American ash is high shock resistance makes it the preferred wood for baseball bats and hockey sticks as well as for tool handles.  This exceptionally flexible wood is found in eastern North America from Nova Scotia south to Georgia and west to the Mississippi River.  Ash is often under appreciated by many woodworker, it offers a sweet fragrance when cut, it’s inexpensive, it machines well, and it can be stained to look very similar to red oak.

  The sapwood of ash is nearly white, the heartwood is light brown to pale yellow.  The grain is straight, course, and even-textured.  Even though it’s heavy, hard and strong, ash boasts remarkable bending properties.  Coupled with its shock resistance, this flexibility makes it perfect for an array of uses: cabinetwork, veneers, bent handles for umbrellas, bent frames for canoes, boat oars, canoe paddles, and snowshoes.