Birds Eye Ash

[Deadwood]

I was just curious if anyone has ever run into Birds Eye Ash before?

I once was cutting some Ash Logs on my property here in Maine and a logger friend stopped by to chat. Somewhere in the conversation he mentioned that he thought some of the logs were Birds Eye Ash, but his statement was so casual, so quick, that I really did not think much of it. I never got any pictures of it or really look into it at all. That was 12 years ago, but now everytime I cut Ash or Maple I am constantly on the look for it.

I was just wondering since many of you have sawn tons of lumber and worked in different woodlots around the country, if you have ever run across this rare wood.

[Larry]

I’ve heard rumor of birds eye ash but have never seen a sample, much less a picture.  Fiddleback, angel step, and quilted show up occasionally so it pays to take a close look at what your sawing. 

[SwampDonkey]

I've not seen birds-eye figure in ash, but it does exist. I have however seen it in yellow birch. A local was splitting up firewood and it was all through it. One piece was put on display at the Marketing Board office. There are a few occurrances of birds-eye in sugar maple up here. They tend to be in the old growth and more common on public lands. Some areas you will cut in that have alot of trees with it. Most of the trees are so old, that they have mineralized inside and look like culverts. I have been at a small hardwood sawmill where the owner sets aside alot of birds-eye from his lumber, most of his wood comes off public lands (99 %). I see alot of wood theives looking for it, the evidence is the hack marks in all the large maple trees.

[thedeeredude]

Like dis?



Some of those spots are raindrops, but the dark swirls is I think Bird's Eye. 

[Paschale]

I have some curly ash, which is really quite beautiful.  Not birdseye...but man, it's amazing!  The sad thing is that it was from a tree belonging on family land of a friend of mine.  It was cut down for firewood, and so he brought in a few samples of the wood for me to see if I could do anything with.  I think I could make a few small frames or jewelry boxes with the stuff...   

I'll try and post a picture of that later today.

[whitepine]

HI From Minnesota here and I sell birdseye black ash burls but have not seen it in lumber.

[pigman]

thedeerdude,  That wood in your picture looks more like cherry to me than ash. Maybe its just this old computer of mine. 

[thedeeredude]

The wavy grained piece is ash.  Its got some of the wildest running swirling grain, hence it being outside, it was too hard too work with for planemaking.

[SwampDonkey]

An Article on Figure from Alabama Agricultural Experimental Station [url]