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View Full Version : Lumber Question- White Ash


Corey Wilcox
03-20-2009, 10:10 AM
I was cutting some white ash to make drawer boxes last night and noticed a strange coloration on the end grain of the lumber I was using. It's hard to explain in words, but the photo shows it pretty well. Has anyone else ever noticed this? Any ideas what causes it? The lumber is stuff I had cut about 2+ years ago from a very large, old tree. It's been stickered in a shed since the time it was cut, but it hasn't been kiln dried. The light colored portion in the middle of the board isn't soft or punky so I don't believe it's the result of rot. The other interesting thing is that both boards I used for these parts showed the same pattern. I would almost guess it's related to the drying process somehow? I believe it rained the day I cut these boards so maybe the rainwater soaking in had something to do with it?
Dennis Lopeman
03-20-2009, 10:48 AM
Yup - that's rain water. Might take a week or so to dry. I've been here before!
Corey Wilcox
03-20-2009, 11:13 AM
Sorry, I just realized my original question may have been misleading. I meant that it rained the day I cut the lumber from the log. These haven't had water on them for 2+ years.
Andy Pratt
03-20-2009, 8:52 PM
It seems like something soaked in an discolored it, my first thought was "oh it's wet from rain" too, but sounds like that couldn't have been it. I don't think rain on the day of milling the lumber could have any effect, but I'm certainly not an expert. Is the surface of the lumber discolored also, or just when viewed from the endgrain?

Only other thing I can think of is that if they were stored vertically and this portion of the board was the part near the floor, perhaps moisture and/or other liquids gravitated their way up the cells in the wood. I think this could happen even through a concrete floor that seemed to always be dry, not sure though.

Hopefully it is just some sort of unaccounted for moisture, and it will go away without affecting your project. If you've got a moisture meter you could test that particular portion to find out for sure if there is a liquid present or not.

Andy