What Is Ash Hardwood
Ash wood has a similar density and grain to oak.
What is ash hardwood. White ash is rated at 1 320 and green ash at 1 200. This makes it a popular choice for furniture that requires curves. Wood ash is commonly disposed of in landfills but with rising disposal costs ecologically friendly alternatives such as serving as compost for agricultural and forestry applications are becoming more popular. For example since ash is a hardwood it is important not to sand it with too fine a grit of sandpaper before staining.
Ash is a light colored smooth grained hardwood that grows throughout the east coast and parts of canada. It grows in cool and warm climates alike mostly in northern parts of europe asia and north america. Frequently ash is used as a substitute for red oak. Working with ash wood is not necessarily difficult but there are some specific characteristics that should be addressed.
Here is a quick leaf identification key of the common hardwoods in north america. The lowest janka rating for an ash wood is black ash at 850. Trees with broad flat leaves as opposed to coniferous or needled trees. Ash machines well is good in nailing screwing and gluing and can be stained to a very good finish.
Blue ash has a janka rating of 2 030. With its typical straight grain and beige to light brown hue ash wood is a very attractive option for fine furniture. The specific gravity of ash woods ranges from 0 60 for white ash to 0 49 for black ash. Ash has a hardness rating of 1200 most scales generally agree but sometimes they may be slightly different in number.
Ash scientifically known as fraxinus is a tough hardwood that is known for its flexibility. White ash has excellent shock resistance and along with hickory carya spp it is one of the most commonly used hardwoods for tool handles in north america particularly in shovels and hammers where toughness and impact resistance. Green ash and black ash trees are preferentially attacked by the insects followed by white ash and blue ash. Because wood ash has a high char content it can be used as an odor control agent especially in composting operations.
It comes from the family of trees known as oleaceae the olive tree family. However wood has several different characteristics that could be called strength ability to carry a weight load is one type of strength. Although variable in shape all hardwood leaves have a distinct network of fine veins. It dries fairly easily with minimal degrade and there is little movement in performance.
In fact it s often used as a replacement for oak and is sometimes called golden oak like oak cherry and maple tree wood ash is considered a hardwood tree.