MTFCA Forum

So I’m ordering up some lumber for my 12 delivery car body build. I’m building it as per the drawings that I have from the Benson Ford. The drawings show the sill runners being 2 3/8 x 1 1/2. I need 8 ft lengths. The sill runners are to be made of Ash. I called my local Amish millwork and they told me they can only get it in 2” x 2” widths. Anyone else run into this problem? Does that 3/8 make a difference with the body to frame brackets?
Thanks
Mike Bird

Mike, I’ve bought 8/4 and thicker ash from these guys. Close to me, small enough to care, great to deal with.

I have had good luck laminating 4-quarter (1") ash to make the desired thickness. I would do that rather than make it less than the 2 3/8.
That's just me.
Rich

Often 6/4 and 8/4 stock is only available skip planed which may be problematic for one's project. Rich is right, don't skimp on the dimensions. Laminating with a good waterproof glue can result in a member that's even stronger than a single timber when one chooses grain direction.

There is a finite glut of nice ash around these parts. The emerald ash borer wiped the trees out. Some day it’ll be the value of wormy chestnut but also less woodworking going on, so there is still a big supply.
As Rich said , with the advance of good glues like Tightbond III , laminating is maybe the way to go.

Anderson Lumber - Gulfport, FL
wonderful people who custom milled a number of pieces of ash for me during my build years ago
It is a family company brought back from the brink of closure a number of years ago - ask for Fred

Even back in the T era, some of the sills were made up from parts, esp maybe the closed car. The sills in the 1921 couple I had for example, used mortis and tenon joints to join some of the wood together into larger piece.

You are close to Southmilford indiana. I got all my wood for the TT build from Wible U Pick hardwoods in South Milford Indiana. They will custom cut your wood. Its about a 40 minute drive from Goshen. You can look them up on line.

Ask for Kevin in the U Pick store and tell him I sent you.

Imported ash from Ohio would be a much better choice, Dallas.what would you know about wood, anyway? JMHO

Tite Bond III will hold up in the weather for decades. My friend in hardwood harvesting says that ash is worth more as firewood than as a hardwood timber.

Art Mirtes

Art, your friend in hardwood harvesting would certainly know the demands of the market, and where best to apply his energies. The current demand (or lack thereof) for ash is not a reflection of its properties nor its suitability for load carrying members in coachwork. Ash was always the favored species of coachbuilders from deep in the horse-drawn era into the motor age up until all-steel bodies became universal. It has a great strength to weight ratio, machines well, and takes finishes better than most open grain hardwoods. The fact that the science of discerning the properties of various species for suitable applications has become a lost art in a world where everything is made of plastic is mostly to blame for the current low opinion of ash.

Millwork is the wrong place to look for custom lumber, you need to talk to a sawmill.

Jeff, with all due respect, most sawmills around here don’t dry their wood. So , a custom lumber company or a very small boutique mill that air dries or kiln dries their wood would be my go to. If you are into wood, everyone has their favorites. Again, JMHO

Wible Lumber gets their wood rough cut kiln dried lumber from the mill across the road. They also handle exotic woods from over seas. If they dont have it, you dont need it. I buy most if my trim from them. Not only because its a family owned local busines but they do custom work if I need it. The runners under my 8in1 bed on the TT were 2x8x9ft ash. 5/4 poplar and other sizes were needed for the Martin Parry cab.

The base runners on my wide body Duncan and Fraser roadster were 11.5" wide Australian eucalypt hardwood. I could get boards thick enough, with a little planing, but 2" too narrow at the widest point. I Titebonded a short section to the outside of the curves, and added stainless steel screws for insurance.
Using new boards machined to today's dimensions is fraught with problems. You make an adjustment and get on with the job. Then you find that first adjustment requires subsequent adjustments to make the correct fit, and you end up chasing your tail.

Allan from down under.

Thanks guys. I reached out to the places you all listed but no luck except for the place in Florida, but they don’t ship. So it looks like I’ll be laminating them together and mill them down to desired thickness.
Mike

I believe you will be happy with the results doing it that way.
Best of luck.
Rich

I have some 3" ash that is air-dried 16" wide and maybe 16' long. Where are you?

Will Brown wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 26, 2022 5:13 pm

I have some 3" ash that is air-dried 16" wide and maybe 16' long. Where are you?

Will I’m in Goshen Indiana