What species of wood was used in 28 fordor?

[Tom Elliott]

What was the species of wood used for the body in a 28 fordor? Just wondering what Henry used. Thanks, Tom

[Tom Wesenberg]

The blueprints for the floorboards specified several acceptable hardwoods. I mostly see Maple on the original wood pieces in my cars and many others I've looked at.

[Rich in Tucson]

Henry owned forests in Michigan. I suspect that any hardwood tree in front of his saws ended up in his cars and though the guy with the saw may have known the genus or even species he was cutting, the guy working with the cut lumber probably did not. I had a friend who was a forestry expert with a '28 Fordor and he thought his was mostly maple but a sample from my '28 Fordor he thought was ash. Even then he could only say which species (there were several) of ash and maple were thought to be present in MI at that time. If you can find old growth lumber it would be worth using. I cut into a railroad tie recently with a 1928 nail in it and was overwhelmed by the western cedar smell, like it had just been felled.

[denis4x4]

I had to create the top wood after extending the cab on my '29 CCPU and used white oak. It's easy to work with and most good (not big box) lumber yards have it in stock. I bought mine from a small yard in Durango and picked boards with no knots. It's also inexpensive.

[Terry, NJ]

I have made some of my own wood and I used Ash. However, In my 30 Briggs T.S., I found some walnut and maple. Go to my profile and go to my album "My A". Classis wood uses all ash. Can't say about the other companies.
Terry

[wrndln]

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I believe Rich in Tucon is right. Ford use what ever hardwood was in his forest. I suspect most was maple and white ash, but some was probably oak and maybe even some walnut if that was available. Most wood was treated with black asphatium (sp) so it probably didn't make a lot of difference except it wasn't soft wood like pine, spruce or fir.
Rusty Nelson

[Bill Underwood]

Many prints specify ash, maple, oak, birch. I have found that hard maple is best for me. Oak more splintery, ash is hard on blades and birch not too readily offered around here. Hard maple is available.

[Terry, NJ]

That "Splinteriness" Of oak may be why British car builders seem to stay far away from it! In the squarsail days, the royal navy lost many a gun crew to oak splinters when a cannonball "shivered" the timbers of the gun deck.
The Morgan company still builds it's bodies with ash frames.
Terry

Originally Posted by Bill Underwood

Many prints specify ash, maple, oak, birch. I have found that hard maple is best for me. Oak more splintery, ash is hard on blades and birch not too readily offered around here. Hard maple is available.

[Steve Plucker]

There was also hemlock.

There is some good and interesting reading on the making of wood parts for the Model T and Model A in the 1926 Ford Industries booklet. It even shows how the floorboards were painted.

Pluck