The more I work with this wood the more I like it. Chinese Elm has interlocking grain making it exceptionally strong, but unlike some woods with interlocking grain it still manages to carve and plane reasonably well. I would not chose it for a large carving commission but it carves well enough that I would not hesitate to add a few carved details to a piece of furniture made out of it. I also have made several hammer handles from it which I shaped with a spoke shave and they are a pleasure to use. I have also made a couple of mallets with it, one of which I didn't like as soon as I mounted the handle to the head but couldn't bring myself to toss into the scrap bin so I have been trying to break it, and the damn thing won't break, not even at the two knots in the handle. Chinese Elm is by far the strongest wood I have worked with. It words very well both with hand and power tools, it is a dream to turn on the lathe. It sands and finishes well and will take a nice polish with no finish. it has a nice peppery scent when working with it. it is only moderately stable but responds well to designs that take that into consideration. The wood I have is from a tree that was removed from in front of an apartment building in Campbell California and had encapsulated a multi strand telephone cable near the top of the bole.
©Robin Corell 2005