*&$$%% Ash

[petefrom bearswamp]

OK I have been sawing for 10 years now and can't figure Ash out for the life of me.
It seems to me that a wood that splits so nicely should saw straight.
The cants spring off of of the bed of my WM LT40 super like they are possessed.
I am sawing some ash for a customer now and quoted him a very good price. (he makes Hay Wagon Bodies)
After sawing about 3/4 of the order I figure I am maKING ABOUT $20 PER HR WITH MY $38,000.00 MACHINE
Any suggestions?
Pete

[woodmills1]

are you making sure to take the same amount of wood off of all faces.  straight grained small logs will bend like mad if you heavy cut one side.

just my humble opinon  20 cents is below the break even point, at least here it is

[Dave Shepard]

Most of the ash I saw is for stickers and stakes. It moves around a bunch. I try to saw it as fresh as possible, and I turn very often, every board or two, if it's really moving around. Other than what I use it for, not much demand. I sawed a bunch in '08 and stuck the clear in the barn. We cut it into some really nice stickers this past winter.

[Jeff]

This may sound like a foolish thing to say, but I was lucky enough to become highly allergic (asthma trigger) to the ash sawdust so I didn't have to saw it any more.

[Larry]

After sawing about 3/4 of the order I figure I am maKING ABOUT $20 PER HR WITH MY $38,000.00 MACHINE
Any suggestions?
Pete

Are you complaining or bragging? ;D

I like sawing ash...except that I have to run oil to keep the sap from building on the band.  Turn often to keep the tension down...and don't saw leaners.

I was in a house few days ago with an ash floor...knock down beautiful.  I would think sawing ash for stickers and stakes must be some sorta crime. 

[Dave Shepard]

We've got tons of ash here. It is usually cut for firewood, so stakes and stickers is a step up. :D I don't hesitate to make nice stickers out of whatever I can find that is going to be stable. There are a few nice things about using ash for stakes, it's straight-grained, cheap, and doesn't seem to mind being piled (stakes) in a bin green. We would also use red oak, but I'd think it would mold.

I worry about developing wood allergies. I'd hate to become allergic and not be able to saw or or do any timber framing. When I first started sawing locust, it would make me nauseous. Everybody thought I making it up until I found that it was a real symptom on a wood toxicity list I found.

[Jeff]

My boss thought I was making it up to until one day he happened to be up in the saw booth while I was sawing basswood. I don't remember why he said he came up there, but all of the sudden I started wheezing and choking bad enough that he asked what was wrong and I said I didn't know. I stopped sawing to go get a drink and the inhaler I kept in the office and as we stepped out of the booth we saw the dust cloud coming from the debarker, and the 4 ash logs that had been debarked that had got mixed up with the basswood.  

I still think he did it on purpose to test me.

[petefrom bearswamp]

Larry, I am complaining \.
I am sawing small logs and turn often, still have the  problem
'Yes Ash is very attractive and  i have made cabinets from ash which are very pretty.
Still don't like sawing it, too much turning and time involved.
pete

[jwoods]

I've sawn my fair share from Ash taken from our farm.  They're big and tall, out of river bottom dirt and typically have a lean in one direction.

My method is to square them up and then saw through-and-through, WITHOUT removing the boards.  The weight keeps the cant down on the mill, typically once you pass through the heart, the stress is out and it behaves much better.

OBTW, I trimmed our house and sided the barn in my photo album in Ash.

Joe

[Larry]

I saw small ash like this.



But I saw a lot of logs like this and it seems to help with tension.  In that size of wood it's going to take forever for the board foot total to go up.  In small logs this size there's not much difference in speed between any of the mills.  And my board foot price is double what your charging...but I don't saw a lot either.