Ash lumber uses in 1800s

Am a forester in one of the national parks and we have EAB and have treated them, but some declined and died anyway. So now some have been cut down and left on the ground, found several 10' straight logs and was wanting to know if anybody knows what uses they had in the 1800s.

 

Ash was used for boat oars......no leathers were needed

 

Making snow shoes

 

I missed that part in my education. How ever i have milled a couple logs that each ran about 38" diameter. The ash i milled drys with a minimum of cupping down the length around the pith. The 1st @100" long were leaned against a telephone pole, long edge horizontal. T he bit later find are bout 50" & leaned as it grew against a fence. Both are moving very little from drying effect, 1/4 sawn live edge white oak has moved worse.
I am using 2" thick for bench top with 3" legs from same log. Cut a blank out for heavy old hatchet handle to replace one in it. Cabinets in Lowes are made from the inexpensive kiln dried ash. Don't know if that is $.02 worth but cost ya naught (-;

 

And baseball bats.....

 

Tool handles. Wagon spokes and rims (hubs were elm).

 

Lacrosse sticks too

 

Remove the bark from an ash log and beat on it with a heavy hammer or sledge. Each growth layer will split apart from the ones next to it. You can then cut these slats into narrow strips to make baskets. You can do this with black ash, white ash, and white oak.

 

I've seen some beautiful ash baskets at some high-end native American gift shops in my travels. Thanks for that reminder.

 

great subject, I took down one of the largest dead ash on my property a month or so ago and the bottom 20' is nice and straight. I bucked the rest of the tree for the fireplace and have yet to decide how to proceed with it. With most of the ash in the country dead or dying what are baseball bats going to be made from?

 

carriage shalfts
canoe seats - frames and splints

 

It is great for timber framing. Strong and light but works hard when seasoned

 

Maple bats tend to be favored now, at least they were 10 years ago when I still played in a wood bat semi-pro league. I'd love to turn some of our shag bark hickory into a 33" M110 bat and take it to the cage.

Most of our ash has been cut down or is dying. We have some old growth that is still unaffected, but it's only a matter of time. Kind of sad, it's so light compared to oak and easy to cut and split.

 

Makes ok bow not as good as osage orange but easier to work.

 

I have two large ash trees to remove, one is dead from the ash beetle the other is still alive. I was thinking of getting a ak saw mill powered by two husky 570's to make lumber for kitchen tables and other furniture.