So Ash is OK for making hives, has anyone made an Ash hive and did it last, warp fall apart and how would you protect it from the elements ?
Yes i have and its okay, little heavy though, treat as you would any other non durable timber.
It is a good timber,was used a lot in the framework construction of vehicles,looked nice on the old morris travellers.
From a couple of sites.
Used for boat building, canoes, oars, tillers; deck beams and frames. Extensively used for cabinetmaking and furniture, chair making, agricultural implements, vehicle bodies, wheelwrighting, bentwork, fancy turnery and laminated articles. Corestock and plywood manufacture, and decorative veneers for furniture, panelling and marquetry. Ash also takes treatment as hardwood (silver grey) and in veneer form, the olive ash figure is highly decorative, especially in stumpwood and burr form.
Tough and flexible - Ash is one of our toughest native timbers and because of its flexibility it can withstand pressure, shock and splintering. Traditionally ash was used for weapons and the word ash comes from the Anglo Saxon word for spear 'Aesc'. In modern times it is used wherever toughness is important as in sports equipment, tool handles, boat fittings, chair making, cabinet making and turnery.
Bending * Ash can be readily steam bent into curved outlines without breaking or loosing strength.
King of Trees * A tall deep-rooted tree, the Vikings considered Ash the king of trees with "its roots in hell and its branches reaching the heavens"
