Russian Elm

[Aaron G+11]

I recently got my hands on some Russian elm. It looks pretty, but, is hard on an edge. Other than that I don't know much about it. Any body have any experience with it?

 

[MichaelMouse]

Probably Siberian Elm, which is a close match to the Japanese and Chinese, which, as the net indicates, will cross. They're fast-growers and make a great city tree because they don't mind dirty air. Any I've come across seems to be a slightly softer version of our rock elm. More like american elm in workability. Almost bulletproof in drying, and the smell is a great incentive to get it dried out. It's a bear to cut dry, because the grain runs in forty different directions and it's prone to pecking out when you pick it up. Real thin shavings are the route to success. It's not a wood you can bully.

 

[DMcIvor]

I agree with Michael, it's probably Siberian elm. Contrary to his endorsement as a landscape tree, I'll point out that it is invasive in some places it's planted and really hard to get rid of once established. The wood is siliceous (taking up silica), so expect lots of trips to the grinder. Finished pieces are eye-catching, even in relatively plain grain, mostly because of the contrast between winter/summer wood. Lends itself well to wire brushing and sand blasting, too.

Don

 

[Charlie Knighton]

wire brushing

wire brushing

could you give a quick 1 2 3... procedure and what effect it has on piece???

 

[DMcIvor]

wire brushing

You can use a wire brush to add texture to a piece. The technique works particularly well on pieces with pronounced winter wood or late wood. You could apply the technique to the entire outside of a bowl (for example), but that would tend to be a bit much for my taste. I will sometimes wire brush a band near the top of a bowl to add interest and break up a plain form. I also like the contrast between smooth sanded wood and the wire brushed band.

Here's what I do, following more-or-less directions provided somewhere by Raffan.

• After finishing the gouge work on the outside of a bowl and before sanding, I take a spear point scraper and cut two grooves about 1/2 - 3/4" apart, depending on what looks proportionately correct for the size of the bowl.

• I then use a skew turned on its side as a scraper to slightly reduce the diameter of the bowl between the grooves I just cut. I remove very little wood--maybe 1/16" to slightly inset the brushed band.

• With the lathe on, hold a stiff wire brush against the band. Depending on a lot of factors (lathe speed, hardness of wood, hardness of bristles), I may need to brush a lot or a little. Best to brush for 15 seconds or so and check progress. You need some pressure on the wire brush, but you want to try to confine the bristles to the band you've prepared and not stray out to adjacent areas of the bowl.

• When the wire brushed area has the texture I'm looking for, I sand the outside of the bowl to finish, taking care to avoid sanding the wire brushed area.

I dug around for a picture but couldn't find one. The only other tip I'd offer is the wire brushing goes faster if you use a wire brush wheel in a drill. You can find these brushes in a variety of sizes for just a few bucks at the hardware store.

Don

 

[Charlie Knighton]

wire brushing

thanks for the technique, Don

 

[MichaelMouse]

Try it with a flexible brass-bristle brush, which is much less aggressive than steel. Great for cleaning up those natural edges without bark or the burl figure you leave in that genre. I like it for cleaning up the edges of my "unnatural" edge turnings made from pieces of split firewood with discovered figure. Gets the splinters and loose fuzz out of the way without destroying the overall look of the piece.

You can also get a nylon brush and do a credible job under power for those burnished surfaces.

 

[Charlie Knighton]

pronounced winter wood or late wood

thanks mike

what kind of wood has this pronounced winter wood or late wood?? ash or sasafrass come to mind but not sure that is what you mean

 

[DMcIvor]

late wood

Yep, you got the idea. Elm, ash, probably sassafras (I've only turned a couple of pieces--can't remember much about it). Take a look at Raffan's Turning Bowls, where he goes into some detail about the technique.

Don

 

[Charlie Knighton]

late wood

thanks Don