Elm and Locust question

[Ralph Barhorst]

A friend of LOML just told me that she has 3 Locust trees and 1 Elm tree that need to be cut down due to wind damage. She wants to know if I am interested in the wood. She said the trees are large and over 100 years old.

I know that there are at least two different kinds of Locust, Black Locust and Honey Locust. (I found that out from doing a search of the site.) How do I tell the difference and are they good for flat work? I don't do any turning.

She would give the trunks to me for nothing and I would have to haul them away, have them cut up and kiln dried at my own expense.

Is it worth it for me to do this? What kind of projects would you use this Locust and Elm for? Do any of you have any pictures of projects that you have completed with either Locust or Elm?

I would really appreciate your input.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Elm is a wonderful wood. It's quite springy so it makes good high stress structral components. It's not nearly as hard as rock maple but it's a hard wood. It's a lovely honey brown with great grain features.

You'll like it.

[Mack Cameron]

Ralph; take a peek at this!

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=32356&highlight=White+Ash+chest

[Rick Thom]

Ralph, a friend of mine built a blanket box recently where the rails and styles where of cherry and the raised panels of honey locust. The honey locust is fairly heavy, dense, medium hardness and quite easily cut and routed with or cross grain even using large bits but multiple passes. The colour and grain are quite vivid ranging from light creme, yellow to warm honey and that is very close to the natural cherry used as complementery wood on his blanket box.
I believe his source for the wood was an urban tree removal service.
Hopefully he will post a pic for you when he sees your post.

[Jay Knepper]

I'll second Cliff's opinion on Elm.

The stuff that I've used has had a very strong grain pattern -- a piece made of Elm will not sit quietly in the background.

I lost a few boards from my stock due to warping, don't know if this is a common problem.

[Forrest Price]

Black Locust has really deeply furrowed bark and is hard as nails! That said, I collected a tree much as yours, and use it for turning projects. Hard stuff, but beautiful grain and colors.

Elm, is also wonderful to work with. I built my new kitchen out of American Elm and am really happy with the results.

Here's an early shot before the new floor went in:

[Mack Cameron]

Hi again Ralph;

Take a look at this one as well! I'd take all the Honey Locust I could get my hands on with those yellow streaks.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=37022&highlight=Heirloom+chest

[scott spencer]

I really love the grain in elm. It's a bit prone to movement so be sure to let it acclimate well after dimensioning.

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/elm/elm,%20red%20veneer%201d%20s25%20q60%20plh.jpg

[Mike Parzych]

I also like elm, especially red elm. Do you know what variety the tree is?

Red elm has a great appearance, a stringy wood, and sometimes you can watch it bow after it comes out of the planer. But still well worth it since it's usually not seen around much.

It used to be what hockey stick blades were made from I believe.

[Tom Sontag]

I think that you could find a good use for any of the 3 woods mentioned. Honey locust might be the prettiest, the pictures shown illustrate the highly contrasting sapwood. The grain is more open than cherry, but the heart color can be similar.

Black locust is very hard and rot resistant, so it would be a great choice for an outdoor project.

Elm is the most difficult of these to dry. Put it on the bottom of your stack and have it cut a little thicker (say, 5/4 instead of 4/4) to deal with warp. Elm has an interlocking grain that makes it hard to split for firewood but great for wide slabs like chair seats.

Logistically, if you do not have the means to move large logs, consider sawing into boards on site and cleaning up the site.

[Hank Keller]

Honey Locust is easy to tell from the black locust. Honey locust has big spikes / thorns on the trunk!