Replies

1. 
   Biscardi | Aug 10, 2002 02:09pm | #1

   I have a friend who is a pro cabinet maker. He likes sasaafras. It smells nicely. He says it moves modestly, but I have heard elsewhere it can move quite abit and you neeed to allow for that in your construction.

   I am looking forward to trying it.

   Frank

2. 
   RLMillard | Aug 10, 2002 02:39pm | #2

   I have used sassafras in place of chestnut on my Newport reproductions, since it has a very similar grain pattern. It does smell nice when hand planing, but it can get a little over powering when using power tools. It works great, being easy to saw and plane. It is relatively soft, being harder than pine, but not as hard as poplar, but it has a much better grain pattern than both of these do. According to my references, it is quite stable with just a ¼" per foot shrinkage in flat sawn wood and less than a 1/8" in quarter sawn wood (when dried from 6% to 12%). Since I used it only as a secondary wood, the only thing I have done in the way of finishing, is to wipe on a coat of dewaxed dark shellac, followed by a rub out with steelwool and wax. Sassafras has a very large pore structure (similar to ash) so any high quality finish would require pore filling. Having said that, I don't think this wood is suited for use as a primary wood in high quality furniture, due to its being somewhat soft, although it certainly has potential as far as grain pattern is concerned.

1. 
   jonsherryl | Aug 10, 2002 03:58pm | #3

   Rob, I use sassafras a lot and would agree with your assessment point for point...including the use of the darker, less refined shellacs for achieving the nicest finish. Sassafras has a couple of other characteristics not yet mentioned that might be important in some applications: It has excellent decay resistance and is a good choice for exterior projects. Because it is also exceptionally bouyant, it's traditionally been used in boat construction and for making fishing net floats. Also, it has excellent tonal qualities for use as a soundboard in musical instruments...in fact it's one of my favorite woods for making dulcimers. About the only serious negative I've experienced is that it is an unusually brittle wood and has a tendency to split easily. Otherwise, I just love to work with it.

3. 
   PlaneWood | Aug 10, 2002 07:11pm | #4

   Check out this auction on Ebay - 2128929183

   http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2128929183

   Sassafras is kinda like Ash in color and properties.  The wood has a high moisture content when green and is quite prone to warping and bowing during curing.  Fairly light in weight when cured.  Easy to work with, and machines and finishes well.   All the bowls I turned from green sassafras later split.

   PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy
   PlaneWood

4. 
   furnjim | Aug 15, 2002 01:02am | #5

   No one seems to have mentioned that sassafrass goes through a fairly dramatic color change, from a greenish tone when new to a medium brown over time.