Two years ago we had a large elm tree taken down from our backyard (which was an adventure in itself - small urban backyard, had lots of cooperation from the neighbors). I had the brilliant idea of having it cut into lumber and located a local sawyer with a kiln. Ended up with enough live edge slabs and planks to fill a 10'x15' storage unit. I managed to sell most of the live edge slabs and broke even on the costs of sawing and drying. Saved three live edge slabs to make a desk for myself and coffee tables for my kids.

I now have a stack of planks in the garage, 5"-6" wide, 8'-14' long, total of about 200 board feet. I need to move the planks to make enough room to park one car in a two-car garage this winter

I'm thinking of making some semi-rustic furniture, such as small bookcases and benches. Before I start cutting, a couple of pertinent questions:

  • Has anyone here worked with elm? I have read that elm is not the most stable wood, and is best suited for small projects. I'm thinking of cutting the planks into 4" lengths. Although it pains me to cut up a 14' plank, the longer length is probably not of any value
  • My favorite way to join the edges of boards is to cut channels on a router table and use splines. I'm thinking this might not be the best idea for a less stable wood, and perhaps I should just plane and join the edges with no glue and expect some movement.


Any insights are much appreciated.