"Leo Van Der Loo" wrote in message


Maxprop wrote:
Has anyone turned green ash (the species, not wet wood) for anything
beyond
spindles and baseball bats? I have several crotch pieces, about 20" in
diameter and 16" long. I was wondering if it could be used as bowl
stock?
I know this wood splits quite easily, as I handsplit the entire trunk
and
larger branches into two cords of firewood. I tried to split one of
these
crotch sections and gave up. Is this normally easily-split
characteristic
such that green ash is disqualified for bowl turning?

Max


Hi Max
Green ash is only a variety of red ash its name Fraxinus pennsylvanica
var. subintegerrima. the difference less hair on the leaves, twigs and
flower stalk, than on the red ash.
I cannot tell the difference just looking at them but I have turned
white, red, green, black and I think at one time a blue ash they are all
very much alike, tough (long straight grained)flexible wood, it has not
the interlocking grain like elm but in my experience no problem with
splitting if you slow down the initial end grain drying.
attractive grain sometimes and you can make some real nice bowls out off
it.
Have fun and take care!!
Leo Van Der Loo

Thanks, Leo, for the low down on ash. I'll chainsaw those chunks into bowl
stock and seal the endgrain as soon as the weather breaks. If nothing else,
I can always contribute my failures to the firewood pile.

Max