Dead Ash

[buzywoodliff]

Howdy Howdy everyone... I've enjoyed reading your posts and especially seeing your pictures.  Here in southern michigan we have a ton of standing dead ash....any input on trying to salvage some useful lumber from these??

[coppolajc10]

here in NY, we cut ours down and made 4/4 planks ... or firewood.

[yukon cornelius]

we also have a lot of dead/dying ash I am wanting to salvage also. I was kicking around some ash shingles for siding on my house? I read something recently that the forestry service recommends cutting all ash trees to slow the emerald ash boarer and get any good ash before its goes bad. good luck with yours!

[Magicman]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, buzywoodliff.  I am out of your area, and of no help with your ??

[YoungStump]

I've sawed a fair bit of dead ash, it makes some real nice lumber especially if it hasn't been dead long. On the ones that have been dead for awhile you lose some boards on the outside.

[21incher]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum. I have the same issue. Saw what I can into lumber, and firewood from the rest. It dries easily and is great for woodworking projects .

[buzywoodliff]

Thanks everyone!

Sounds pretty straight forward, save what you can-the rest goes into the woodstove.

[Magicman]

This thread title tells me to get mine up out of this chair and go to work.   :D

[isawlogs]

 Note of caution on the dead standing Ash trees. The limbs from some of these will take little movement to snap off and come down upon you, carefull when cutting them down that you can see the tops and more important what can hurt you from above. ;)

[buzywoodliff]

Magicman.... I wondered if someone would catch that "dead ash" reference!!

Isawlogs.... Good advice!! I was looking for mushrooms yesterday and noticed how bad some of these big ole trees were getting.

[thecfarm]

buzywoodliff,welcome to the forum. Couple questions,Sounds like you have a sawmill,what kind? How are you getting the trees out of the woods?

[Wellmud]

Back in the winter I pulled out some would be firewood dead ash logs and sawed and stickered them to air dry, I am building an office in my shop and I am going to use the lumber for paneling, not sure how its going to look but I am going to try it, it was going to be firewood anyway. Isawlogs has a very valid point as one of the trees dropped a fair size limb beside my son as he started to saw it.

[thecfarm]

I have some ash. Some grow kinda in a clump and than one here and there. I THINK the here and there ones have a better chance than the ones in a clump. But what do I know. When them der bugs come a sniffing they can find the ash trees.  >:(

[36 coupe]

Howdy Howdy everyone... I've enjoyed reading your posts and especially seeing your pictures.  Here in southern michigan we have a ton of standing dead ash....any input on trying to salvage some useful lumber from these??

No ash borer here yet.I have run ash door and window trim for many years.White ash is a top notch firewood.The loss of the white ash is a disaster.You can treat yard trees for 2 bucks a tree.The ash borer has been found in Concord NH.Ash makes beautiful lumber.

[WmFritz]

I am going to use the lumber for paneling, not sure how its going to look but I am going to try it

I've been using Ash for paneling in our cabin. This is the living room area. I drywalled the bottom half because I have hot water radiant heat running behind it. The trim is Walnut.

Long ways to go, yet.




  

  

 

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Very neat Bill. Is anything going on the ceiling?

[barbender]

Nice work!

[Magicman]

I like what I see.  Maybe you can give us some more glimpses.   

[36 coupe]

we also have a lot of dead/dying ash I am wanting to salvage also. I was kicking around some ash shingles for siding on my house? I read something recently that the forestry service recommends cutting all ash trees to slow the emerald ash boarer and get any good ash before its goes bad. good luck with yours!

Ash does not stand the weather.I used ash to make some boat seats.Water got into the end grain.Paint looks  good but wood is rotten.Boat is tarped 6 months of the year.

[cutterboy]

Very nice, WmFritz. I love the look of ash lumber. No problem with our ash trees here in central Mass yet, but I guess it's just a matter of time. I sawed a number of my ash last summer and will take some more of the good ones this year. It will be a sad day when that nasty bug starts it's dirty work here. :'(

[buzywoodliff]

WmFritz.   I love the panelling, we want to do something similar with some white pine that's going to be cleared for an addition

TheCFarm.  The mill is shop built from Freesoil michigan... I'm new to this, but finding its very addictive!!   We do some farming too, so I've got a 100 hp kubota with loader... Makes life much easier!!

[thecfarm]

We have meetings here on the forum all the time. No reason to wait until every Wed at 7pm. 

[WmFritz]

Very neat Bill. Is anything going on the ceiling?

David, the second floor has staple-up radiant heat tubing under the subfloor. The building is 30' wide with a steel beam running down the center.  The joist's are TJI's, basically an OSB I-beam. I'm thinking about taking a 16' sheet of drywall, cutting it about 14 3/4" x 15', paint first and then use it like drop panel on the TJI flange.  No screwing, no taping or mud.

Later if I want to panel it, I won't have much into it. The upstairs ceiling will be all paneled though. It has a 15' peak to the center and will require about 2000 sq. ft. of wood paneling for the ceiling and another 600' or so for the walls upstairs. Oh yeah... then another 1300 sq ft of wood floor.  :D That's the reason for me building the mill in the first place. I hates painting.  :D :D

The 2nd floor won't happen till next winter... maybe.  ???

I like what I see.  Maybe you can give us some more glimpses.   

Couple more pictures... Ash and Basswood mixed randomly.



 


The first wall we did. The stairway is behind it.



 

We had a make shift kitchen... tore it back apart and put the new one in.



 



 

We have a workshop area in the cabin. We store sleds and ATV's in that area.
Ash bench top, lampshade and paneling.



 



 



 



 

The Ash panel will continue across the top of the wall cabinets around to the workshop. I used the little we had to see if it will blend the kitchen in with other walls.

We need to process the stack of Ash that's been drying since last year and cover some more walls up.  And make countertop for the island.  ;)

[Magicman]

Now I like it even more.   

[WmFritz]

Now I like it even more.   

Thanks Lynn.
I stole your idea for ship lapping from your cabin build. A little faster then my table saw production.  ;)

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Love the live edge shelf where you 45'd the corner and the live edge makes the turn to the wall......Good Idea. 

[WmFritz]

That shelf sort of evolved.  :D
It started out as a simple shelf on the pegboard. Then I had a 2' fluorescent light left over from the old kitchen. Since I cant ever have enough light in my work area, I thought I'd mount it under the shelf. But then the bare light was shining at my face, so I thought I'd box it in to direct the light down. Vicki squirrels away any scraps and had saved that edging from the firewood pile. That one was off the the inside of the bench top.

I would've rather had one of your slabs for the bench.
All I had at the time was some 4/4.  :D

[WmFritz]

I should mention to buzywooliff, all the Ash I've sawn was standing dead or dying trees. I hate seeing all the kill off going on, but it makes me feel better that its getting some use besides firewood.  :D