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Thread: Ash for Drawers?

  1. #1

    Ash for Drawers?

    Is there any problem using ash for drawers? I can purchase it for $1.95/bd ft for 4/4, whereas red maple is $2.50 and hard maple is $3.50.

    Any reason I should spend more for maple?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    Are you talking drawer sides or fronts. In any case ash is a good choice, it has similar characteristics to oak. I use it all the time for drawers and I have used it to make carousel horses.

  3. #3
    Drawer sides and back - I am using walnut for the front.

    I have been using ash for my shop cabinet drawer fronts - inexpensive and also getting practice resawing making the ash false fronts 3/8" thick. But haven't tried to use them for sides/back which I will dovetail.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    I'm not an expert on this, but here's some info that might help you decide:

    http://www.taunton.com/promotions/ex...dingBasics.pdf

    http://eberhardt.bz/GME_Wood_Land/GM...ndary_Wood.pdf
    "Live like no one else, so later, you can LIVE LIKE NO ONE ELSE!"
    - Dave Ramsey

  5. #5
    Charles, great links, thanks

  6. #6
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    James,

    Particularly when dovetailed, ash contrasts nicely with walnut and other dark woods; try, if you can, to select quartered or otherwise mostly straight-grained stock for stability.

  7. #7
    Join Date
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    Rockingham, Virginia
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    I have used ash for drawer sides and back and --

    Have had reasonable success. Totally agree with comment by Frank to try for quarter sawn - hard to resaw without warping otherwise. I have had good luck making dovetails with my Akeda jig with ash. Since ash does not stain or otherwise color that well IMHO, drawer sides are almost a perfect use - have had good luck with fumed QSWO half blind fronts and walnut very nice contrast and the ash waxes really well and is easy to plane.

  8. #8
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    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


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  9. #9
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    I think ash would be the better choice even if the cost differences were inverted. Ash is more stable.

  10. #10
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    I've used ash for drawer sides with satisfactory results...should be no problem.
    Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....

  11. #11

    Thos. Moser does

    I see no problem with using the secondary wood such as ash for draws sides. High end makers such as Thos. Moser use ash for nearly all of their case pieces.

    Go for it!
    NWB
    "there is no such thing as a mistake in woodworking, only opportunities to re-assess the design"

  12. #12
    Done - thanks for all the responses.

    And, great pictures from Glenn, very nice!

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