Any reason not to mill Ash that has been down a while?

[SteveA]

That guitar looks more typical of spalted beech ............ These are a few things that I have made from spalted Ash ..It can be very nice but a fine line from lovely to rotten

 

aaaaah, You are nearly right.... it's not spalted ash, it's spalted maple on an ash body.

 

Custom Bodies - überAXE! Electric Guitars

 

cheers, Steve

[Ghettoblaster]

before you decide how good or bad it is you should get 2-3" taken off the end as that will tell you what state it's in.

 

if it's off the ground then i reckon it'll be fine.

 

Trouble is that most people will get a bit funny if you want to cut the logs before you buy them!

[se7enthdevil]

it's only a couple of inches off the end so they should not be moaning about that.

 

if it was cut in half i could understand it but you are simply accessing the state of the wood and it's colour.

 

 

by the sounds of it this log should be ok so i think it's worth the risk.

[youcallthatbig]

discolouration through oxidation of the ends will need more than a couple of inches taking off to see true colour of log, more like 8-10", given the length of time its been down, the logs will be harder on the blades too obviously, so a bit more lubrication required, but tensions should have been relieved by the length of time down....just my experiences.

[spiral]

After 18 months it may be or depending on taste even more decorative.

 

But is no longer any good for high strength requirements like axe or spade shafts.

 

When Ash left too long in round before planking ..... wood can still look ok but goes brittle... Think my dad used to call it "Brashy ash failure"

 

spiral

[Forest2Furniture]

I've milled Ash that has been on the ground for a couple of years or so and had some stunning results, the only problem is convincing the customer that it will still need time to dry before being used inside.

[Ghettoblaster]

Thanks guys!

Pretty much what I thought, no real problem just a bit of a gamble on the colour.

It's not a massive deal, just had some space left on a wagon and have a bit of choice as to what to make up the weight with.(I hate paying for transport and not making full use of the truck.)

Could make it up with oak but half the load is oak already so want a bit of variety.

I'll give the ash a go, it is only a couple of stems and a client has asked for some so worth a shot.

Cheers

[SteveA]

Post some images up here when you've milled it.... would be good to see. I have a couple of trunks of ash on the ground that need milling too, felled about 18 months ago.

cheers, Steve

[tree-fancier123]

That guitar looks more typical of spalted beech ............ These are a few things that I have made from spalted Ash ..It can be very nice but a fine line from lovely to rotten

 

very nice

[Ghettoblaster]

Post some images up here when you've milled it.... would be good to see. I have a couple of trunks of ash on the ground that need milling too, felled about 18 months ago.

cheers, Steve

 

Will do Steve!