Are there different types of ash?

[Ives]

Someone gave me some ash, and the little things I made out of it have a nice weight and a nice darkish colour. So I bought some ash, and the things I made are a lighter colour and a lighter weight. Are there different types?? Was it a different part of the tree?

 

[Steve Maskery]

Hi Ives
Yes, there are different types of ash. English Ash tends to be a lot polder of grain and figure than American White Ash.
Also the age of the tree makes a big difference. If you get ash from an old tree that is mature, the heartwood can be very dark indeed. It's then called Olive Ash and is prized. A young tree will not be Olive.
Cheers
Steve

 

[Ives]

Would the lumberyard here in England have sold me American ash?

 

[tomatwark]

Would the lumberyard here in England have sold me American ash?

Yes

A lot of the Ash and other timber as well is from the US and Canada.

Although they should have told you if is English or American

Tom

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

I always assume its American if they don't say English.

Where did you get it from?

 

[Ives]

From the lumber yard in my town. They order it from their head office.

Also, someone offered me some walnut offcuts and when I went to get them, they were really light coloured, like ash or oak. Is there light coloured walnut? The stuff I got from someone else is dark, dark brown.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Same again. English walnut is quite pale, whilst American Black Walnut can be, well, almost black.
S

 

[Kalimna]

Or possibly even walnut sapwood?

 

[Lord Kitchener]

If the sawn boards were straight-edged and reasonnably flat, then probably american ash. If they were waney edged and anything but flat, then probably english. The grain lines in english ash tend to be closer together, as well as the darker colour.

 

[Ives]

Or possibly even walnut sapwood?

In the piece I have, about a quarter of it is sort of soft and squishy if I press my nail into it, and next to that is the bark. The stuff on the other side is dark and hard, and is what I used. Does that mean I have the sapwood? Or is the squishy part the sapwood?