Bad ASH question...

[Bill Space]

Ha, ha...could not resist the thread title!

Actually, I think it is a good ash question, but not sure...

I cut down some standing dead ash trees a year ago, and took some 8' pieces to a small saw mill/kiln last July. I picked up about 500 board feet of dried 4/4 a couple weeks ago (finally). My cost for sawing and drying totaled about 80 cents per board foot. (actually 60 cents per board foot before accounting for gas there and back, multiple trips, my trailer is small)

From what I can see I really like this wood. It stood for a couple years after dying, due to the emerald ash borer insect. The sawyer told me it was quite hard when sawing, and asked if it had been standing dead for a while.

Anyway, I really like what I see so far, which is limited to several pieces that had some rot on the ends, which I cut off, and then face jointed to get a look at what was there. Very nice wood, and VERY hard. When you touch it, it is like touching a piece of smooth stone, as far as how the surface feels cold to the touch, giving the impression that it is HARD. My jointer has a helical head, so I don't know any more than that. I did not thickness plane any yet, but when I do that will be with normal knives.

Just wondering if anyone else has experience with ash that was standing dead for a while before going to the saw mill and kiln. Should I be surprised that this stuff is so nice? I mean hard and with a nice grain pattern, but mostly wondering about the hardness, at least the perceived hardness that comes from touching it...

I know this is a pretty generic question...I suppose I am asking for general impressions rather than specifics!

Thanks!.... Bill

[Myk Rian]

Is the wood hard?

They do make baseball bats out of it for a reason.

[Bill Space]

I know this is subjective, but I have touched a few baseball bats in my time, and this stuff gives the impression of touching marble rather than wood, for what that is worth,,, And that is without any surface finish.

It just impressed me for some reason...and so the question came to mind...I don't have anything to compare it to...but the sawyer mentioning that it was hard when cutting toggled a question in my mind...

Curiosity drives the question....

I expect to make some nice cabinets out of this wood...

PS...I generally knock on my head when comparing wood hardness, but in this case there is no comparison. My head doesn't win...

[Dave Zellers]

I love ash. Did a kitchen with it 3 years ago. It stays nice and light colored. When you plane it-sharp knives and pay close attention to grain direction.

You should be aware that it's very hard. :D

[Curt Harms]

I have limited experience with ash but the only negative was a a little tearout due to gnarly grain when planed with a straight knife jointer/planer. Stuff smells nice when worked IMO.

[Prashun Patel]

Standing dead means the rotting process can begin. How quickly it spalts, then changes color, then rots is variable. If you catch it at the right time, it can look wonderful. I have some oak that was 'standing dead' that changed color dramatically. All that matters is that it milled up well, and looks and feels workable to you. If you're using for anything structural, just beware that it hasn't softened anywhere.

[Judson Green]

Ash is one of my favorites. Light, strong, good color, smells good when cut.

Many years ago I got some wormy ash, it comparatively seemed harder than other ash I have worked.

[Bill Space]

I was just wondering because this ash I have is very nice, but seems like it dried somewhat before it was cut down and taken to the saw mill, and I think that is why the guy commented it was hard cutting.

I do not have any experience with live ash (green wood) that was cut and kiln dried. so I have nothing to compare this to. It just amazes me how hard this stuff feels to the touch, I think because it conducts heat very well from the finger tips for some reason, like marble or stone does, and that this give the impression of hardness. This is on the jointed surface. The rough cut surface feels like normal wood...

Thanks to all for the replies!

Bill

[Stephen Pereira]

Ash is a great wood, looks like oak for me it is hard to tell it apart. Minnesota swamps are filled with black ash, makes good firewood when dry.

Good news about the prolonged cold weather we have experienced..colds temp is excess of -20F is supposed to kill the emerald ash borer. Standing dead ash is HARD..your chainsaw will make sparks!!

[Danny Hamsley]

Did it have any insect (beetle) holes in the wood? Ambrosia beetle holes are common in lumber from dead standing trees. The holes will be lined in black from a fungus. Adds a lot of character. Here is a pic of ambrosia beetle holes in white oak that was standing dead for about three years. Here is a pic of a rustic kitchen island that I made out of the wood.

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[Jim Andrew]

Do you not have ash borers in your area? The ash here in Kansas is full of borers, the last I sawed was just full of worms. Need to saw the tree as soon as it hits the ground, and put it directly into a kiln from the saw.

[David Weaver]

Ash seems to get harder and brittler on the surface when it gets old. I don't recall where I read it, maybe a planemaking book, and maybe an old book about benches, but whatever it was, it suggested not using ash for woodworking benches or planes because of its tendency to get hard and brittle as it gets older. This was 100+ year-old guidance (a book with republished 1800s text, I believe), and not speculation from a johnny-come-lately amateur blogger.

I doubt your machines will have any trouble with it, though. It's still wood and despite the case hardened feel, it will dent easily enough. UPS put something through the side of a box for me when I got a baseball bat 15 or so years ago - made of ash - and it dented just like anything else would - deep.

[Brian Tymchak]

I was just wondering because this ash I have is very nice, but seems like it dried somewhat before it was cut down and taken to the saw mill, and I think that is why the guy commented it was hard cutting.



When I built my workbench out of Ash (kiln-dried) I found that there was a wide variance in the hardness of the boards. I had a few boards that were from older slow-growing trees with really tight rings. Those were really hard and very stable. Other boards were much "looser" in ring structure and softer. They cut like butter compared to the harder boards. So maybe you have lumber from a slow-growing tree.