Piece of Ash

[Doc Arroyo]

My neighbor just cut down a dead ash tree. I got a good buch of firewood out of the deal, and a fairly large chuck for my woodworking. I will be rough milling it tomorrow for a year more dry time.

Is ash a decent wood for a gunstock?

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

It can be if the grain runs right. It can be hard to work, but worth the effort. It is definitely durable enough!

 

[Birddog6]

That is the best firewood you will ever use. Doesn't pop or spit at ya, good heat, easy to split, burns a long time & good heat from it. Similar to oak only better & no bad odors.

As for the gunstock, I have seen some beautiful ones made from ash. Every year I look at some Tip Curtis has and am always gonna make one but just never do. 90% of the calls I get are for maple, but one of these days I am gonna do an ash one. I would be careful of the wrist area as it is very open grained & would want a curvature there, but a very strong wood. They have made baseball bats from it ffrom day one !

 

[Mike Brooks]

I've stocked guns in ash. The pourous rings crumble away and the solid parts are hard as a brick. The end result is nice if you can deal with it's faults.

 

[Okwaho]

My neighbor just cut down a dead ash tree. I got a good buch of firewood out of the deal, and a fairly large chuck for my woodworking. I will be rough milling it tomorrow for a year more dry time.

Is ash a decent wood for a gunstock?

Ash was a preferred wood for pipe axes since it has a pith which can be burned through with a minimal effort in a very short period of time thus producing a fine smoke channel.You haven't lived until you have tried to drill an already turned piece of wood and experienced the number of run-outs.A look at Jim Johnston's Accouterments volumes I,II,and III will show a number of pipe axes with ash handles and I suspect that Indians and some frontier whites used ash almost exclusively for pipe axes.I also think it makes a great wood for non pipe axes for the same reason it was and is used for baseball bats.

As to its use for gunstocks I have seen a few and owned one old gun made fron ash as well as a fair number of pieces of country furniture.
Tom Patton

 

[trent/OH]

By all means make use of it in any way you can, while you can. I don't doubt that the Emerald Ash Borer will be the destruction of virtually every ash tree on the continent.
Ever make an Elm bark canoe? No, because there just aren't any big Elms around any more.

 

[crockett]

You can use ash for axe handles. Hickory is a bit tougher but ash is fine and predominates in Europe for axe/tool handles.
Good time to make a PC axe handle.

 

[RiverRat]

I have seen a beautiful fowler stocked in Ash which was made by Brad Emig. If I had the cash at that time, it would be mine now.