# Ash



## Woodworkers Source (Apr 9, 2009)

*Ash
White Ash* 
_Fraxinus Americana_










Let me start with a confession… I like Ash. I like the way it works, the look and feel of the wood and the finish it accepts. It is a nice wood.

There are 18-20 species of Ash growing in North America with White Ash the most commercially important species. White Ash is widely distributed in the US and Canada from the East to the Midwest. It grows in all states east of the Mississippi and some to the west. Green Ash and Blue Ash share the same range, and are harvested and marketed together. 

The tree has a narrow sapwood ring that is nearly white while the heartwood is cream, tan or brown sometimes with a reddish tinge. The wood is strong and hard with a straight, rather coarse grain and has a high shock resistance. Bold growth rings produce a look similar to Red Oak. The dry weight is about 42 pounds per cubic foot.

Shovels, spades, rakes and hoes frequently have Ash handles. Wooden baseball bats have always been made of White Ash. Before man-made fibers, it was also the wood of choice for tennis rackets and skis. You'll also find white ash as hockey sticks, polo mallets, oars and paddles, and playground equipment. Chair makers prefer white ash due to its bending ease. Its workability, plus good looks, make White Ash one of the top commercial woods in the furniture and cabinet industries.

The wood machines well with moderate cutting resistance and wear on cutters. Ash works easily with hand and power tools. It glues well. It holds screws well, but pre-drilling is recommended. When jointing edges be careful about the grain direction. Ash is well known for its excellent bending characteristics. Splintering can be a problem when turning it on the lathe. Make sure your tools are sharp and take a fine cut. 

*HERE* is our library page with more information. Tell us about your experience with White Ash.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Keith

Thanks for great info but you didn't say anything about the PRICE...

Let's say white Oak to Ash... ? and the sizes ? plus what you have on hand..?



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## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

Since ash trees have been cut down by the millions here, it is pretty cheap. Several of us are making a run to get some next weekend. I believe it's about $1 to $1.50 bdft.


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## BobandRick (Aug 4, 2004)

I think Keith is offering his expertise on the species of woods in this forum. If you want to know the price of the wood from Woodworkers Source. You should direct your questions to order desk of Woodworkers Source directly.

Keith is offering his expertise free of charge and NOT asking you to purchase from his company. I was hoping to get Keith to help build a resource of information on different types of wood. This forum is about quality info on different wood species. So let's keep on topic... 

I propose that: If you guys think we need to a discussion on whether white ash is cheaper than white oak or there's a guy in tumbleweed, any-state that is selling X species for .50 cent per board ft. I can get Mark to add a sub-forum about wood prices that discusses where one can get that lumber. 

It could be a place when and where you guys see a great deal on wood can post and discuss the opportunity. I would assume Keith would be glad to add his two cent about why not all boards are created equally and that price is not the be all end all. 

So getting back on track does anyone have some experience using White Ash that they would like to share, if so please post about your experiences on this thread.


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## Mark (Aug 4, 2004)

Thanks Keith for the great information


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

It is next to impossible to offer a price comparison in this section. Every location will have different costs for different woods. Right now there is a glut of ash available in Michigan because of the Emerald Ash Borer plague. This results in an artificially low price in our area, but it will not last. Locally available wood will almost always be cheaper than wood that is shipped. This section is not the Bargain Bin for pricing, it is to help us learn of the many varieties of wood available, and to understand their characteristics.


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## Woodworkers Source (Apr 9, 2009)

I should have mentioned the Emerald Ash Borer in the original post. This beetle has killed millions of Ash trees in the north central midwest. Michigan has been hit the hardest. Many of the killed trees are in landscapes, parks and nurseries. To date there has not been an impact on the availability or quality of Ash in the lumber market. *HERE *is the US Forest Service web site for more information about this beetle and infestation.


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

Hi Keith, thanks for sharing your info here on the forum. As a newbie woodworker I am very keen on learning about wood species and thier uses. 
We are feeling the bite (no pun intended) of the Ash Borer here in Canada as well. Here in Southwestern Ontario they have taken their toll on thousands of trees.


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## tageiwamugei (May 1, 2009)

So Keith, all other things being equal, would you use Ash above any other wood for your projects?


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## Woodworkers Source (Apr 9, 2009)

Not for everything, but it would be on my short list for furniture and cabinets. I like to work with a lot of woods. For me, part of the fun of woodworking is experimenting with different woods, enjoying their unique feel, learning how they, cut, route, plane, sand and finish. For household accessories, jewelry boxes, etc. I would try some of the more unusual imports and I am a sucker for any rosewood. For outdoor projects White Oak, Cypress or Ipe would be good choices. It is a big world and there are lots of choices. So much wood... so little time.


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## BobandRick (Aug 4, 2004)

*My experiences with White Ash...*

I have made a set of furniture for the living room using White Ash as the material of choice. I find White Ash as one of my favorite woods to work with I find it to be very stable, easy to machine and durable. The only thing about White Ash that I find annoying is the brown streaks that appear in many of the boards. It took a lot of sorting to find all pieces that were pure white.

In my opinion I find White Ash to be similar to the machining characteristics of Red Oak. Again a great wood to work with on any furniture project.

Here are some photos of my set of tables for the living room.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Gee Rick, those tables came out real nice. Did you ever think about turning pro? (Ducking)


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## Woodworkers Source (Apr 9, 2009)

I do not want to take us off the topic of Ash as a wood but you have raised a point that folks need to know about.

Your issue with the color of Ash is the same with many hardwoods, when the sapwood is different in color from the heartwood. It also relates to how hardwood lumber is manufactured and prepared for the marketplace. Most hardwoods are available from the manufacture color selected to some specification. In general that will mean sap, heart or natural but the specification can be quite stringent and, of course, will affect the price. Color separation is not related to grade.

In Ash select white, brown or unselected are common. I suspect you were working with unselected lumber. Had you purchased or had available select white, the price would have been higher but the lumber would have been selected for you. Most likely your yield would have increased or stated the other way around the waste factor would have been lower.

The end user may not have any choice other than what is available in the bin at their lumber dealer on the day of purchase. But if you have time to wait and need sufficient quantity it might be profitable to discuss your requirements ahead of purchasing. 

Now back to Ash.


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## Capt Splinter (Dec 30, 2008)

Thanks so much for the information on Ash. I live in southern Louisiana, and while Ash is available here, it is not as prevalent as oak or cypress. I have not used Ash, but will definately try it soon.
I will be following this thread for words of wisdom on other species of wood also.


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## westend (Mar 31, 2009)

I built a pair of speakers, finishing them in White Ash, The thread and pics are in the "showing off" section of the forum. I found it to be a very nice wood to use, easy to machine, very straight grained, and attractive.


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

Good write up and thank you. I will look forward to future write ups. What can you say about Hickory? A friend and I have the opportunity to harvest a Hickory tree. It will have to air dry for a couple three years before it can be used. Are there any problems with air drying that would make it not worth our time to get it??


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## Woodworkers Source (Apr 9, 2009)

I have never air dried wood so this is from the books. Hickory shrinks quite a bit in the drying process. Spliting, checking and warping are common.

This is from Understanding Wood by R. Bruce Hoadly:

"Perhaps the greatest pitfall is greed. Most woodworkers never feel they have enough material and tend to overstock. With green wood this can be disastrous. Don't try to handle too much. Don't even start to dry your own wood if you can't follow through. More material is ruined by neglect than by lack of know-how."


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## BobandRick (Aug 4, 2004)

See that's why we have Keith here, to explain all the finer details of purchasing wood. 

You are right I purchased select and better but didn't make a preference to the white color so you get unselected White Ash Lumber. Out of approx. 500 Bd. Ft. I yielded enough to build the coffee table, 2 end tables and the sofa table.

Has anyone else had some experience with White Ash. Are there any projects to show.


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## westend (Mar 31, 2009)

BobandRick said:


> See that's why we have Keith here, to explain all the finer details of purchasing wood.
> 
> You are right I purchased select and better but didn't make a preference to the white color so you get unselected White Ash Lumber. Out of approx. 500 Bd. Ft. I yielded enough to build the coffee table, 2 end tables and the sofa table.
> 
> Has anyone else had some experience with White Ash. Are there any projects to show.


I'll post a couple of grain shots from my speaker project. One shows the kind of burl you may encounter. I'm a nut for that kind of stuff and try to incorporate it into my projects.


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## istracpsboss (Sep 14, 2008)

Fascinating stuff Keith. I'd drifted across from your great Mahogany write up. Ash was also the wood favoured by coach builders for carriage bodywork framing and even up to WWII, car (auto) bodywork still used it. My first Morgan had an ash frame.

I went and had a look at your very interesting website. I found Slavonian Ash, but not Slavonian Oak, which is widely available here.

Thread drift, I'm afraid, but can you please tell me what Live Oaks are? I see them referred to in American novels, but apart from differentiating from dead Oaks, I'm none the wiser!

Cheers

Peter


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## Woodworkers Source (Apr 9, 2009)

Peter, thanks for joining us here. I love the international flavor the web brings to us. 

The oaks (genus _Quercus_) are divided into three groups: Red Oaks, White Oaks and Live Oaks. The most common Live Oak is _Quercus virginiana_. This tree grows throughout much of the US but mostly in the south and California. See this *Wikipedia page.* and our *wood library*

Live Oak is not available in the commercial market. The timber is very hard and interesting but the tree produces only a short bole and is very difficult to dry.

Now on to Morgans. They are certainly interesting autos. During your time with yours did you suffer any kidney damage?


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## lazybum (Jul 16, 2009)

I dropped a few green or black ash trees in march
Some where half dead and used that for fire wood
the three decent size trunks 20-28" diamenter and 9' long I had slabbed into 5/4 and 8/4 
Stacked and stickered and down to 11% moisture 

I see a kitchen table and a workbench coming out of that hopefully this winter or next

Not much has warped yet 
I see a few cracks and splits in the board with the pith but 20-24" wide boards I expect 20% loss


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

Keith could Ash be mistaken for Oak or vice versa? The grain seems very similar to me and both are hard heavy woods. What would be the major distinction between the two? I know Ash should be lighter in colour but different species might disqulaify this?
As a novice it would be helpful to know what qualifies in knowing the difference.
Thanks!


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## istracpsboss (Sep 14, 2008)

Woodworkers Source said:


> Peter, thanks for joining us here. I love the international flavor the web brings to us.
> 
> The oaks (genus _Quercus_) are divided into three groups: Red Oaks, White Oaks and Live Oaks. The most common Live Oak is _Quercus virginiana_. This tree grows throughout much of the US but mostly in the south and California. See this *Wikipedia page.* and our *wood library*
> 
> ...


Thanks for that! I should have thought of Wikipaedia !

I outgrew my Morgan. It was my first car. It was a 1937 4/4 that someone had levered an MG TD engine into, although it still had the original Meadows gearbox. It had a fixed back to the seat so as I was still growing (I'm 6'4"), I had to get rid of it. I sold it to two girl students who crashed it into a fuel pump at a gas station on the way home and bounced the cheque!

Cheers

Peter


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## Woodworkers Source (Apr 9, 2009)

CanuckGal said:


> Keith could Ash be mistaken for Oak or vice versa?


American Ash, _Fraxinus americana_, is easily confused with Red Oak, _Quercus rubra_. If both woods are similarily stained and finished it can be nearly impossible to tell them apart without examining the grain with magnification. 








* Ash*








* Red Oak*

Both woods are ring porus which creates the coarse grain look. If the Ash has been selected for color it is similar to Red Oak, unselected Ash will have brown and white mixed. Red Oak weighs more 48 to 35 lbs/cf. Red Oak will have more distinct rays.

Hope this helps. Good luck.


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Boy, those are close in appearance Keith! Thank you for taking the time to explain. I (and probably some others) never realized how close they can be.


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

Excellent Keith! Thanks so much!


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