Well the big Ash is blocked up in 4' lengths, pics

[Grateful11]

This Ash was dropped the same day as the huge Oak back in early Spring. It just got too warm too fast to do anything with it until lately. We all got together and had her blocked into 4' lengths and moved closer to the house, with the loader, and shop so it'll be easier to access. This thing sure has some weird growth rings, the center is way offset and the rings on one side are like 1/16" wide and directly across as big as 1/2", it did have a strange crook in it. Everything under about 10" was to doughty(spelling), as we always called, to save. As best I can tell it's about 108 years old. I think I still have a photo of it standing somewhere.

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That's a 9 volt battery sitting on there for comparison, just happen to have one in my pocket.
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The Huge Oak:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...processing-an-oak-tree-this-dang-huge.127431/

 

[Grateful11]

Got this out of 1 of the smaller bottom 4' logs in the photo. We cut into 16" lengths and split it.

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[FirewoodAddict]

Wow that's crazy how offset that center ring is in the second picture! That ash will be good to go next winter, I split a bunch in april/may last year and my readings are anywhere from 15.5-18.5% right now. Looking Good!

 

[lindnova]

Must have been a leaner or had something happen. Pretty cool.

 

[Jeff2009]

What causes the red color inside the wood. I dropped one like this except no bark and had the red color inside?

 

[Woodro]

Did that nice lookin woman come with the tree too?

 

[Grateful11]

Must have been a leaner or had something happen. Pretty cool.

It had a heck of a crook in it. Looked like someone with really bad neck posture. I'll see if I can find a photo of it before it was dropped.

 

[Grateful11]

What causes the red color inside the wood. I dropped one like this except no bark and had the red color inside?

I was kind of wondering that myself.

 

[Grateful11]

Did that nice lookin woman come with the tree too?

I must be overlooking something, where?

 

[Woodro]

I must be overlooking something, where?

There was a pic of a woman under your original post, now it's gone.

 

[nrford]

What causes the red color inside the wood. I dropped one like this except no bark and had the red color inside?

Mineral Stain. Picked up from soils.

 

[laxin213]

Not sure if you have already split all of that up, but you could try posting it to Craigslist as wood for a wood turner. Some turners with very large lathes can make larger bowls and those undulating growth rings and red color from fungus or some beetle attacking the tree and the tree producing a response (like Flame Box Elder) are worth quite a bit more than you'd imagine. If you search eBay for flame box elder "bowl blanks" or turning blanks, you'll be shocked as to what say a 3" x 8" x8" blank goes for. $100+. Some websites adn sawmills charge $135 for the large US Priority mail box filled with small cut offs of FBE. All you have to do is take your chainsaw and run it with the grain instead of cross grain (be careful) or cut it on a band saw into "blocks". Natural coloration of reds in non rotten wood along with tight old growth rings is worth a huge premium to woodturners like myself.

Someone from NC wood turners is probably close to you and will buy this:
http://www.ncwoodturners.com/

Chainsaw to make turning blanks
http://www.customwooddesign.com/turninggreenwood-1.html


Here is a bit more on Box Edler turning red:
(broken link removed to http://www.aawforum.org/vbforum/showthread.php?4614-Box-Elder-Preserving-the-flames/page4)

 

[Paulywalnut]

I've had ash with red streaks also. Scared me the first time, I thought it was box elder

 

[laxin213]

I've had ash with red streaks also. Scared me the first time, I thought it was box elder

Despite this not being box elder, there are woodworkers (that don't cut their own wood) that will pay significantly more for this than what its worth in firewood if someone wanted to take the time to block it and sell it.

 

[j7art2]

Nothing wrong with box elder. I had a cord of it this year and I loved every bit of it. Burned almost as hot as ash, but in my opinion, left a better coal bed.

 

[Applesister]

I've had ash with red streaks also. Scared me the first time, I thought it was box elder

 

[Applesister]

I guess there are similarities, like both having compound leaves that are opposite branched.
Its amazing to see Ash trees that huge. That probably will be the last of them. There are none around here that size. I mark what's cut by GPS readings embedded in pics I take with growth ring counts if the trees are big. All my Ash are babies compared to that.

 

[Firefighter938]

My parents have a giant ash tree next to their house. I will try and get a picture of it. 2years ago they had an arborist come trim some of it because it was hanging over the house. I am still burning some of it.

 

[Paulywalnut]

Nothing wrong with box elder. I had a cord of it this year and I loved every bit of it. Burned almost as hot as ash, but in my opinion, left a better coal bed.

When it dries, hold on to it because it will float away.

 

[Ncountry]

When it dries, hold on to it because it will float away.

I always said that if you tried burning it green though you would be better off throwing a cup of water in the stove and throw the box elder out...

 

[Firefighter938]

Not sure why it's upside down. This ash is on my parents property. It is so big I can't even get my arms half way around it. I put a glove in the crook for scale. I don't know how old it is, but that building it's next to was an old horse barn that was converted into an apartment 40yrs ago. The ash has been there as long as my grandfather who turns 94 in a few days can remember.

 

[Grateful11]

Not sure if you have already split all of that up, but you could try posting it to Craigslist as wood for a wood turner. Some turners with very large lathes can make larger bowls and those undulating growth rings and red color from fungus or some beetle attacking the tree and the tree producing a response (like Flame Box Elder) are worth quite a bit more than you'd imagine. If you search eBay for flame box elder "bowl blanks" or turning blanks, you'll be shocked as to what say a 3" x 8" x8" blank goes for. $100+. Some websites adn sawmills charge $135 for the large US Priority mail box filled with small cut offs of FBE. All you have to do is take your chainsaw and run it with the grain instead of cross grain (be careful) or cut it on a band saw into "blocks". Natural coloration of reds in non rotten wood along with tight old growth rings is worth a huge premium to woodturners like myself.

Someone from NC wood turners is probably close to you and will buy this:
http://www.ncwoodturners.com/

Chainsaw to make turning blanks
http://www.customwooddesign.com/turninggreenwood-1.html


Here is a bit more on Box Edler turning red:
(broken link removed to http://www.aawforum.org/vbforum/showthread.php?4614-Box-Elder-Preserving-the-flames/page4)

Thanks for the information. Wow I really had no idea. I'm definitely going to check into this because we have other wood right now than we can process. We can start working some other stuff up until I find out what to do with the Ash. This is all firewood for next year or later anyway.

 

[laxin213]

Check the link above on using a chainsaw to do this. See photo #3 and photo #4, the easy way and the hard way. Cut up one of the stumps into block size, some common sizes desired are 3x3x12 and say 4x10x10. For the spindles most guys want 3 inch. For the blocks, bigger is better, depending on the lathe they have and the skill.

1. Cut out and avoid the pith. Burn that.
2. Chainsaw some blocks, take some pictures and see what kind of grain and color you get.

Ash isn't like a super desirable wood to wood turners but this is special because it's old, it has tight undulating rings, it has color, and it's a softer wood so it will be easier to turn and on the tools themselves, than the super hard woods, your tool holds and edge longer etc.

Above all else BE CAREFUL. You have a log on its side you're cutting it in a way you're not used to wear your protective equip and I'd love to see some pictures of some rough blanks.

 

[j7art2]

When it dries, hold on to it because it will float away.

Mine's been seasoning for 2-3 years or so and I don't notice any difference between it and ash. I dunno, to each his own I guess. I love the stuff. I'll gladly take any box elder offered to me. It does stink a bit more than other wood when burned, but I've got a fully enclosed unit, so it doesn't matter much.