Timberframing with ash

[cowpie]

I have a good many ash (white ash ?) on my wood lot sadly it looks as though the ash bore is killing all of them. Could these trees be used for a timberframe. Some of them are quite large. Does it matter if the tree is alive 1/2 dead or dead for sawing.

[Dave Shepard]

I've done a little framing with fresh white ash. It's not the most pleasant wood to work, and will move on you a bit as it dries. You can certainly frame with it. I've worked some 200+ year old black ash, and I'd rather cut a mortise in a cinder block. :D

This is a wonky ~26' ash plate I cut last summer. It was a fun project, snap line square rule.

[Mad Professor]

If it is straight ash works good.

It loves to check.  Hit the logs with end sealers as soon as you buck them.  If you don't work the timbers right away, let them dry slowly out of direct sunlight/heat.  Once they dry, you'll be wanting power tools to do joinery, or you'll be more burly of a man when done. 

I did some mortices on dry ash with a hand auger, and drilling 8" holes in 2 ' of ice, ice fishing was easy in comparison.

Might want to spray the with some borate too, PP bettles love to munch on ash

[terrifictimbersllc]

I've done a little framing with fresh white ash. It's not the most pleasant wood to work, and will move on you a bit as it dries.

And before it dries.  :D :D :D

[Dave Shepard]

Yeah, that too. :D

[Qweaver]

I've sawed several ash trees over the last couple years.  Some of it moved a lot but most of it stayed straight.  The boards on top that had very little weight moved the most.  I should have added some dead weight on the top.  I like how the finished wood looks.  I have not made any beams tho'.

[Mad Professor]

I've done a little framing with fresh white ash. It's not the most pleasant wood to work, and will move on you a bit as it dries.

And before it dries.  :D :D :D

You need to stop the checks before they start in ash.  Once the check is there it is too late, and may run down a whole beam.

Anchorseal the logs as soon as they are bucked.  Keep them out of direct sun.  After milling stack out of the sun. If you trim green/semi-green boards/beams re-seal the ends ASAP, before even stacking.

I've not had problems with properly milled, and cared for,  boards twisting or checking, some 16" X 16'

Ash is a great wood to work with and very strong for it's dry weight.  Baseball bats come to mind....

[terrifictimbersllc]

Sounds like the advice I give my customers.   I haven't found a way to make all of them listen.     I don't think these are drying cracks, a lot of the logs were stressed and things further aggravated by amateur felling technique.  In this case these logs were cut and sawn within about a month in late Winter.  He planned to use the wood for a fancy chicken coop and other small outbuilding projects.

[Mad Professor]

That too, can't make beams/lumber out of wanky firewood logs, or a silk purse out of a sow's ear

Start with a straight ash,  30' to the first limb 25-30" at chest height and you will get 1, 2, or 3 nice beams and a lot of nice lumber.

Save the slabs for firewood or maple sugaring