Of the roughly seventy species of the Oleaceae Family found in the world only two types of Ash wood are of any use in furniture manufacturing of outdoor pieces. The white ash wood (Fraxinus Americana and black (Fraxinus Nigra) are commercially employed in the lumber industry. American Ashwood is segregated into three categories according to how hard it is.
Principle Roles of Ash Wood on Making Outdoor Furniture:
Ashwood has long, straight, fibered grains without any special odor. The wood fairly stable in regards to temperature fluctuations, has elastic properties, and is highly shock resistant. White Ash wood is light colored, porous wood with a medium density. The easily stained, Ashwood is best suited for furniture manufacturing of different kinds of stools and chairs. Black Ash wood had a more tan brown coloration and splinters less than the white variety. It is also slightly softer than white Ash wood making crafting outdoor furniture that much easier.
When working with Ash wood for furniture manufacturing, power and hand tools are sufficient. It takes hold of glue well, but drilling is better for added durability and strength. Splintering is an issue with Ash wood because of it long fibers. The wood is not very durable as it is prone to beetle and fungal attack. Any furniture made from Ash wood has to be properly treated to protect it from such insects.
Besides furniture manufacturing, Ash wood is employed in more practical uses than any other type of wood. Because of its elasticity, Ash wood takes more stress before actually snapping and breaking. It can also be stained took like maple furniture and only the well trained eye can differentiate between the real Maple wood and Ash wood stained to look like the real thing. The real Maple wood has slightly more cluttering of rings.
