Show provided wood - gloat

[Matt Hutchinson]

I just got a call last night from a lady I met at the show. She had an ash tree that had been damaged in a storm, and a rather large limb needed to be gotten rid of. So I went over this morning and grabbed a lot of it. It was a huge, beautiful tree, about 3 feet in diameter up to the crotch. The largest pieces I got were 13" in diameter, and the coloring in the heart wood looks really amazing. It's dark in the center with a very rosy area surrounding it.

Question: Does ash make good NE forms?

Hutch

[Bob Hallowell]

Hutch,
Ash is the one wood I wouldn't use for ne's. Alot of states ban the transportation of the bark do to the ash borer (sp?). Look it up. I know Ohio an Pa does so I assume your are might also.

Bob

[Matt Hutchinson]

Well, it's not the bark that's the problem, it's the cambium and sapwood IIRC. And yes, MI is very restrictive about ash wood. We've had a tone of problems. But this tree was only blocks away, and an arborist had come and checked it out. If there was a sign of the ash borer he would have said something.

Hutch

[Bob Hallowell]

As far as I know you can transport it locally and you can make all the bowls out of it you want I just wouldn't leave any bark.

Bob

[Richard Madison]

Well done Hutch! Now get a bigger chain saw. Quick, before the big stuff is all gone.

[robert hainstock]

And burn it. Here in the UP ash borers have just been discovered in the Keewanau pen. so it is a crisis situation in Mi. Insects that kill trees are under the bark, in the new growth portion of the tree. As I understand it ash trees are just being butned to prevent the spread.
Because ash is a very OPEN grained wood, it take a lot of finish to fill the pores. John Hunnex in his book "A source book of shapes" shows sopme pixs of sandblasted ash turnings that are unique and quite handsom. I'm Attaching a pix of one of them. Please excuse the canted scan. :)
Bob[
ATTACH]96505[/ATTACH]

[robert hainstock]

Trees don't have copyright dates. and bare wood is bare wood. We've all peeled the bark on a log and found bug tracks. :)
Bob

[William Bachtel]

Yes Ash does make really great Natural Edge bowls, It is one of the lowest moisture contents trees on the stump out there. So the bark tends to stay on most all the time. If it has a early summer sap run in the tree you may have trouble, but I never did.

[Matt Hutchinson]

Well, I did get confirmation that it's ok to transport locally. However, I believe you can't transport firewood over the Mackinac Bridge or across state lines. Yes, I am definitely planning on using it. :)

In my hometown there was an ash borer found near my house and something like 27000 trees and saplings had to be removed as a result. It was pretty sad and frustrating.

BTW, I didn't mean to imply that the rest of the huge tree was available. I have a big enough chainsaw, but the rest of the tree is still standing and healthy.

Hutch

[Christopher Fletcher]

Robert,
Thanks for the post. I have seen a few things done with sandblasting and I really like the results. It can't be done on every wood or form, but when done right it looks very cool. Similiar to liming on turnings. Neat effect.
C.


And burn it. Here in the UP ash borers have just been discovered in the Keewanau pen. so it is a crisis situation in Mi. Insects that kill trees are under the bark, in the new growth portion of the tree. As I understand it ash trees are just being butned to prevent the spread.
Because ash is a very OPEN grained wood, it take a lot of finish to fill the pores. John Hunnex in his book "A source book of shapes" shows sopme pixs of sandblasted ash turnings that are unique and quite handsom. I'm Attaching a pix of one of them. Please excuse the canted scan. :)
Bob[
ATTACH]96505[/ATTACH]

[Jim Underwood]

Is it any good? Well I've seen some pretty nice stuff turned from it and wish I had some so I could try it out...

Have fun.

[Barry Stratton]

Yes, ash makes GREAT NE's!!!

These were turned to finish then sanded, buffed and waxed.

GREAT SCORE!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/bearfretworks/HPIM2168700x384.jpg

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Hi Matt, yes that's what a smile and friendly conversation will get you, also sometimes they will come to your place to purchase if you do give out cards and give the info.
Ash is a very nice turning wood, the pink color never stayed on mine the same when on other wood like Maple.
You have to watch for checking, there's very little sap in Ash usually, and it will start checking pretty quick, in my experience anyway.
Ash also will have nice figure guaranteed under branches and limbs, and in crotch-wood.
I'll make a separate post and put up a couple of pictures of some Ash I did earlier this year.

[Phillip Bogle]

The turning club I belong to has a few members that are using Cedarcide, (that is the product name and web site name) an organic base wood drying agent and insecticide. The product is made from cedar tree oils. The company makes a product that is a penetrant and eliminates splitting, checking, expansion, contraction or warping.

I personally do not have experience with the product, but several of our club members have been using the product with good success. If anyone else has experience with this product feel free to jump in. I noticed that a particular bug problem and drying trouble was an issue here. I hope I am not breaking a rule for this forum. Just trying to share a possible solution.

[Matt Hutchinson]

Good stuff! Glad to see that NE forms are no problem. I am gonna be a little lazy today, but tomorrow I will experiment with a once turned NE bowl. :)

Hutch

[Matt Hutchinson]

It's true, the color doesn't stay. I roughed out a bowl a couple nights ago, and it has lost all its color already. Oh well.

Hutch

[Dick Strauss]

Matt,
In its raw form Ash cannot be transported across county lines here in NW Ohio. Your restrictions may be more strict than you think. I understand that once it is processed (asssuming bark and outer layer removed), there are no restrictions to transporting Ash.

FYI-there is so much Ash wood down around here that a local guy has started a business out of making scrap ash into usable blanks/lumber.