Stringer Material (Ash Wood)

We seem to be limited in our choices of stringer materials(basswood,spruce,cedar,redwood and balsa).Ash is a common American hardwood with incredible flex, it has a long grain and is hard to break.We make baseball bats and axe handles out of this tough wood.I realize that it is a little heavy and would be tougher to shape but has anybody ever thought of using it for stringers?I have a strip that I can bend in half and it will spring right on back to its original shape.Any thoughts?

We seem to be limited in our choices of stringer > materials(basswood,spruce,cedar,redwood and balsa).Ash is a common > American hardwood with incredible flex, it has a long grain and is hard to > break.We make baseball bats and axe handles out of this tough wood.I > realize that it is a little heavy and would be tougher to shape but has > anybody ever thought of using it for stringers?I have a strip that I can > bend in half and it will spring right on back to its original shape.Any > thoughts? sounds interesting-something i will try.thinking of a thin as possible stringer with that ash,with the idea of an extremely thin foiled out hull, like a stringerless board I have, only now it will have this very thin, flexible stringer(to prevent snapping).

it’s interesting, but all the species that are commonly used as stringers are softwood…at least i can’t think of a hardwood that is typically offered. i’ve used ash plenty in cabinetmaking, and it is fine. the only possible drawback that ocurred to me is that if an ash stringer does snap, depending on how the grain is running, you could end up with a hard, pointed, spear-like portrusion coming out of the broken end(s) of the board, tumbling around in the wash with you. it can be as heavy as oak, too!

it’s interesting, but all the species that are commonly used as stringers > are softwood…at least i can’t think of a hardwood that is typically > offered. i’ve used ash plenty in cabinetmaking, and it is fine. the only > possible drawback that ocurred to me is that if an ash stringer does snap, > depending on how the grain is running, you could end up with a hard, > pointed, spear-like portrusion coming out of the broken end(s) of the > board, tumbling around in the wash with you. it can be as heavy as oak, > too! Good Point Ramon…but if the wood was “quartersawn” and cut into thin stringers of say 1/16" inch wouldn’t it be less prone to break into splinters?I know that it is heavy but by reduction of thickness we are talking about ounces and not lbs.Hell its just a thought but I bet it would be strong and flexible.(it would for sure be hell on that little block plane while finish shaping though)

I think ash has a lot of good qualities… resilency, strength, weight, color…I would expect the grain to be ‘grabby’ when planing …try it, you’ll at least know more than you do now!!!..

balsa is actually considered a hardwood in case anyone was wondering. dont ask me why but the science dept. at my school says so.

good point about the quartersawing, cleanlines…also, at a 1/16" you’re talking almost thick veneer. with a sharp plane, i’d rather tackle ash than bass. those fibers are a pain in the butt.>>> Good Point Ramon…but if the wood was “quartersawn” and cut > into thin stringers of say 1/16" inch wouldn’t it be less prone to > break into splinters?I know that it is heavy but by reduction of thickness > we are talking about ounces and not lbs.Hell its just a thought but I bet > it would be strong and flexible.(it would for sure be hell on that little > block plane while finish shaping though)

how do they distinguish hardwood from soft? i think i remember waay back in science class that wood from all the cone bearing trees was the softwood?? interesting point about balsa!>>> balsa is actually considered a hardwood in case anyone was wondering. dont > ask me why but the science dept. at my school says so.

balsa is actually considered a hardwood in case anyone was wondering. dont > ask me why but the science dept. at my school says so. It’s not the density of the wood the determines whether a wood is hard or not. A hardwood is wood that comes from an angiosperm or a plant which has its seeds enclosed in a pericarp. “The term is restricted to exogenous plants, and applied to one of the two grand divisions of these species, the other division including gymnosperms, or those which have naked seeds. The oak, apple, beech, etc., are angiosperms, while the pines, spruce, hemlock, and the allied varieties, are gymnosperms.” The only thing that outnumbers angiosperms in terms of species are insects.

It’s not the density of the wood the determines whether a wood is hard or > not. A hardwood is wood that comes from an angiosperm or a plant which has > its seeds enclosed in a pericarp. “The term is restricted to > exogenous plants, and applied to one of the two grand divisions of these > species, the other division including gymnosperms, or those which have > naked seeds. The oak, apple, beech, etc., are angiosperms, while the > pines, spruce, hemlock, and the allied varieties, are gymnosperms.”>>> The only thing that outnumbers angiosperms in terms of species are > insects. Well Damn, I learned something new today! Clark Foam was experimenting with different woods for stringers, I got about 2oo Surfboards Hawaii blanks with Maranti wood for sticks, they weighed about 3-4 lbs. more than cedar.(they were a bitch to plane, the grain went everyway but where you wanted it to go) I would assume the ash, being similar density would offer the same weight increase.

It’s not the density of the wood the determines whether a wood is hard or > not. A hardwood is wood that comes from an angiosperm or a plant which has > its seeds enclosed in a pericarp. “The term is restricted to > exogenous plants, and applied to one of the two grand divisions of these > species, the other division including gymnosperms, or those which have > naked seeds. The oak, apple, beech, etc., are angiosperms, while the > pines, spruce, hemlock, and the allied varieties, are gymnosperms.”>>> The only thing that outnumbers angiosperms in terms of species are > insects. Man all this talk about sperms gives me a woody…I am kinda scared of the gymnosperm thing because it sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen.The thing about naked seeds is interesting too.(Just Kidding…nice post,very educational but I couldn’t resist.)

It’s not the density of the wood the determines whether a wood is hard or > not. A hardwood is wood that comes from an angiosperm or a plant which has > its seeds enclosed in a pericarp. “The term is restricted to > exogenous plants, and applied to one of the two grand divisions of these > species, the other division including gymnosperms, or those which have > naked seeds. The oak, apple, beech, etc., are angiosperms, while the > pines, spruce, hemlock, and the allied varieties, are gymnosperms.”>>> The only thing that outnumbers angiosperms in terms of species are > insects. My take is , it would quite a lot of quality lumber to produce center strips of such great widths. The thickness is also questionable due to the tightness of the grain or lack there of. There is great waste in quarter sawn milling , plus the trees are not what they used to be (size in diameter). Another sign of the times.

My take is , it would quite a lot of quality lumber to produce center > strips of such great widths. The thickness is also questionable due to the > tightness of the grain or lack there of. There is great waste in quarter > sawn milling , plus the trees are not what they used to be (size in > diameter). Another sign of the times. Well said.As I think about it I tend to think that quarter sawing would defeat the purpose.Flat sawing would probably be a better way to get the grain right.As for size we are looking at around 8" net wide at the most.Would that be to much for ash?You may be right because we are probably dealing with heartwood.My question is basically structural.We can deal with the economics later.I really appreciate the thoughts and replies going into this subject.

You could use Ash , but as Ramon said , it’s too heavy. Aircraft spruce would be a better call. When you find a good supplier of high quality Ash in your specifications lets us know what your paying and how consistant it is. It’s always good to explore new ideas!

You could use Ash , but as Ramon said , it’s too heavy. Aircraft spruce > would be a better call.>>> When you find a good supplier of high quality Ash in your specifications > lets us know what your paying and how consistant it is. It’s always good > to explore new ideas! I’ve used Poplar for stringers, a few cents cheaper than Basswood, but a bit denser and heavier. Sugar pine is an excellent substitute, but $$$$$$$$$$$$, it doesn’t grow on trees, hey it does.

I’ve used Poplar for stringers, a few cents cheaper than Basswood, but a > bit denser and heavier. Sugar pine is an excellent substitute, but > $$$$$$$$$$$$, it doesn’t grow on trees, hey it does. …I got some 1/16" milled maple from a skateboard source, that they couldn’t use,but it was just the right size for stringers.Yeah a little heavy but when the foam and glass died, we had to beat the stingers to death.Herb

I used to restore historical boats at the San Francisco Maritime Musuem (Hyde Street Pier) and so while I’m not a expert here’s my two cents. First, there are what I call boat woods - mahogany, cedar, oak, teak, etc. All are used because of their strength-to-weight AND resistance to rot in a maritime environment. OK, so your stringer may never get exposed to water (unless I surf your board). My gut feelings is Ash would be fine like any other wood, however since its hard and the adjacent foam is soft, it might be more difficult to get the two material to sand/plane at the same rate. Just a thought. In other words its probably a bitch to work. GOod luck.

I used to restore historical boats at the San Francisco Maritime Musuem > (Hyde Street Pier) and so while I’m not a expert here’s my two cents. > First, there are what I call boat woods - mahogany, cedar, oak, teak, etc. > All are used because of their strength-to-weight AND resistance to rot in > a maritime environment. OK, so your stringer may never get exposed to > water (unless I surf your board). My gut feelings is Ash would be fine > like any other wood, however since its hard and the adjacent foam is soft, > it might be more difficult to get the two material to sand/plane at the > same rate. Just a thought. In other words its probably a bitch to work. > GOod luck. Well said…it would be a little harder to shape but with sharp tools it would be within the realm of possibilities.The point about ash is its flex and springy character.If you take a thin strip of any other wood and try to bend it in half it will snap…you can take the same strip of ash and literally tie it into a knot.Jeeze I’m starting to sound like an ash Telemarketer.My point is all about the flex factor.