I have been cutting on this Siberian Elm at a neighbors home for the last few weeks. I was planning on using all of the wood for firewood and have given most of the upper tree away to other neighbors in town. I got down to the main trunk this last week and found it to be quite solid and made me wonder about making table tops out of the main trunk.
It measured 15' in circumference at about 30” from the ground and the widest part is just over 5' across with the smaller width coming in around 4'.
I have cut the main trunk into three 18” slabs, give or take 3”. The last one is still sitting on the ground where it grew, but it has been cut 360°.
Here are my questions. First, is this wood worth the effort to make table slabs out of? If yes then what is the best way to store it until it is dried to minimize checking and splitting? It is loaded with water. I tried to split some of the upper rounds with a wedge and the water comes oozing out.
Would it be best to cut the slabs into the table widths now leaving enough width to plan and sand later or wait until it has dried and then cut it?
How can I keep the bark on? Most of the bark on Siberian Elms will fall off in two or three years. I wait until this happens before I burn it due to the fact that the bark leaves a lot of ash.
This is a good excuse to get a long bar for my 394XP and 395XP saws. I was thinking 6'. What is the best way to cut a slab this big?
I counted 52 rings. The owner is in his late 70's and claims he planted the tree over 50 years ago. It had the kitchen sink drain field just east of it and most of the rings are thick, but there are several years where they are thin and seem to correlate with the years that the home was not being occupied.
The saw in this picture is the 394 with a 24" bar. I used a 32" bar on the big stuff.
It measured 15' in circumference at about 30” from the ground and the widest part is just over 5' across with the smaller width coming in around 4'.
I have cut the main trunk into three 18” slabs, give or take 3”. The last one is still sitting on the ground where it grew, but it has been cut 360°.
Here are my questions. First, is this wood worth the effort to make table slabs out of? If yes then what is the best way to store it until it is dried to minimize checking and splitting? It is loaded with water. I tried to split some of the upper rounds with a wedge and the water comes oozing out.
Would it be best to cut the slabs into the table widths now leaving enough width to plan and sand later or wait until it has dried and then cut it?
How can I keep the bark on? Most of the bark on Siberian Elms will fall off in two or three years. I wait until this happens before I burn it due to the fact that the bark leaves a lot of ash.
This is a good excuse to get a long bar for my 394XP and 395XP saws. I was thinking 6'. What is the best way to cut a slab this big?
I counted 52 rings. The owner is in his late 70's and claims he planted the tree over 50 years ago. It had the kitchen sink drain field just east of it and most of the rings are thick, but there are several years where they are thin and seem to correlate with the years that the home was not being occupied.
The saw in this picture is the 394 with a 24" bar. I used a 32" bar on the big stuff.
The woodworker in me is very sad to see that beautiful log getting cut up like that. That wood is awsome looking when it is dry. 
