Wood for bodies

Ken B

Ken B

Senior Member
What type of wood is recommended for Model A body subrails and other body structures? I have heard Ash is best and also Oak.
 
The engineering drawings for wooded bodies specify kiln dried white oak, ash and in some rare cases, maple.
 
I use ash for the rails- it is the strongest.

what they used in Franklin frames.....................
 
ronn said:
I use ash for the rails- it is the strongest.

what they used in Franklin frames.....................
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Ash is what was used in most all of the classic car body structures such as Packard, Chrysler, Stutz, Cord, etc... It's what we've used for the last 40 years in our shop.
 
I use hard maple. It splinters less than ash and any oak. Also, I've been told that oak and moisture/humidity create acid against sheet metal..........
 
Ash is the wood! Morgan in Britain still uses it in their bodies. Oak will splinter badly in an accident and it will absorb moisture.
Terry
 
Ash is the wood! Morgan in Britain still uses it in their bodies. Oak will splinter badly in an accident and it will absorb moisture.
Terry
 
White Oak is the recognized best hard wood for "outdoor" uses. Rift sawn is the prettiest. Red Oak has a porous grain and will decay much quicker.

Research outdoor woods.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I have someone willing to part with a lot of ash so I might go with it. I still might use oak for the subrails because of the size needed. Is this a bad idea? I am hoping to get back to my Model A C-Cab delivery project later this summer. Here are a couple of pictures of a body I will be patterning from.
Ken
 

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If you do use Oak, use the white oak if possible. If you must use red oak make sure to preserve it with a good preservative like oil based spar varnish. You do not want moisture getting to it as will turn black especially where it meets the iron. Like other have stated, Ash will bend a lot more than oak and will not explode when bent like oak as it is more stringy.
 
the replies seem to go 50/50 here.

car makers from the turn of the century used ash, not oak for sub rails...............

oak is a prettier wood for display, such as woody tailgates, but even my 52 buick woody is ash.

it is harder then any oak and especially maple. I wouldnt even consider maple for structural wood.
 
Use what you like, But Oak, as strong as it is, was favored by the British Navy in their tall ships, But Not their carmakers! I believe it moves more from moisture (Shrinking and swelling) As I said, Morgan uses only Ash and is proud of it. There is one variety of Oak that is durable enough and that is a variety known as "Live Oak". Where this name came from, I don't know it's all Live till you cut it down. This is what the USS Constitution "Old Ironsides" was made of and this is why the British cannon balls bounced off her in the war of 1812. Hence the name. But the Trees only grow in a few places and they're protected.
Terry
 
I've used ash, various oaks and maple. I think Ford drawings even included birch. I used ash for a long time then there came some blight on ash and it got a little scarce; I can get it now pretty easily.

All that said, I'm still sticking with hard maple!! Not a "splintery" as ash. But either is perfect!
 
Terry said:
Use what you like, But Oak, as strong as it is, was favored by the British Navy in their tall ships, But Not their carmakers! I believe it moves more from moisture (Shrinking and swelling) As I said, Morgan uses only Ash and is proud of it. There is one variety of Oak that is durable enough and that is a variety known as "Live Oak". Where this name came from, I don't know it's all Live till you cut it down. This is what the USS Constitution "Old Ironsides" was made of and this is why the British cannon balls bounced off her in the war of 1812. Hence the name. But the Trees only grow in a few places and they're protected.
Terry
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Terry,

That's interesting. I never gave it much thought either, but we have an area northeast of my house named "Live Oak Canyon" and a back road to Yucaipa called Live Oak Canyon Road. I assume there are a lot of "live oak" there, although after our drought there may not be as many as before. I'll have to research it.

David Serrano
 
Dave, I'd like to take credit for being born knowing that, however I saw it on TV recently. The trees only grow in the south east. But if you google "Live Oak' you'll find a lot of Oaks are called "Live Oak". It was so superior to their oak that the British even mounted raids on isolated stands of live Oak, or at least that's what they said on the show.
Terry
 
In all honesty, I've made some parts out of old pallets. I couldn't even tell you what variety of hardwood it was.
Terry
 
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