[sreilly]

So I messed up the 2 pieces of 1" thick maple I needed for my 3-in-1 supports so it was off to the wood yard after getting my broken molar repaired....Couldn't find any 5/4 soft maple and the 6/4 was more than I needed both in width and length so I got a nice piece of 5/4 hard maple which looks great after running it on the jointer as then the planner. Of course after the first pass on the planer I decided it was a good time to replace the cutters (helix head) and used a small brass brush (like a tooth brush) to clean the cylinder from saw dust and debris so the cutters would register properly. Next pass was way nicer. But no surprise there.

No my surprise was when I ran a board of Ash that I had gotten. As I was looking for that maple I needed I came across a pile of Ash. I've heard of it of course but never worked any of it. Wasn't sure but thought it was a hardwood which I confirmed. But what it looked like in the rough wasn't all that impressive but now that I ran the jointer on one side to flatten and one edge I was a bit impressed. But hold the presses....next the planner and man that stuff looks great. I can't wait to come up with a project for this, maybe a cabinet for my hand planes...

First 2 are ash and the second is hard maple. I noticed those circular features in the maple and regardless of the feed direction on the planer it looks like they'll need the scraper.

 

[DesertRatTom]

I'm fond of Ash. Nice light wood. Cuts and joins well. That's a particularly pretty chunk.

 

[Herb Stoops]

Great wood, and the piece you picked out has supurb grain.
Herb

 

[Inor]

I have a great piece of ash sitting in my shop. It is 12/4 thick (rough sawn), about 10 inches wide and 10 feet long. I bought it because it was really cheap - about $30. I have no use in mind for it and frankly, am kind of scared to cut into it for fear of ruining it. I am pretty sure there is some pretty special grain sitting under that rough cut, but... I have never worked ash before.

Oh well, Andy Rooney (the commentator on 60 Minutes in the 70's and 80's) had over 1500 board feet of hardwood stacked in the racks of his shop for no other purpose than to go look at it once in a while. Maybe that is what this is for too?

 

[Herb Stoops]

That is funny. Wood is to make things. Do you have the tools to plane and resaw some of it? It is really strong wood, they make BB bats and axe,shovel,hammer handles out of it, Tables and chairs too.

Herb

 

[Stick486]

I have a great piece of ash sitting in my shop. It is 12/4 thick (rough sawn), about 10 inches wide and 10 feet long. I bought it because it was really cheap - about $30. I have no use in mind for it and frankly, am kind of scared to cut into it for fear of ruining it. I am pretty sure there is some pretty special grain sitting under that rough cut, but... I have never worked ash before.

Oh well, Andy Rooney (the commentator on 60 Minutes in the 70's and 80's) had over 1500 board feet of hardwood stacked in the racks of his shop for no other purpose than to go look at it once in a while. Maybe that is what this is for too?

treat it like oak..

 

[hawkeye10]

I work with Ash quite a bit as well as hard maple. That is some really bad tear out you have in the maple. Try taking some very light cuts and run it threw the planer with the grain if you can. Investing in a carbide cutter for your planer will really help with tear-out.

 

[sreilly]

I have a great piece of ash sitting in my shop. It is 12/4 thick (rough sawn), about 10 inches wide and 10 feet long. I bought it because it was really cheap - about $30. I have no use in mind for it and frankly, am kind of scared to cut into it for fear of ruining it. I am pretty sure there is some pretty special grain sitting under that rough cut, but... I have never worked ash before.

Oh well, Andy Rooney (the commentator on 60 Minutes in the 70's and 80's) had over 1500 board feet of hardwood stacked in the racks of his shop for no other purpose than to go look at it once in a while. Maybe that is what this is for too?

Sounds like a fireplace mantle to me......just saying. Of course if you don't have a fireplace I could tell you how it looks and send pictures>

 

[sreilly]

I work with Ash quite a bit as well as hard maple. That is some really bad tear out you have in the maple. Try taking some very light cuts and run it threw the planer with the grain if you can. Investing in a carbide cutter for your planer will really help with tear-out.

When I first ran the board through the planner I saw that and immediately changed out the cutters for the carbide ones I bought last Christmas. I had been waiting for a sign that the HSS cutters were getting bad. This was a good enough reason to change them. Light passes at 1/64 - 1/32 in either direction yielded the same results so I figured I'd need to use the scraper to finish or a high angle plane. For now it's sitting on the partially dressed rack.

 

[Wildwood]

I like Ash a lot - it was my wood of choice when I was commissioned to make a folding easel. I found an excellently detailed plan on line, as I had never made a folding easel before. The easel was delivered today.

 

[DaninVan]

All my scrap wood turns into ash...

 

[Nickp]

Great find, Steve...

...and I think it's great that one can still find a piece of ash for thirty bucks...>

 

[ger21]

All the ash trees here died 5-10 years ago, courtesy of the Emerald Ash Borer.

 

[DaninVan]

Lip Zipped

All the ash trees here died 5-10 years ago, courtesy of the Emerald Ash Borer.

Betcha I know what they call the little holes they bore... :surprise:

 

[sreilly]

Betcha I know what they call the little holes they bore... :surprise:

That's just funny, wrong but funny.........>

 

[Stick486]

Betcha I know what they call the little holes they bore... :surprise:

yur on a roll...


@sreilly...
your wood appears to be rift or flat sawn...
I'd be careful about wood movement and where you use it...

.

 

[Nickp]

Betcha I know what they call the little holes they bore... :surprise:

Consider yourself "out of control"...appropriate supervision is on its way...

 

[Stick486]

Consider yourself "out of control"...appropriate supervision is on its way...

it's your turn Nick...

here's his sign..

.

 

[jw2170]

All my scrap wood turns into ash...

There is no scrap, only smaller pieces to work with.....:smile:

 

[Stick486]

There is no scrap, only smaller pieces to work with.....:smile:

yup...