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NOTE: there is rarely any "standard" or "typical" look for a wood so take what's in this table with a grain of salt the REST of the pictures on this page will give you a better overall feel for this wood

black ash / Fraxinus spp. 5" x 5" flat cut, 5" x 5" quartersawn, 1" x 1" end grain, and a 1/4" x 1/4" end grain closeup. Fraxinus nigra, Fraxinus excelsior, and Fraxinus pennsylvanica of the family Oleaceae, the Olive family. Fraxinus pennsylvanica is normally sold as green ash or red ash, but it is also called black ash so I have put it on this page. Ring porous with a slight transition phase from 3 or so rows of large pores starting the earlywood to a row or two of somewhat smaller pores before dropping off to sparse, small latewood pores and then sparse but noticeable confulent parenchyma towards the end of the latewood. Rays are present but barely visible with a 10X loupe. Ray flakes on quartersawn surfaces are narrow and short.

A NOTE ABOUT ASH SPECIES IN THE USA

Fraxinus nigra and Fraxinus pennsylvanica of the family Oleaceae, the Olive family. Fraxinus pennsylvanica is normally sold as green ash or red ash, but it is also called black ash so I have put it on this page along with Fraxinus nigra

my samples: NOTE: these pics were all taken in very bright incandescent lighting ("soft white" at 2700K) colors will vary under other lighting conditions

both sides of a sample plank listed as black ash / Fraxinus nigra


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of black ash / Fraxinus nigra --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


first face and the end grain of a sample of black ash / Fraxinus nigra. This part of a collection which is discussed here: COLLECTION A


the second face, before and after slicing off 1/8" showing how the patina from aging is only surface deep.


end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above.


both sides of a sample plank sold to me as green ash / Fraxinus pennsylvanica


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of green ash / Fraxinus pennsylvanica --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of green ash / Fraxinus pennsylvanica --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above



both sides and both ends of a black ash sample (presumably Fraxinus nigra but I don't know that for sure)


end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


black ash planks and closeup


black ash planks and closeup


black ash planks and closeup


black ash planks and closeup --- note that the lower plank is almost perfectly quartersawn at this particular point and shows some nice ray flakes


END GRAIN UPDATE from a sample cut from one of the planks directly above and done to get another sample for the anatomy pages.


both sides of a piece of black ash burl loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site --- HUGE enlargements are present. The first side is sanded down to 220 grit, the second side is not.


both sides and a closeup of a piece of black ash burl loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site --- HUGE enlargements are present.


both sides and a closeup of a piece of black ash burl loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site --- HUGE enlargements are present.


both sides of a few pieces of black ash burl loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site --- HUGE enlargements are present.


both sides of a few pieces of black ash burl loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site --- HUGE enlargements are present.

web pics:

two sets of moistened black ash planks --- these are the planks from which most of my black ash samples above were taken and as you will see in my color-accurate pics, there is actually only a tiny hint of orange in these planks, despite what these pics show. Even if you spritz the pieces with water (which I think was done for these pics) they are NOT going to look orange like this. This is the kind of vendor dishonesty that was a big part of why I created this site in the first place.


black ash planks


quartersawn plank listed as ash / Fraxinus excelsior and with wet and dry sections


black ash burls


burl and closeup


burl turning stock


burl turning stock all from the same vendor


both sides of a black ash burl


black ash bowl


black ash burl bowl with natural edge


bowls listed as black ash burl


top and bottom of a black ash burl bowl


vase listed as black ash


green ash bowl turned and photographed by Tom Pleatman, whom I thank for these pics and other contributions to the site. Big enlargements are present.


two views of a black ash burl natural edge vase and the burl that it came from