They say the Iroquois hunter would look for a standing ash tree in the dead of winter when he needed fire. Of the deciduous trees that grow in the Northeast, ash is the one that stands the driest.
He fashioned his bow and arrows from its wood and split out ash pieces for his bent snowshoe frames. A notable feature of this species is an excellent strength-to-weight ratio. It is for this reason and its willingness to be steam-bent that ash has been so important in traditional boat building. These properties are important in our shop too. The long, strong fibers lend strength to the chair parts we steam bend and the mortise and tenon joints we cut.
We love the sweet smell of ash when it's sawn and its warm color that ranges from bone to honey. This is a ring porous wood, sometimes referred to as open grained, with strong grain patterns that appear as parallel lines or swirls and waves.
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