It's been a while since I had to deal with slippery elm(also known as p&^% elm). Now I realize why I swore I would not deal with it again... One stringy and smelly mess! My 22t splitter handled it, but it's not pretty! This was a neighbors tree that fell last fall. He asked me a few weeks ago to help him get it out of his back yard, which was only 100' or so from my stacks. I like how elm burns, just not how it splits!
Im not a big fan either for the same reason. The splits from my recent cut of it were similar. I scored some a couple years ago that split very clean much to my surprise. Ill take it now if not too big and don't want it in quantity. There was maybe a couple face cord at this cut. Im letting a face cord of it sit for a year then try splitting. Supposedly it will split cleaner and easier. Maple Jackpot
In log form, after a year it’s about half as much work to split. Another year and it’s not stringy at all
I had a few pieces that looked like that too. They are going to the neighbors campfire pile(he wanted it!). The trunk was mostly suspended off the ground by the top, but that didn't seem to help much(although it was only down for about 8 months).
I have a couple like that sitting in the hot sun destined for the fire pit. This was the elm I scored Fall 24. Split like hickory.
My sig line is going to double with this thread. All honesty, I’m spoiled and have a plethora of premium hardwoods to select from so I don’t have to put myself through the frustration. Let it sit you say?
I have had this experience; I have some elm and Dutch elm disease. If it is in your yard you got to deal with it now that I am older and wiser. If I can buck it let it sit for 3 years fine I will not split it that’s burn pile wood
By the looks of that one split its appears it may have grown where it got lots of wind. Not much help for that. However, as I have stated many times on this forum, I have a goodly amount of elm on our place but have no problem splitting it. The key is to wait until the tree dies, and most trees don't get really big here before they die. Once dead, the bark begins to peel off. Good! I just leave it until most of the bark has fell before I cut and split it. Here is a short video to show elm being split. For 99% of the time the motor was run around half throttle. Full throttle is used only if one is hard to split. Splitting 4 29 15a
I simply don't attempt splitting fresh elm anymore. I happen to really like burning elm so I don't shy away from it, but I follow the tried and trued protocol that has been mentioned on here ad nauseam. Even if I were to get extremely lucky and find the one in 200 elms that splits clean while green, it still doesn't make the same quality firewood as either a dead and barkless elm, or live elm rounds left to sit for 2 or more years before splitting.
I have tried it both ways and it doesn’t seem to matter much. The older stuff might string a little less, but not enough to make me intentionally wait.
I agree that elm as you describe it does split ok. I've had a lot of elm like that. But then there's the stuff I have dealt with in the past few days. My 22t splitter was working REALLY hard on some of these pieces. Like this piece...
That looks about right. A lot of the stuff I have been doing lately ends up looking pretty much the same.
Sharpening your wedge to "knife sharp" sure helps to cut through some of them. Reading the round and splitting where the round wants to be split also helps. PS :That looks like no fun and little satisfaction.
I’ve done all that; no difference it doesn’t split it tears rips apart.. My solution cut it when it’s small 1 split in half maybe and put in the stove those shreds spark like max.. IME
IDK. The splitter I use will cut through most knots rather then push them apart and into a tangled mess. I'm sure I just haven't got into any that nasty.
