just got this nice lump of ash

[Hodge]

I just got this lump of ash, 13ft long and is about 36" thick, my plan is to mill it into 2" thic, 6ft long planks and kiln dry. any tips,tricks and ideas:confused1:

Thanks.

[jpbeaver]

What are you going to use it for? Is that James parks tractor?

[Hodge]

yes it is james's tractor, i have a guy in the village who has a kiln and he is also a joiner, he has told me there is good money to be made once its planked up.

[jpbeaver]

If you plank to 2" it'll shrink whilst drying and then by the time it is planed it'll be even thinner. Have you asked him what size planks he'd want once dry and planed?

[Hodge]

he told me 2", i will check with him before i cut it. i did some walnut last week and he is kilning it for me at the mo.

[heartwood tree tech]

:001_tt2:thought you would of busted it up been a firewood pervert an all:001_tt2:

[Big J]

2 inches sounds like a pretty reasonable thickness. Things to bear in mind are:

 

* Ash is a hard, dry timber to mill. My experience is that the mill will run slow, hot and with more vibration than most other timbers. Ensure that the chain is razor sharp, the oiler is working well (or that there is an auxiliary oiler) and the air filter is spotless!

 

* Keep the tree in it's full length. 6ft isn't a particularly useful size for furniture makers as it's too short for beds, doors and tables on the whole. Let the customer decide where they want it cut!

 

* Have fun! It looks like a nice stick!

 

Finally, regarding shrinkage, I tend to find that timber cut at 1.5 inches will shrink to 1 3/8 in the kiln.

 

Jonathan

[Hodge]

cheers Big J!

[Hodge]

:001_tt2:thought you would of busted it up been a firewood pervert an all:001_tt2:

 

Phwoooor firewood!! as soon as i saw this stick i fell in love!

[Rob D]

That's a lovely looking lump!

 

Quite a nice wood to dry although I haven't has huge experience with ash... seems to dry quicker than oak and beech.