Ash Staining

Re: Ash Staining

Roger

I've had ash that had places where dead limbs had broken off and water had entered that had similar stains. The stains are still in the turned work after 10 years. Makes for beautiful colors and figure. I finished with Danish Oil.

Re: Ash Staining

Don Stephan

Occasionally I have found swirling color like that in the trunk of ash trees. The label I have always been given is "mineral stains" and I think somewhere I read a suggestion that tree roots were taking up ground water in which minerals were dissolved, and these minerals were then moved to the interior of the tree. I was unable to find anything definitive. It would not seem to be heartwood, because the swirling does not follow growth rings. It would not seem likely to be fungal staining as the log in which I found it was from a healthy green tree cut just a couple weeks earlier.

Another form of "mineral stain" is a very dark vertical streaking in hard maple. At least that is what the lumber distributor calls it.

Re: Ash Staining

Reed Gray

I have heard that color pattern referred to as 'olive' ash. No real idea what it comes from. I have only seen it in one big log I got once, maybe 30 inch diameter. I could not keep that color on the shelves at shows. Get all of it you can.

robo hippy

Whatever the source of the .........

JamieDonaldson

...coloration, it sure dresses up bland Ash very well!

Re: Ash Staining

David Walser

George -- When I first started working with ash, such staining was fairly common in what we got from our local supplier. (That was in Utah, but I have no idea where he got the lumber from.) I found I really liked the staining. It popped with a Danish oil finish. So, it was saved for drawer fronts and other show elements.

Re: Ash Staining

Michael Sinclair

I would agree, it looks very like what we call olive ash over here. Looks lovely when finished with oil

Michael

in maple

John K Jordan

George,

A friend brought over a chunk of maple log from parts north that has similar figure, radial spikes that cross the annual rings. I have no idea what caused it. It's a bit reddish-brown and looks striking against the white. It is supposed to be maple and looks like it but I'm calling it Porcupine Wood since porcupines ate off the bark and left very interesting teeth marks all over. I think there is enough for a small sort-of natural edged bowl complete with the teeth marks.

The chunk had a lot of pith cracks but I was able to get some end grain blanks or ornaments and such.

This is not the best example of the figure but the best piece that was convenient to photograph.

JKJ

Re: Ash Staining

jorge

Reed,

I think ash and olive are related, that stain looks quite similar to the "ambrosia maple" stain

Re: Ash Staining

Don Stephan

Certainly Wood occasionally has "olive ash burl" veneer with wonderful brown swirls. I'm under the impression the tree grows in Europe.

normal

Steven Antonucci

I have never seen an ash that didn't look like that? I think it's just the heartwood turns dark as it ages?

Re: normal

Bill Blasic

And I have gotten a lot of Ash here in PA and have never seen it up here.

Re: normal

John K Jordan

I've never seen it in ash either. If what you get is all like that it might be valuable in other areas.

JKJ

How about a look at the bark side?

Keith Newton

Are there any woodpecker pecks showing in the bark?

Are there any signs of Emerald Ash Borers under the bark and down into the wood?

Re: Ash Staining

JohnV

I've turned "olive ash" from an urban salvaged tree In Kansas City. Beautiful wood. The arborist I got it from wasn't sure what caused the olive staining. Other same species ash trees in the area did not have the olive coloring.

Re: Ash Staining

John Jordan

Very common in white ash. Easily half the logs I find have some, and sometimes its pretty spectacular as in that pretty little bowl. This is staining in the live tree, not after the fact.

John