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Elm fire wood? #7381669
10/18/21 09:03 AM
10/18/21 09:03 AM
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 8,864
Indiana
P
Providence Farm Online content OP
trapper
Providence Farm  Online Content OP
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Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 8,864
Indiana
I have not cut many down in years because they are few around due to duch elm years ago. But I had one
with 10" branch growingg against a dead ash so I could not drop it without removing that branch first. the branch was 25' up and no problem normally but with my health issues recently being in the air is sketchy. I looked closer and realized the majority of the elm would get busted up when the ask fell any way so just dropped the from the ground.

I seem to remember elm being a pain to split due to twisted grain am I remembering correctly? And is it a good burning wood ? It's green so I will try to hold it back but may burn it later in the winter if running low.

I have another one that's been loosing larg leads that over hangs my 1830 log cabin that needs to go as well. I can climb it and rope it out normally but I think now I will rent a lift. And even that may not be the best idea currently.

Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Providence Farm] #7381670
10/18/21 09:05 AM
10/18/21 09:05 AM
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 4,527
MN
D
Donnersurvivor Offline
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Donnersurvivor  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 4,527
MN
Elm is a great burning wood though a total pain to split.

Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Providence Farm] #7381675
10/18/21 09:09 AM
10/18/21 09:09 AM
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 16,150
Tennessee
Scuba1 Offline
"color blind Kraut"
Scuba1  Offline
"color blind Kraut"

Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 16,150
Tennessee
If you don't have a hydraulic splitter, leave it where it is or you will have lost of hickory kindling ( axe handles ) at the blade follows the twisted grain of the wood, snapping the handles off. That stuff grows like a cork screw.


Let's go Brandon

"Shall not comply" with morons who don't understand "shall not infringe."
Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Providence Farm] #7381677
10/18/21 09:09 AM
10/18/21 09:09 AM
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 5,922
2A Sanctuaries-W. OK & N. NM
Blaine County Offline
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Blaine County  Offline
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 5,922
2A Sanctuaries-W. OK & N. NM
Agree on being a pain to split. But it burns good.

Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Providence Farm] #7381685
10/18/21 09:18 AM
10/18/21 09:18 AM
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 8,864
Indiana
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Providence Farm Online content OP
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Providence Farm  Online Content OP
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Joined: Feb 2020
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Indiana
I'm glad my memory has not failed me. My hydrologic splitter needs repacking.

I guess I will try cutting it very thin 6-10" thick on the larger log and see if I can get it to split that way. Small chunks will burn to just more gas and time. Maybe that will make it split easier. If nothing else I can saw it in quarters but gas and time..

Thanks for the quick responses.

Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Providence Farm] #7381735
10/18/21 10:04 AM
10/18/21 10:04 AM
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,761
Central, SD
Law Dog Offline
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Law Dog  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,761
Central, SD
Elm is one of the 3 main choices here along with ash and cottonwood it all burns and yes elm is a pain but it burns better then cottonwood so it’s the better choice. Seems like you have to split it twice effort wise so consider that health wise you could always strip the limbs off and go back next year if you feel better then tackle the bigger stuff.

Dry elm is better to work with the wet stuff is heavy and stinks with a sour smell. Not bad wood but if you have better choices go with those trees and save the unneeded hassle for what you going to get out of it.


Was born in a Big City Will die in the Country OK with that!

Jerry Herbst
Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Providence Farm] #7381739
10/18/21 10:12 AM
10/18/21 10:12 AM
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 923
NW Oklahoma
O
Okie Farmer Offline
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Okie Farmer  Offline
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 923
NW Oklahoma
Native Elm is good wood, Chinese Elm makes lots of ash and not as much heat.

Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Providence Farm] #7381741
10/18/21 10:15 AM
10/18/21 10:15 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,475
WI>>>MN >>>WI
T-Rex Offline
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T-Rex  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,475
WI>>>MN >>>WI
How you handle your firewood depends a bit on how you will be using it.

If you have an indoor wood stove, you need to be a little pickier on size and shape.

If you have an outdoor boiler, you can pretty much just cut logs or discs to whatever weight you can lift. In other words, it don't really need look pretty or stack well.

The bigger problem is moisture content. You might be able to burn "green" elm, but, it will be a pain.


Man who mistake shillelagh for fairy wand; see pixie dust, also.
Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Providence Farm] #7381768
10/18/21 10:53 AM
10/18/21 10:53 AM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 7,142
Wisconsin
M
Moosetrot Offline
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Moosetrot  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 7,142
Wisconsin
I used to burn elm all the time. Learned from an old timer that if you wait to split it until it is frozen hard before splitting it splits a lot easier. Found that to be very true!

Moosetrot

Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Providence Farm] #7381771
10/18/21 10:59 AM
10/18/21 10:59 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,489
Moved to Fbks, Ak.
M
martentrapper Offline
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martentrapper  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,489
Moved to Fbks, Ak.
When does it ever freeze hard in Indiana?

Last edited by martentrapper; 10/18/21 10:59 AM.
Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Providence Farm] #7381774
10/18/21 11:03 AM
10/18/21 11:03 AM
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 6,190
Kansas
Pawnee Offline
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Pawnee  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 6,190
Kansas
Out here it’s about all we have unless a guy lucks out and finds a dead ash tree. I helped one of my boys cut 6 pickup loads of Russian Elm yesterday. He had 9 orders come in Friday and needed some help. It split’s great. Good burning wood.

D2D31BC5-BCE9-4792-8742-A016AE296371.jpeg

Everything the left touches it destroys
Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Providence Farm] #7381775
10/18/21 11:03 AM
10/18/21 11:03 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,476
Philippines, s.e. asia,ohio
west river rogue Offline
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west river rogue  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,476
Philippines, s.e. asia,ohio
you can slab elm....cut it in slabs from the outside in. Ive burned wood for 60 yrs and I hand split it all.

Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Moosetrot] #7381780
10/18/21 11:11 AM
10/18/21 11:11 AM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,366
New York border
Cragar Offline
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Cragar  Offline
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New York border
Originally Posted by Moosetrot
I used to burn elm all the time. Learned from an old timer that if you wait to split it until it is frozen hard before splitting it splits a lot easier. Found that to be very true!

Moosetrot

X2

I have found that to be very true as well.


NRA benefactor member
Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Providence Farm] #7381788
10/18/21 11:28 AM
10/18/21 11:28 AM
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,761
Central, SD
Law Dog Offline
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Law Dog  Offline
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Central, SD
I have about 12 cords I need split if anybody needs practice splitting wood.


Was born in a Big City Will die in the Country OK with that!

Jerry Herbst
Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Providence Farm] #7381801
10/18/21 11:56 AM
10/18/21 11:56 AM
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 2,871
NNY
0
080808 Offline
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080808  Offline
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Posts: 2,871
NNY
Google wood and BTU’s per cord. Maybe I’m lucky but I burn elm only in a pinch. Hickory, red and white oak, hard maple in that order. All thinnings.

Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Donnersurvivor] #7381814
10/18/21 12:19 PM
10/18/21 12:19 PM
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 133
Wyoming USA
Dash1714 Offline
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Wyoming USA
X2...When I was a kid growing up in Minnesota my Dad would pile it in a pile by itself and then on a weekend when it was too cold to do anything else, he would have us all go out and split the elm. It split pretty good when it was -30...-40 below.


No matter where you go...there you are!
Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Providence Farm] #7381815
10/18/21 12:20 PM
10/18/21 12:20 PM
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 10,787
Asheville, NC
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charles Offline
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Asheville, NC
I grew up in Elm City, NC and we do not have an elm tree left in the town. Dutch Elm got them all. Our hardest wood to split is sweet gum. It is twisty and must be slabbed.

Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Providence Farm] #7381832
10/18/21 12:39 PM
10/18/21 12:39 PM
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 8,864
Indiana
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Providence Farm Online content OP
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Providence Farm  Online Content OP
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Indiana
Originally Posted by Dash1714
X2...When I was a kid growing up in Minnesota my Dad would pile it in a pile by itself and then on a weekend when it was too cold to do anything else, he would have us all go out and split the elm. It split pretty good when it was -30...-40 below.



I have only experienced maybe -10 a few times in my life. Most winters we get down into the teens with a few short spells colder. I think all wood splits easier frozen.

Yes I have an outdoor stove with 24"x24" door and 47" x36 box. It's sold as a coal burner but unless I mixed the coal with wood I could never get it to stay burning all night. I can burn about anything in it. I got rid of a jack pine that blew over last winter. Carcasses, other animals that die and I don't want to dig a hole or dump for my dogs to roll in latter all disappear when thrown into that monster.

I cut it into short pieces that can be burnt without splitting. Took more time and two tanks extra gas but faster than splitting that twisted heavy green stuff.
I stacked the small round wood between some tree's and put a small piece of wore out semi trap oner it. The larger round wood got stacked in what will be covered up in the bottom of that stack for months. The larger log I cut thin will just get piled and covered with a tarp and hope I don't need it this year. But it's down and as soon as moved I can drop that dead ash. I'm hoping it's not to far gone.

Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Providence Farm] #7381870
10/18/21 01:15 PM
10/18/21 01:15 PM
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 2,446
Tug Hill, NY
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Squash Offline
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Squash  Offline
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Tug Hill, NY
IMO it is poor firewood, but if it is all you have then it works. Hard to split, high moisture content, smells like urine, etc.. I’m lucky my area is rich with Hard Maple, Yellow Birch, Beech, all superior firewood species compared to elm.

Re: Elm fire wood? [Re: Providence Farm] #7381884
10/18/21 01:35 PM
10/18/21 01:35 PM
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 10,063
Marion Kansas
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Yes sir Offline
"Callie's little brother"
Yes sir  Offline
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Posts: 10,063
Marion Kansas
I feel sorry for u guys that don't have hedge to burn

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