Sassafras lumber

[Robert Hayward]

Saw an ad for sassafras lumber and was intrigued having never seen sassafras lumber before. Messaged the seller and he is almost my neighbor being less than 1 1/4 miles away. Pretty wood. The boards he had were from his farm in Kentucky and I think he said they were sawn 35 years ago. Bought several boards to try. Flattened and planed a short piece of one board just to see what I had bought. Strong spicy smell when milling, I liked the smell. This will be nice wood for my craft and hobby projects.

He also had a stack of very good looking cherry of the same vintage. Bought one board of the cherry to try and I am going back for more.

Anyone else use sassafras wood?

[Bob Coates]

I have used some for turning, works nice and looks good. Some were solid sections from a log, others were wedges in segmented turnings.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Yes. It is a very nice wood. Strong relative to weight and decent rot resistance. We used it for face frames, doors and drawer fronts in the cabinet shop. It was a substitute for Ash during a time when the Ash supply was plagued with bugs. It was promoted by Stark Lumber K.C. MO as well as Frank Paxton Lumber Co. Chicago in the 1970's and 1980's. We have a stand of small ones invading the fields at the farm. I chew on the leaves and hope to make a canoe paddle from Sassafras.

[Mel Fulks]

I had a few boards of sassafras years ago , can’t remember what I did with it. Smells like rootbeer . And I think it is used in fine root
beer. Always thought it would be great for linen storage and air freshener. I think its best use would be in linen closets, and bathroom
shelves.

[Sam Force]

Love sassafras tea, used to drink about 5-6 gallons a week. It started giving me heartburn so had to give it up. I really enjoy the smell of it, like mentioned it smells a lot like root beer

[William Lessenberry]

I had a few boards of sassafras years ago , can’t remember what I did with it. Smells like rootbeer . And I think it is used in fine root
beer. Always thought it would be great for linen storage and air freshener. I think its best use would be in linen closets, and bathroom
shelves.
The FDA banned sassafras flavorings in 1979 due to causing cancer in rats. :-(
BillL
https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/alternative-health/dangers-sassafras/

[Chris Payne]

yes I have used it a little myself also from Ky.

[Chris Payne]

Yes I have also used it some myself but not much. I am also from Ky.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

The FDA banned sassafras flavorings in 1979 due to causing cancer in rats. :-(
BillL
https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/alternative-health/dangers-sassafras/

I have heard that sassafras is carcinogenic. I limit chewing the leaves. There was a charming local character that was never without a big Stanley Thermos of sassafras root tea. He was a Plummer who specialized in cisterns and wells before the county had a public water supply. He was well beyond retirement age when we got to know him. I wonder how his health held up. The trees are very pretty and distinctive. Particularly a few weeks ago when the first leaves were appearing.

[Paul Saffold]

I've not used it, but I've seen it in windsor chair seats. Nice grain.

[Darrell Bade]

I used to build a lot of picture frames from it and also built a cedar chest. Finished it looks like flat sawn oak other than the cathedrals are more rounded than sharp, hard to tell a difference. Never used for furniture more than once because it is fairly soft, things like the sweeper takes a toll on it compared to a harder wood. Always gave me a headache when working with it was another reason I quit using it.

[Myles Moran]

I did an electric guitar with a sassafras top. The smell is great until you start sanding heavily with a grinder, that's the point I really realized I should be wearing a respirator. Once you mill a lot of it that smell gets overbearing.

[Mel Fulks]

I just looked it up, I see products with sassafras. Lot of stuff has warnings, it protects the guys who sell the stuff. If they go to prison
we won’t get the products we need.

[Bradley Gray]

I've used a lot of it. The trees grow fairly big here, up to 24". Seasonal movement is significant. Works similar to cedar. Mostly used 6\4 and thicker for benches and bed frames.

[Jim McCue]

I have not used any but it's on my list to get next time I see it, even if it's only small pieces for drawer fronts.

I've also read it's used in japanese woodworking like tansu as it's a reasonable subsitute for more rare species that were traditionally used.

I believe only the roots have the carcinogen, safrole. The leaves are edible. I have chewed on them but not cooked with them.

When I was learning to identify trees in the woods, sassafras was easy. Its leaves can be oval (no lobes), mitten (two lobes) or trilobed, all on the same tree or same branch. It is almost the only tree like that. Mulberry is similar, but sassafras has smooth leaf margins whereas mulberry is serrated.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Here is a snip from Shaw and Tenny regarding Sassafras for canoe paddles.

If you’ve read this far we’ll let you in on a little secret. If you wanted to know what most of the paddle makers here at Shaw & Tenney would create their own paddle out of it would be sassafras. Sassafras is a hardwood so inherently it is a durable paddle material, but the key features are its weight and flex. A sassafras paddle will be nearly as light as a spruce paddle in the same length. Add to that the incredible flex characteristics and you have, in our opinion, the perfect wood for a traditional or performance paddle.
Sassafras also has the unique characteristic that it continually darkens over time. A sassafras paddle that is 20 years old will be as dark as a piece of walnut. If you are looking for a paddle that performs well, is durable and looks like a piece of art, Sassafras is the choice.

Wooden Canoe Paddles & Oars - Species Matter (Ash, Spruce, Cherry, Maple, Walnut and more) | Shaw and Tenney (https://www.shawandtenney.com/blog/wooden-canoe-paddles-oars-species)

[Robert Hayward]

I am enjoying all the comments about usage and past experiences with sassafras. Also amazed so many have used it and I had never even seen a sassafras board prior to the other day. When I bought the boards the other day my thoughts were for segmented turnings. Continually darkens?? Not sure how I will factor that into my segmented specie selections for final color.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

When we used Sassafras as a replacement for Ash every thing was stained dark and very few people could tell which was which. There is still some around the old shop that will be at least 40-50 years old. I will try to take some pictures and find a piece for the long awaited canoe paddle project.

[Bradley Gray]

Sassafras responds to treating with lye similar to cherry.

[Patrick Johnson]

Saw an ad for sassafras lumber and was intrigued having never seen sassafras lumber before. Messaged the seller and he is almost my neighbor being less than 1 1/4 miles away. Pretty wood. The boards he had were from his farm in Kentucky and I think he said they were sawn 35 years ago. Bought several boards to try. Flattened and planed a short piece of one board just to see what I had bought. Strong spicy smell when milling, I liked the smell. This will be nice wood for my craft and hobby projects.

He also had a stack of very good looking cherry of the same vintage. Bought one board of the cherry to try and I am going back for more.

Anyone else use sassafras wood?

It's been a long time since I've used sassafras, but I have fond memories of working it. Sassafras has been on my mind lately so seeing your thread really caught my eye. The grain and color are appealing, and the scent makes working it a pleasure. I'm going to have to locate a few board feet myself!

Patrick