Elm takes an important role on Chinese antique furniture and our solid wood production. The Elms belong to the natural order Lunacies and to the genus Ulmus, which contains sixteen species, widely distributed throughout the north temperate zone, extending southwards as far as Mexico in the New World and the Sikkim Himalayas in the Old World.
Elm trees in China can grow to become some of the tallest and largest native trees. Like the oak, they often had very specific customs and folklore attached to individual, named trees such as the Tenor. Elm is basically a fairly difficult timber to work, tending to pick up during planning and molding, and to bind on the saw., Bass and Alto elms on Humberside, or the Dancing elms of Devon around which May Day dances were held (these trees have all sadly succumbed to Dutch elm disease). Its working properties are however governed to an extent by the care with which it was dried, distorted wood being wasteful in planning and molding. The elm's wood bends well, or distorts easily, depending on which way you look at the situation, and indeed the elm refers to its wood being pliant, and not to witches, who were said to shun elm trees.
Elm wood is used for keels and bilge planks, the blocks and dead eyes of rigging and ship's pumps, for coffins, wheels, furniture, turned articles and general carpenter's work. It is used for furniture, cabinet making, flooring, millwork, paneling and caskets. Elm boards are largely used for lining the interior of carts, wagons and wheelbarrows on account of the extreme toughness of the wood, and it has been much employed in the past for making sheds, most of the existing farm buildings being covered with elm.
Elm can be sorted some species, such as white elm, water elm and so on. White elm is the largest and arguably the most stately elm of all. More so than other elms, this majestic tree was devastated by Dutch elm disease and today it is restively different to find white elm lumber. The wood is extremely easy to bend and is most used to make furniture .When sliced on the quarter, white elm produces lovely ribbon-striped veneers. Elm is the state tree of Massachusetts and North Dakota.
Elm is moderately heavy, hard and stiff, with excellent bending and shock resistance. It is difficult to split because of its interlocked grain. It is really a perfect material that be made of furniture.
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