I'm a hands on desk jockey that likes to get grease under my nails, smell 2 stroke smoke, do wheelies, and anything gear head related. I also hate seeing my gas bill so high when I have woods a half hour away, and a trailer I can haul it around in.
Was at Williamsburg last week. The Wheelwrights exclusively use Elm for the hubs of wheels. They anchorseal the ends and give them one year of curing for every inch of diameter. You've got some 15-year pieces there. =)
I know why they use elm. It's resilient as all heck. Even 1.25" branches won't break under my 240 lb boot with a good jump on it. Anything that makes my maul simply bounce off of it after a solid swing tells me it's tough stuff. Using the gas splitter and seeing the fibers afterward makes me give it respect. The pic of elm I have with my saw on it was an interesting tree. I remember that tree as it had an odd crook at the top that squirrels would nest in. I've been squirrel hunting in that woods from age 8 to my 20s. Funny and sad was when I dropped that tree, a nice fat fox squirrel ran out of it. He was unharmed, but I felt bad about uprooting him in the middle of winter. I think that tree is much older than 15 yes, and my mistake widow maker was even bigger around at the base than this tree.
