[ timbers ]
American Ash
[ About our timber ]
SUBTLE TONE WITH STRONG GRAIN LINES FOR REFINED ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
American ash is similar in appearance to European ash. The sapwood is light coloured to nearly white and the heartwood varies from greyish brown to light brown, to pale yellow streaked with brown. The wood is generally straight grained with an open, uniform texture. The degree and availability of light coloured sapwood, and other properties, will vary according to the growing regions. Southern ash lumber is faster grown and contains more sapwood, resulting in a higher percentage of white colour. Compared to Northern ash, it has a more open texture and grain.
[ Mechanical properties ]
Ash has good overall strength properties relative to its weight. It exhibits high shock resistance and is suitable for steam bending. Additional strength data is available in the AHEC publication Structural Design in American Hardwoods.
Botanical name (Latin):
Fraxinus spp.
Other names:
Northern ash, Southern ash
Working Properties:
Ash machines well, is good in nailing, screwing and gluing, and can be stained and polished to a very good finish. It dries fairly easily with minimal degrade, and good stability means there is little movement in performance.
Durability:
Non-resistant to heartwood decay. The heartwood is moderately resistant to preservative treatment, and the sapwood is permeable.
main uses:
Furniture, flooring, doors, architectural interiors, high class joinery and moulding, kitchen cabinets, panelling, tool handles, sports goods and turning. A versatile, good-looking wood, offering great value for a wide range of joinery and furniture applications.
Other Information:
Light brown flecks or mineral streaks, sometimes referred to as glassworm, are common and are treated as a natural characteristic and not considered as defects.
