow that grain. It's not uniform through the tree. If you actually did follow it your bow would look like a braided rope.

That might look cool. But seriously, why is it that working a piece of really straight elm is so much easier?

[kamil2910]

The best elm is from wet canyon, with fat rings,that have best elastic module,(very hard to break) butt to have bow without string follow you must dry stave in reflex

[bushboy]

It's not so important to follow the grain with elm,unlike Osage orange or locust.