Wych Elm

[jon r]

Nealy all the Elm trees were killed off from Duch Elm Disease were they not? So where does Ray and you people get your Elm wood for Bow making? There is only one Elm tree where i live and it is kept secret so because it is pretty rare! Taking limbs from this would be bad!!!

 

[leon-b]

i think fenlander is in the process of making wych elm bark cordage (forgive me if im wrong), so they must still be about
leon

 

[Too Much Kit To Carry]

I thought that one of the mods had some elm for bow making available within the last few days - I might be mistaken.

Phil.

 

[Tadpole]

Nealy all the Elm trees were killed off from Duch Elm Disease were they not? So where does Ray and you people get your Elm wood for Bow making? There is only one Elm tree where i live and it is kept secret so because it is pretty rare! Taking limbs from this would be bad!!!

There are young elm trees local to me that have grown as suckers from old elm stump, a tree surgeon acquaintance of mine, say he will give them another year or so before cutting them as it is almost guaranteed if he leaves it longer they will suffer from Dutch elm disease.

In north east Scotland the wych elms Ulmus Glabra is a quite a common sight, Christie-Elite of Tilhill Nurseries, claim to sell somewhere between 5000 and 10000 young trees per year for the North east of Scotland. (£340 per 1000 in case you are interested)

 

[torjusg]

He may be importing them too, they are quite common in many areas in other parts of Europe.

 

[Too Much Kit To Carry]

Have a look here: -

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=18405&highlight=elm+bow

Phil.

 

[jon r]

You see im looking for a length of suitable tood to make a bow. I dont want to use Yew. Would Ash be good for making a bow?

 

[torjusg]

You see im looking for a length of suitable tood to make a bow. I dont want to use Yew. Would Ash be good for making a bow?

Ash is very good.

 

[Too Much Kit To Carry]

Have a look here: -

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=18405&highlight=elm+bow

Phil.

Elm anybody?

Phil.

 

[leon-b]

ash is a very springy wood
leon

 

[C_Claycomb]

Don't worry TMKTC They don't seem all that interested

Ash is good. I don't know how this elm is going to work. I wouldn't cut an elm just to make a bow, there are so few and so many ash trees of a perfect size and shape for bows. In my case though the elm trees are going to be felled anyway and it seems a better fate that they should be used for bows than whatever it is that demolision companies usually do with cleared trees.

Jon R,
Where abouts are you in the midlands?

 

[sam_acw]

So is wych Elm actually a true elm? I've got confused with it and there are only 10 posts!
Are we talking about young elm shoots, a more resiliant or loosely related subspecies or somethign else entirely.

 

[Don Redondo]

So is wych Elm actually a true elm? I've got confused with it and there are only 10 posts!
Are we talking about young elm shoots, a more resiliant or loosely related subspecies or somethign else entirely.

wych elm Ulmus glabra is the western elm and probably the native elm. English elm U.procera might have been brought in at some time, due to the fact that it propagates through suckering, very rarely setting viable seed, although this position has been modified somewhat since U. procera appears to be confined to se England and N France. There are myriad other elm varieties, because the several species hybridize so easily... you end up with Cornish elm, Jersey elm, plot el, smoth leaved elm etcetc

Fact is there are probably more individual elm in our hedgerows now than there ever has been, the downside being it's become an understorey tree, like hazel rather than the massive examples of 30 years ago.

Elms showing sighns of DED are routinely cut back, which may be a mistake since the fungus that causes them to die comes in two forms, which cannot be told apart except via dna analysis. one form is the virulent type, the other is less severe and was endemic, only killing elms in drought years.

wych elm seems more tolerant of DED, but it's always been my opinion that this is because wych tends to be found in the wet west where the fungus does'nt block the phloem tubes so readily.

BTW.. if you are working on fresh elm, please sterilise your tools before moving onto a fresh elm patch, to avoid possible cross contamination as much as possible. meths is usually sufficient.

.

 

[jon r]

Jon R,
Where abouts are you in the midlands?

Im in a town called Nuneaton near Coventry. So its a bit too far! too bad!

 

[jon r]

I have got a fantastic length of Ash in my shed but it is still green. It it best to let it dry before making it into a bow?

 

[torjusg]

I have got a fantastic length of Ash in my shed but it is still green. It it best to let it dry before making it into a bow?

Not neccesary, with stone tools you would be hard pressed to do it in an other way. Work it as close to finished dimentions as you dare and let it dry.

 

[jon r]

cheers! im gonna get started tomorrow!

 

[fred gordon]

In north east Scotland the wych elms Ulmus Glabra is a quite a common sight, Christie-Elite of Tilhill Nurseries, claim to sell somewhere between 5000 and 10000 young trees per year for the North east of Scotland. (£340 per 1000 in case you are interested)

Yes, this is the case. There are still plenty of wych elms here,but also quite a percentage have been killed off. There is also a planting scheme which has been going on for several years

 

[easilyled]

I'm not an expert, a tree surgeon or horticulturally trained, but I have taken down some 40 odd dead elms in the last five years in the course of my job. Dutch elm disease affects the tree once they have reached a certain maturity. The root in the meantime continues to produce new shoots which grow to a decent height and trunk diameter before they become susceptible to the disease.

 

[Snufkin]

The beatle that carries the disease only attacks trees of a certain age. And as DED doesn't damage the timber a disease killed tree is still suitable for bowmaking. Though it may be wise to debark the tree in situ so as not to transport the disease.
Having said that I'd just use ash.