I spent the weekend processing some standing cedar and elm wood. I thickness planed it down to the 3/4″ that I need for making sticks. I then made the sticks. What is fascinating to me is how bad these woods are to work with! Elm has a peculiar smell to it and has a very curvy grain pattern, so it is very difficult to know ahead of time whether the bevel cut I do is going to pinch or spread as I cut it. The standing cedar likewise has internal stress and I found that if the stick I process should be about 8″ in length or less, it binds too much and might kick back in a very unsafe manner.
Elm and cedar sticks made