White Ash Lumber
White Ash wood pairs strength with understated beauty. When incorporated into furniture making or architectural design, this lovely wood enhances the brightness of any interior space.
What You Should Know about Our White Ash Lumber
White Ash is typically a very pale brown. On top-quality ash logs, the sapwood may appear brilliant white. North Castle Hardwoods offers a high percentage of sapwood to heartwood in our white ash products, choosing to limit heartwood to light beige and light brown colors that blend evenly with sapwood.
White ash has a straight, open grain. It may show a pronounced cathedral arch grain pattern. Ash’s grain is often compared to white oak and red oak, though it is more brightly colored and does not feature the medullary rays and flecks of oak.
White ash is lighter in weight than many other hardwoods, weighing approximately 3.1 lbs per board foot. Its Janka hardness rating is 1320 (only about 8% softer than hard maple), making it the strongest wood for its weight in North America.
Other Names for White Ash
White ash (Fraxinus americana) is also called American white ash. It is the premier ash species for lumber. All North Castle hardwoods white ash lumber is genuine Fraxinus americana.
Common Uses for White Ash Lumber
White Ash is a favorite among woodworkers when they need something with superior shock resistance to shock. Historically, it has been used for everything from tool handles and sports equipment (including the famous Louisville slugger baseball bats) to railroad ties and cutting boards.
Ash is suitable for work with both hand tools and power tools. It bores well, resists splitting, and lends itself to woodturning and carving. It has medium moisture resistance, so it should be used for indoor applications or sealed for use outdoors.
Some common uses of white ash wood include:
- Furniture
- Shelves and cases
- Flooring
- Turned objects
- Musical instruments
- Tool handles
How we Source and Sell Our White Ash Lumber
With over 30 years of experience supplying premium hardwood to international artisans, North Castle Hardwoods has a deep commitment to quality. We select our ash from a few specific growing regions so that we can bring woodworkers some of the brightest and strongest white ash in North America. Our wood comes from logs that are mostly second-growth white ash because they produce the most consistently colored and textured wood.
You can find the perfect size lumber for your project in our online store. Our white ash dimensional boards are available with thicknesses of 4/4, 5/4, and 6/4 with lengths up to 48”. We also provide quality ash thin stock in 1/8”, 1/4” and 1/2” thicknesses with lengths from 3” to 48”.
We offer white ash lumber squares surfaced 4 on sides (S4S) in 4/4, 5/4 and 6/4 dimensions, with lengths from 12” to 36”. These are often used as turning blanks.
When you purchase wood from us, your boards will be shipped right to your door, carefully packaged and ready to use.
North Castle Hardwoods premium white ash is also available in lumber packs. Contact us for a custom quote.
Tips for Working With White Ash Lumber
- Keep your tools sharp! White ash is such a tough wood that it can burn if you aren’t working with sharp enough tools.
- Work slowly. Scratches are hard to sand out of white ash, so take your time when machining this wood.
- Experiment with finishes. White ash has an open grain and takes stain well when sanded to 220 or 320 grit.
White ash is an affordable choice among North American hardwoods, and more woodworkers are discovering its versatility. When you choose ash from North Castle Hardwood, you’ll receive top-quality boards that will deliver outstanding yields in your woodworking projects
