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Elm

A hardwood distinguished by its wide, jagged, open grain, which often has white speckles. Indigenous to northern Europe. Elm is a light brown timber from the temperate regions similar in look to oak but without the medullary rays (iridescent flecks) and with a more even grain due to its faster growth. It has distinctive blackish figuring when old and ingrained with dirt. Somewhat similar in appearance to oak, this wood was in use during the 1600´s and later. The British variety of elm is hard and durable but liable to warp with age and is susceptible to woodworm.

* Used since the 1500´s for construction in the solid

* Particularly favoured by provincial cabinet makers in Britain and The Netherlands

* Richly figured, burr elm is far rarer than the standard variety

* Burr elm tends to have a broken surface with tight grains

* Furniture constructed in burr elm was usually veneered or in some cases stained to emulate mulberry

* Burr elm was used for veneers and cabinetwork in the early 1700´s. Cut into burr veneers of fairly small sheets with extremely pleasing effect.

* Wych elm has a particularly attractive grain and polishes well.

* Used for Windsor chair seats in England, country furniture, provincial chests of drawers, and widely used for coffins because of its large plank size.

* Chairs were made from elm from the Georgian period and the seats of Windsor chairs were elm from the 1800´s.