Door makers often fashion table tops, cabinet facing and other decorative wood features from veneers, which are thin slices of wood shaved from tree trunks. Ash -- Fraxinus americana -- is a hardwood that that grows in Northeastern China, and it makes a utilitarian light veneer that resembles red oak and is suitable for desks, dressers and other household items. Slicing ash into a veneer is a way to take the most advantage of the highly figured grain patterns that appear on some logs.

An important reason for using a veneer instead of solid wood is that the veneer, once glued to a substrate of particle Board or plywood, makes a more stable building material than the wood itself. Whereas wood can crack and warp in conditions of variable temperature and humidity, a veneer-covered sheet of plywood seldom does. Veneers can display especially interesting grain features, depending on which part of the log they originate from, and often make furniture more decorative and ornate. Moreover, because veneers are bendable, woodworkers can use them to cover curved surfaces.

The blond, open grain of ash is attractive in itself, but you can stain it any color you like, usually with good results; it accepts stain evenly and doesn't blotch. You can finish it with oil, polyurethane or lacquer, and care of the finish is straightforward. Dust it frequently, and, when washing becomes necessary, use a pH-neutral cleaner, such as an ounce of dish soap in a gallon of warm water. When the finish turns dull, you can usually restore the shine with light coat of furniture polish followed by gentle buffing.