Characteristics and Uses for Ash Daniel Cassens Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Purdue University West Lafayette, IN 47907 Phone: 765-494-3644

Characteristics and Uses for Ash

Daniel CassensDepartment of Forestry and Natural Resources

Purdue UniversityWest Lafayette, IN 47907

Phone: 765-494-3644Email: dcassens @purdue.edu

http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/fnr/woodresearch

A non-sponsored Report

© 2005, Purdue University

http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/fnr/woodresearch

Order of Presentation

• Ash Species• Quality/Color• Physical Properties• Mechanical Properties• Grading and Pricing• Weight of Logs and Lumber• Common Applications


Ash Timber Species Growing in the North Central United States

Common and Scientific

Name

Range Site Comments

White Ash (Fraxinus Americana)

East of the Great Planes and Southern Canada except Mississippi Delta from Memphis south and Southeast Coastal Plane

Deep, moist, fertile upland soils and in the south on loamy ridges in bottoms

Premier species

Green Ash (Fraxinus Pennsylvanica)

From the west edge of the Great Planes and east to the Atlantic Ocean, except the Florida peninsula and southern Canada

Moist bottomlands and stream banks

Small to medium sized tree usually with short, poorly formed trunk

Black Ash (Fraxinus nigra)

Southeastern Canada and the northern half of the eastern United States. Mostly a northern species

Scattered trees along streams and borders of swamps

Smaller, poorly formed tree with inferior wood

Pumpkin Ash (Fraxinus profunda)

Coastal plain from Maryland to Northern Florida to Western Louisiana and north to southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois and southwestern Ohio

Wet soils of flood plains and swamp forest

Enlarged buttressed base with soft wood (soft textured ash)

Blue Ash (Fraxinus qadrangulata)

Ohio and upper Mississippi river bottoms

Dry limestone uplands; may accompany white ash. Scattered trees


Quality/ColorRing Porous Substitute

for Red Oak

Red Oak Ash

Ash is a ring porous hardwood like oak. It is the most logical substitute for the more expensive oak species.


Quality/ColorTough vs. “Cabinet

Grade”

Fast growth ash (bottom) firm, heavy, hard and strong. Slow growth ash (top) is much lighter and can be brash. It should not be used when strength and impact loading are important.


Quality/ColorSapwood - White

These ash logs show the wide white sapwood (second log from left) and darker brown heartwood. The white sapwood is preferred.


Quality/ColorSapwood – White

Heartwood - Brown

White sapwood and brown heartwood (bottom) in the same board


Quality/ColorHeartwood – Brown,

Mottled, False

Mottled color which sometimes occurs in the heartwood


Quality/ColorGlass Worm

Glassworms are common in ash and are largely responsive for the lack of a veneer log market in the central midwest. Glassworms are caused by an insect which bores in the cambium from the roots to the top of the tree and exits. The cambium responds by forming an irregular and often discolored pattern in the wood.© 2005, Purdue University

Quality/ColorSticker Shadow

The white sapwood of ash is subject to generally discoloration or graying and sticker stain. This example of sticker stain is in yellow poplar but it also occurs in ash. Stickers are usually ¾ inch strips of lumber used to separate courses of green lumber to allow drying. In this example, the wood did not dry fast enough and stain resulted.


Quality/ColorStress in Logs

Ash logs, particularly young fast growth trees are noted for stress. The outside of the log is in tensnion and the core is in compression. This stress has caused the ends of these relatively large logs to split into quarters. Due to stress it can be hard or more difficult to saw straight lumber which is consistent in thickness particularly on smaller mills which are not equipped with devices to hold the log tight as it is processed.© 2005, Purdue University

Quality/ColorFigure

Occasionally, ash will develop figure such as this stripped appearance shown here.


Quality/ColorBurl

Burl wood in ash is rare but it can occur.


Physical PropertiesM.C./Drying

Species Green Sapwood Moisture Content in

Percent

White Ash 44

Red Oak 69

Yellow Poplar 106

Sycamore 130

Ash has the lowest green sapwood moisture content of any of our commercial hardwood species. It is also easy to kiln dry.


Physical Properties

Total Shrinkage

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

The total tangential shrinkage of white ash from green to oven dry condition is 7.8%. This is relatively low compared to many of the other hardwoods.


Physical Properties

Steam BendingKind of Wood Pieces

Unbroken

Percent

Kind of Wood Pieces Unbroken

Percent

Hackberry 94 Sweetgum 67

Oak, White 91 Maple, Soft 59

Oak, Chestnut 86 Yellow Poplar 58

Magnolia 85 Maple, Hard 57

Pecan 78 Chestnut 56

Walnut, Black 78 Tupelo 46

Hickory 76 Cottonwood 44

Beech 75 Blackgum 42

Elm 74 Mahogany 41

Willow 73 Sycamore 29

Birch 72 Buckeye 9

Ash 67 Basswood 2

Although ash was not rated exceptionally high for steam bending in this slide, it is preferred for this application by industry.


Physical PropertiesSteam Bending

Percent of Unbroken Pieces

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100


Physical PropertiesWood Machining

Relative Ranking from low or best (1) to highest (17)

Planing Shaping Turning Boring Average

Cherry 4 1 3 1 2.25

White Oak 2 4 5 4 3.75

Beech 3 9 2 2 4.00

Walnut 10 5 1 1 4.25

Hickory 5 10 7 1 5.75

Hard Maple 11 2 9 2 6.00

Ash 6 3 11 5 6.25

Sweetgum 13 7 4 6 7.50

Hackberry 7 15 12 2 9.00

Yellow Poplar

8 11 10 7 9.00

Sycamore 16 13 6 3 9.50

Soft Maple 14 8 13 8 10.75

Basswood 9 14 15 9 11.75

Soft Elm 15 12 16 5 12.00

Willow 12 16 17 10 13.75

Cottonwood 17 17 14 11 14.75

Ash is rated relatively higher for its machining characteristics.


Physical PropertiesWood Machining

Average ranking from best (Cherry)

to poorest (Cottonwood)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16


Physical Properties

Decay ResistanceResistant or very

resistantModerately resistant Slightly or

nonresistant

Catalpa Douglas-fir Ashes

Cherry, black Pine, longleaf, old growth Beech

Locust, black Pine, slash, old growth Birches

Locust, honeylocust

Redwood, young growth Butternut

Mulberry, red Pine, eastern white, old growth

Cottonwood

Oaks, white Elms

Osage orange Basswood

Redwood, old growth

Hackberry

Sassafras Hickories

Walnut, black Maples

Sweetgum

Sycamore

Willows

Yellow Poplar

Neither the sapwood nor heartwood in ash has any natural resistance to wood decay.


Physical Properties

Insect Vulnerability

Ash is very subject to “Powder Post Beetle” damage even after kiln drying. This damage often occurs in stored lumber. The beetle does not attack the wood once it is well coated with finishing material. There are several different groups of “Powder Post Beetles”.© 2005, Purdue University

Physical Properties

Insect Vulnerability

When the wood is infested by beetle frass or flour like powder is seen in small piles or streaming down the side of a wood member as seen in this example of red oak sapwood.


Mechanical Properties

Density

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Density lbs./ft3 at 12% Moisture Content

White ash is intermediate in density to our other central states hardwoods . White ash is usually the most dense of all the ash species. Black ash is the least dense.



MOEMOE X 106 lbf./ in2

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

Ash is intermediate in its bending strength



MOR MOR lbf./in2

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

Ash is intermediate in its breaking strength



ShearShear Parallel lbf./in2

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Ash is intermediate to high in shear strength



Side Hardness

Side Hardness lbf.

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

Ash is intermediate in its side hardness


Lumber Grading and Pricing

• DSCF2751

Ash lumber is graded “standard” as much like the oak by the rules published by National Hardwood Lumber Association. The association is at www.natlhardwood.org


http://www.natlhardwood.org/

Wholesale Lumber Grading

and PricingPrice Comparisons

Prices in dollars per thousand board feet, truck load quantities for rough sawn green lumber in the North Central Region. From Hardwood Review Weekly, Feb. 4, 2005.

North CentralSel/Btr 1C 2AC 3A/Pallet

Cants

Ash 655 640 435 1/

Red Oak 1415 1000 710 480

Cherry 2540 1575 815 1/

Hard Maple (unselected)

1550 1075 680 455

Walnut 1850 885 485 1/

1/ Pallet Cants are $335/MBF


WeightsLumber

Approximate Lumber Weights

White Ash

Lumber Moisture Content

Black Ash

4,000-5,600 lbs./1,000 bd. ft.

48 lbs/cubic ft.

Green 4,350-4,600 lbs./1,000 bd. ft

52 lbs./cubic ft.

3,450-4,000 lbs./1,000 bd.ft.

41 lbs./cubic ft.

Air Dried 2,850-3,300 lbs./1,000 bd. Ft

34 lbs./cubic ft.

3,420 lbs./1,000 bd. Ft.

41 lbs./cubic ft.

Kiln Dried 2,843 lbs./1,000 bd. Ft.

34 lbs./cubic ft.


WeightsLogs

Weight of logs per 1,000 bd. ft. (Doyle scale)

24-inch diameter logs6,600 lbs.




Commercial Applications

Veneer Sides Drawer Fronts

The side and drawer fronts of the desk are made from of ash veneer. Most central states ash is not suitable for the veneer market due to glassworms.



Lumber

Most ash trees are converted into lumber. This tag shows the bundle to be 4/4 or one inch plus thick lumber of the FAS/Select or highest grade.



Millwork

Ash is commonly used for millwork applications. Historically, it was a valuable and much used species for millwork such as these steps and flooring probably because it is much easier to dry the oak. Restoration Project© 2005, Purdue University


Flooring

Red Oak Ash White Oak

White ash flooring appears very much like red oak (left) and white oak (right).



Flooring

Black Ash

White Ash

Black ash is usually much slower growth and brown in color compared to white oak.


Commercial Applications Industrial Lumber

• Pallets

• Blocking

Because of its density and strength, ash is used for pallets and other low grade industrial applications.



LumberMisc. Parts

Ash is also used for many misc. type wood items, probably because it looks much like oak but it is less expensive© 2005, Purdue University

Commercial Applications Dimension Lumber

Where high strength is necessary and grade stamped lumber is not required, ash will make excellent dimension lumber. Pilot holes or screwing in place will be required for attaching the pieces. This material, mostly mottled heartwood, was being used for horse stalls.© 2005, Purdue University

Commercial Applications Bent Parts

Ash is a preferred species for bending. Every part in these chairs is bent and made of ash


Commercial Applications Handles

• Shovels, forks, scythe (double compound)

• Oars

White ash remains a preferred species for handles which are loaded in bending such as shovels and forks. For the same reasons, it was also a preferred species for oars, particularly life boat oars. For recreational uses, it has been replaced by lighter species.



Athletic Equipment• Baseball bats• Night sticks• Polo and hockey sticks Previously for:• Tennis racket frames• Snowshoes and skis

Due to its ability to bend without breaking and ability to take impact loading (baseball bats) white ash has also been a favorite for athletic equipment. Some examples are shown but it has been replaced by more uniform composite materials in many applications.


Summary

• White Ash is a hard, strong, easily dried wood which appears very much like Oak

• Ash has a multitude of uses ranging from face veneers, millwork, and flooring to industrial blocking and pallets.

• Ash is vulnerable to stain if allowed to lay before processing and insect damage even after drying and during storage.


Documents

Characteristics and Uses for Ash Daniel Cassens Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Purdue University West Lafayette, IN 47907 Phone: 765-494-3644