# any hints/tips on using Sassafras wood ??



## ronbuhg (Jul 8, 2012)

I bought some sassafras wood today to build a computer desk….could not resist it because it was on sale for $2.00 a BF…could be I made a serious mistake for what I have in mind…..But I liked the grain and the fact that it was relatively lightweight also..I did read the comments in the forum posted by Ted ,when he asked what was everyone's favorite wood and why…very informative, but very little was said about the type of wood I purchased…..please tell me the truth…did I make a really bad choice based on the selling price or did I just do ok??...I did have in mind to get some red oak and staining it with cherry stain…..which by the way is truly beautiful ,even though that's not something most woodworkers choose to do…yeah I can hear it now,staining a red oak with cherry


> ? "DUH… RON WHAT WERE YOU THINKING


" I came across this unusual combo quite by accident and have had several people ask me to make some pieces for them with this set-up….If sassafras wood is not ideal then I can always go back to my lumberyard and get some red oak …and just chalk it up to experience…thanks in advance for your comments and tips if there are any…this is absolutely the best website I have ever encountered pertaining to wood and woodworking…just a reminder… "BE SAFE ALWAYS"


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## jusfine (May 22, 2010)

Ron, I have purchased some QS sassafras and really like the grain also, but have not done anything with it. Sounds like your price was excellent! All the Best!


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

Its a little prone to splitting, so pre-drill any screw holes. Otherwise it works well…. smells good too! (IMHO)


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

Beautiful wood. You did good.


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## ronbuhg (Jul 8, 2012)

thank you everyone for your thoughts….now I dont feel so bad….I'll post my results when finished…finally finished my cedar chest ….I'll post as soon as I can….loved the smell of cedar….never knew how many people are allergic to it until I finished with it…now I have to caution anyone who comes into my bedroom ….shame !!


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

Ron,

Yes to pre drilling. It might b a little stringy, but its' durability and stability are very good. One use is to make boats of it. It is also a good furniture wood.

Steve


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## Post_Oakie (Jul 3, 2012)

I've cut some on my portable sawmill, and used it for a few projects. Very durable wood, and very strong for its weight. Hard to find good straight logs, though. I like working with it, but I've never seen any info on how it take a stain. Grain is all wrong for cherry anyway. It used to be a favored wood for canoe paddles.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

I have several large sassafras trees. Not easy to sell as they once were. They used to be the wood of choice for making heels on women's shoes and for golf clubs. Now there are composites and other materials for shoes and golf "woods" are now usually metal.


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## Post_Oakie (Jul 3, 2012)

Crank, wish there were an easy way of getting one or two of those logs to southwest MO! Still, I've got hedge (Osage orange) to play with when I want a challenge.


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## keith204 (Nov 5, 2013)

Post-oakie: if you're still in the mood for Sassafras, there's an Amish mill north of Springfield that has some. I'm going today to get some walnut, and probably Sassafras (which is why I ended up researching it on LJ - thanks for the tips/recommendations).

If the price is decent and the lumber looks good, I'll send you a pic and some info.


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

Hi there,
I have some 26" wide, 3" thick sassafras and so far, I have made one table out of the first cut. The others will be for a conference or dining tables. Here is a pic:


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

You do want to wear a mask and if possible, do your sanding and cutting outdoors as the dust is toxic. Although I still use the root of the tree for beverages and other things.


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## dirtycurty (Jan 29, 2014)

Nothing like a good cold glass of Sassafras tea!!!!!!!!!!!


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## keith204 (Nov 5, 2013)

Jinx, yeah I saw that table elsewhere on this forum. That's crazy. Weird, but I like it.

Here's my find from the mill today:

*Sassafras: $0.90/bf*
Been sitting there drying for 9 months. It's very straight and feels great. I intentionally got a few pieces that are barky, to challenge myself to do something decent with them. Plus they look awesome.

*Walnut: $1.00/bf*
Been air drying for 12 months. I think there's a good deal of figure to some of the pieces. I'm eager to plane some this evening.










And here's what I took. That's an 8' truck bed. Total paid: $94


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

Good prices. I love the sassafras bark very beautiful and sticks to the lumber pretty tight.


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

Amazing thing is that you might get two pieces of furniture out of that and when you ask $1200 for it, people run the other way; not realizing the price of wood as well as the time it takes to create a furniture with fine workmanship.


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## freddy1962 (Feb 27, 2014)

I am going to drop a sassafras tree within the next week if anyone's interested. West Central IL.


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## Mustang67 (Feb 22, 2014)

Wow Keith, $1.00 a bf for Walnut, that's a steal.


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## keith204 (Nov 5, 2013)

Yeah I know…. And I was able to spend my time picking through the stack.

I'm thinking of going back and getting more. Here's a question/issue:

The walnut had some small bugs on it. Few. But they appeared to be booklice or similar..maybe more grayish. Not beetles. But last year I had a booklice issue in my garage wood and it was annoying to get rid of.

Is it common to have little bugs to deal with when buying from a local mill? I plan to wrap them in black plastic under the sun to get their temps up to 140 for a few hours just in case there are any eggs. (before bringing them into the garage)

I don't know… What would you do?


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

I hadsome walnuts get eaten up from inside out. The middle of it had a thin crust of solid wood, but below it was just powder wood. The plastic wrap sounds like a good idea; maybe give it several days as the heat needs to penetrate into the wood. The walnuts that I planed before storing didn't have this problem.


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## keith204 (Nov 5, 2013)

Alright thanks. I tried yesterday making a heater-kiln sort of thing in the bed of my truck for the Walnut (since the Walnut is all under 8'). I used plastic on the top, sealed it all as well as I could, and added a space heater. I failed for 2 reasons (at least 2)
1) I could only get up to a temperature of about 120F
2) I chickened out, when I realized space heaters probably aren't meant to operate in 120F conditions.

Plastic tarp, sun heat, here I come. First I'll plane it down to get a better idea of what I'm working with.

Jinx, what is the blue stuff in your table? And, what filler did you use for the cracks? That's intriguing.


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

The blue is turquoise and the other stuff is copper. Used two way epoxy as a filler.


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## wuzfuzde (Feb 22, 2011)

still confused about how to stain and finish sassafras


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

http://www.hardwoodinfo.com/articles/view/pro/24/317


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