White ash

Commode with white ash
MFa# 23.19

Description

A deciduous tree (Fraxinus americana) native to the eastern and central parts of the U.S. and Canada. White ash produces a whitish, lightweight wood that is stiff, strong, and resilient. It is primarily used for sports equipment (baseball bats, hockey sticks, paddles and oars, and tennis racket frames), and tools (handles of shovels, hammers, spades, hoes, and rakes as well as ladder rungs).

Synonyms and Related Terms

Fraxinus americana; American ash; Canadian ash; Weiß-Esche (Deut.)

White Ash (Fraxinus americana)

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Tall tree growing to 35 m with narrow oval crown.
• Bark=ashy gray to brown with interlacing diamond shade ridges.
• Leaves=compound with 7 serrated, ovate leaflets; total length=20-30 cm.
• Fruit=winged samara with long, slender seed.
• Density = 45-58 ppcf
• Heartwood is light to medium brown; Sapwood is beige or light brown and tends to be very wide
• Grain is straight wand regular; texture is medium to coarse

Working Properties

• Good results with hand or machine tools.
• Responds well to steam bending.
• Glues, stains, and finishes well.

Resources and Citations

• The Wood Database: White ash

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 74

• F. H. Titmuss, Commercial Timbers of the World, The Technical Press Ltd., London, 1965

• Edward Reich, Carlton J. Siegler, Consumer Goods: How to Know and Use Them, American Book Company, New York City, 1937

• Virginia Tech Dendrology website at www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/main.htm (Accessed Dec. 9, 2005)

• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Ash (Accessed Dec. 9, 2005)

• Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997