For most woodworking the lighter colored sapwood takes preference.
Ash for woodworking bench. I was very concerned about the open grain when compared to maple or birch but i put a lot of coats of deft lacquer on it and the wood sealed up nicely. Ash vs maple for workbench top if this is your first visit be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post. Some ash can have darker bug tracks that are not considered defects except in veneer logs.
This is probably some of the nicest wood i ve ever owned hands down. We really got lucky here with this rough sawn ash lumber for the workbench we re on our way to building. Part of me feels strangely guilty. It s stunning stuff immaculately sawn and largely free of flaws.
The split top roubo workbench 8 4 ash for the top and legs top is 8 long 3 1 2 thick overall height of workbench is 34 has two leg vises on opposite corners so two people can use the bench simultaneously features a sliding deadman which is very useful for clamping long pieces in conjunction. Working ash in the shop. Jut more finely detailed and elegant looking. Brown ash is darker and presents a challenge when mixing with white ash in a project.
Click the register link above to proceed. White ash closely matches red oak in density and hardness. I ve always considered it a relatively similar in grain appearance to red oak. It is very dense wood and think it should work well for a workbench.