: the guy at home depot said, "Never heard of it"...).

That's a good one. He was from the plumbing department, right?

I got my air-dried ash from a local mini-mill, and was amazed at how nicely it bends. I didn't have the same luck with bending black walnut, as Kent suggested, but that may have been because it was kiln-dried. I found it quite a bit more brittle.

Another possible online source is A&M Wood Specialty.