Replies

1. 
   woodshaver | May 26, 2003 10:53pm | #1

   Hi Alan, ash is a strong wood and would be a good choice, but I dont know

    about the seasonal movement, hard maple, is a time proven wood for  a work bench, I built a maple bench 3yrs ago with out any problems.

                                        good luck 

                                                       mark

1. 
   alanplanesaw | May 27, 2003 01:48am | #5

   My guess is that maple may be used due to specific reasons.  However, some things simply become a tradition.  I am just trying to determine which it is.

2. 
   BG | May 26, 2003 11:15pm | #2

   Alan,

   I don't really know either.  I like working with Ash and last year built a 24" wide coffee table with breadboard ends, 5/4 stock.  We had a hot and humid Summer (for Boston) and a very cold dry Winter.  The top moved about 1/8"-3/16" from Summer to Winter....thought you'd like to know.

1. 
   alanplanesaw | May 27, 2003 01:48am | #6

   Appreciate the info.  I'll check into movement of ash versus maple.

1. 
   RANGERP75R | May 27, 2003 02:36am | #8

   Alan

      The ash is very hard like maple, but it has a stringier grain fiber. Yep, easier to splinter. Hopefully, Mr. Jon Arno ( one of those professors fo wood ) will see this and give you the real deal on the major differences.

      I just did the opposite. I added 1 1/2" of MDF to my top after 30 years. Now I can get stain on it, pound on it, slice gaps in it and get paint dots all over. Don't have to worry about getting my piece of shop furniture top messed up. Can replace it for about $10. Now I know how women felt back in the late 60's when they burned their bra.

   Free... Free at last.. ha..ha..

   sarge..jt

1. 
   Biscardi | May 27, 2003 04:41am | #9

   I have two benches with ash tops. The ash is incredibly hard. You have to intentionally try to ding it. I haven't notices alot of movement. It was a nightmare to flatten as it is so hard, but ut has stayed flat. It was also pretty cheap for 10/4 stuff.

   Frank

1. 
   RANGERP75R | May 27, 2003 07:23am | #10

   Frank

      No doubt it's hard. It's hard to start a nail in. I used to use it all the time. The only thing I ever had a problem with was an ocassional splintering on some stock. Could be that a certain portion of the tree is more prone an that's what I had on those rare occasions.

      Would love to see Jon Arno shed some light...

   sarge.jt

2. 
   jonsherryl | May 27, 2003 03:24pm | #11

   Sarge, I'm pretty much in agreement with what's getting presented here.

   Personally, I'd favor maple over ash. Both have comparable densities (hard maple is just slightly denser than white ash)...although ash is slightly more stable. Both are blond woods, with good reflective properties...which helps the lighting situation in a shop...But maple is a diffuse-porous wood, while ash is ring-porous. Ring-porous woods capture dust and are therefore harder to keep clean. They are also more susceptible to uneven wear, since the earlywood tissue tends to tear out over time, leaving the surface somewhat rippled.

   ...So, I think maple is our best domestic species for work bench tops...Even better than the beech Europeans tend to favor, because maple is finer tentured than beech...However, there are some exotics that are every bit as good as our hard maple and perhaps even better. All things considered (price-value, function, etc.) I think one of the best species in the world for this purpose is the South American timber; pau marfim (Balfourodendron reidelianum; AKA guatambu)...but it isn't that easy to source. It's very much like maple in terms of color, texture and appearance, only it's about 20% to 25% more dense.   

3. 
   RANGERP75R | May 27, 2003 06:35pm | #13

      Thanks for the presenting the characteristics fo the two. I'm getting more en-lightened every day.

    sarge..jt

4. 
   alanplanesaw | May 30, 2003 04:22pm | #14

   Wow -- I think maple is going to be the answer for me.  Thanks to each of you for taking time to share your experiences and your knowledge.  Mr. Arno, thanks for the detail info about maple and ash. 

   Now, after I hit the huge once a year flea market in a neighboring town, I think it will be off to the sawmills to find some maple.

   Alan - planesaw

5. 
   vacabby | Jun 01, 2003 05:22am | #15

   Alan

   I use alot of ash.   However I use quarter sawn material whenever possible.   The strength is very good and the QS material somewhat reduces the bigger, nastier, splintering.    I get substantially less movement from the QS material as well.   Ash is a very under-rated material and the cost is easy on the wallet.   

   jb

6. 
   alanplanesaw | Jun 01, 2003 05:40am | #16

   Thanks for the note on QS ash.  May give that a shot on a smaller project I have been thinking about.

3. 
   DRiseborough | May 26, 2003 11:20pm | #3

   My second, portable workbench has a 2.5 " thick ash top. I have had no trouble with it once built, although it created some nasty splinters when I was planing it flat.

1. 
   alanplanesaw | May 27, 2003 01:46am | #4

   I'll do some more checking on the splintering idea.  Maybe ash splinters more than maple.

   Thanks,

   Alan - planesaw

4. 
   JMartinsky | May 27, 2003 01:58am | #7

   Maple.

5. 
   AlanTurner | May 27, 2003 04:08pm | #12

   Alan

   I just did a bench from Maple, and it is great.  I have worked over the years with ash quite a bit.  If you could get all of the rising grain in the same direction to ease hand planing (or even machine planing) that would be great.  Ash is certainly not a bad choice.  The one thing about ash is that it will be harder to mark the benchtop for ongoing projects because of the softer, darker wood.  I mark my maple top all of the time, and just erase the marks when done.  Agaisnt the light and even color, the marks are easy to see.

   Alan