Crossword Genius

Wood turned this way? Odd bits discarded (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ash

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'wood' is the definition.
(wood from an ash tree)

'turned this way? odd bits discarded' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'way?' could be 's' (Compass direction - South) and 's' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ah' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ash that I've seen before include "One [TYPE OF TREE]" , "It comes from volcano" , "Fraxinus" , "Hard pale wood" , "Oleaceous tree" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.