# Cherry Tree For Wood Turning



## hog&amp;bodge (25 Nov 2009)

Just came across this for sale..yes it is a tree a whole tree.....:lol: 
Now is that tempting....
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Cherry-Tree-For-W ... 4a9c84d549

Is there a law against felling fruit trees or is cherry excluded ....?


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## Bodrighy (25 Nov 2009)

If it has just been felled it will be wet and cherry does split badly often. It is a lovely wood though. Never hear of there being a law against felling fruit trees, especially if they are in your garden ot something. 

pete


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## johnny.t. (25 Nov 2009)

Only on ebay :roll: Makes you wonder if some 'yoofs' have aquired a chainsaw :lol: 

Cherry hard to source??? Don't think so...


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## hog&amp;bodge (25 Nov 2009)

If it was closer to me I would get it and keep it in long lengths..
That should help keep most of the splitting down and have a great
ventilated basement...am I talking my self into going to get it....lol
But a whole tree..lol


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## Bodrighy (25 Nov 2009)

hog&bodge":18mieiba said:


> If it was closer to me I would get it and keep it in long lengths..
> That should help keep most of the splitting down and have a great
> ventilated basement...am I talking my self into going to get it....lol
> But a whole tree..lol



You would be surprised what is on offer. When I moved I left a 60' beech in a field having cut enough off it for about 30 bowls, a yew tree that was too hard for my little chainsaw and I have, in the last month been offered a lime tree, 1/2 an apple orchard, some welsh elm and sycamore and a walnut tree. Some of it I can collect some I can't get to. There's plenty out ther if you just get the word out that you want wood. A lot of us on here get it from tree surgeons, farmers, gardeners, they're great for rhododendron, laburnum, monkey puzzle, sumac and pittisporum. Hazel is all over the place and hawthorn as well. 

Pete


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## hog&amp;bodge (25 Nov 2009)

Only know a few park wardens who give me a nod
when they fell trees in the parks around Manchester...
Sooo I need to find a few tree surgeons and cultivate 
them not trees :lol: 
When they did a mass cull in Manchester I could not believe the 
amount of lumber just being turned in to chippings..
Lets see if he sells it.


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## hog&amp;bodge (26 Nov 2009)

Still no bids on the tree......


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## Gordon T (27 Nov 2009)

Hello all,

if it helps with the decision to buy......I felled and sealed a cherry tree 4 or 5 years ago. From time to time I attempt to turn a piece, and so far EVERY piece I have tried has split big style. Not worth it in my opinion. Still I feel sure there will be plenty out there who have had success with cherry, but not me. 
I turned a lovely piece of cherry at the weekend, but it was a kiln dried blank!!

GT


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## hog&amp;bodge (27 Nov 2009)

Hi *Gordon T* not tried cherry yet....but will get round to it soon..
I've heard people talking about using a microwave to dry out wood
but it seems a bit extreme to me & to fast, surly it will just speed up 
the splitting process..? 
Had some logs of beech and popular for over 2 years and have been 
learning on them & it is about time I started to buy blanks & get
a move on turning.

The tree....
Seems like we have people who want it..gone up to six quid & only
3h 24m left....


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## peteb (28 Nov 2009)

Gordon T":16prud0m said:


> I felled and sealed a cherry tree 4 or 5 years ago. From time to time I attempt to turn a piece, and so far EVERY piece I have tried has split big style.
> GT



Hi 

When does it split? During turning, or as it dries out further after turning?

I have a cherry few logs, and I am trying to work out how/when to turn them.

Is it going to be less susceptible if turned thin?


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## Gordon T (28 Nov 2009)

Hellooooo,

I usually find nice looking piece with few splits, mount in on the lathe and attempt to turn away the splits,,,,,that is usually when it splits, more and more until all I have left is shavings. I have not got much of it left and the trunk was around thirty foot when I started.

Stil......if it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have any at all

GT


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## Mike Wingate (28 Nov 2009)

Have chainsaw, will travel. I cut down lots of fruit trees. Plum and Cherry turn really well wet. I do lots of wet turning. Cut down on a friday and finished bowls by sunday. I turn them nice and thin with thin bases. No PEG, no microwaves. Discard anything with splits and checks,


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## hog&amp;bodge (28 Nov 2009)

Mike Wingate":3ioyycvl said:


> Have chainsaw, will travel. I cut down lots of fruit trees. Plum and Cherry turn really well wet. I do lots of wet turning. Cut down on a friday and finished bowls by sunday. I turn them nice and thin with thin bases. No PEG, no microwaves. Discard anything with splits and checks,



Your just down the road from me *Mike Wingate*.... :lol: 
If I hear of a tree, Will go shares with ya...
Brother works in the parks & gardens of Manchester,
He always tells me about trees to be felled but I have no saw to
cut the logs in to manageable sizes..
Two years ago they did a big tree cull and dumped all the logs
in Lumb Lane park car park..all where sent to the chipping mill for
mulch.. 
Sacrilege.. :evil: 
alex


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## Mike Wingate (28 Nov 2009)

We had a tree cut down, just outside my workshop at school. We had a parent with a portable bandsaw slab the ash into 2" planks. It was then taken to Ashley for seasoning. We bought £200 worth of it, some really good pieces, but not a lot of straight flat sections. Tough as ...oak!


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## shedhead (28 Nov 2009)

I also got a load of Cherry more than 2 years ago. I did all the usual things to store it. I have not yet managed to turn anything without it splitting the next day. 

I think it must be one of the worst woods to season. I took a 4" log yesterday. cut the split ends away and i was left with a length of around 9"long. I then ran it through my bandsaw and made what i thought a very nice looking spindle blank. B***er me the next day when i went to turn it, there was a great big split the full length.

The rest of the wood i have in store will end up in my Log Burner when i get it in 2 weeks. At least it will had had some use!!!!!

Dermot.


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## hog&amp;bodge (29 Nov 2009)

From what has been said about cherry I have come to the 
conclusion it takes a lot of care when drying out and seasoning 
the wood stock.

Gordon T wrote :


> I turned a lovely piece of cherry at the weekend, but it was a kiln dried blank!!


So cherry is a workable wood when dried professionally..
Perhaps people who have acquired cherry have not left it long enough
before working it hence the splits..

Still large lumps of cherry went for just over 6 quid...lol


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## Bodrighy (29 Nov 2009)

As I also have a wood burner personally I take whatever wood I can. If it splits then it doesn't matter but for something that I have to go out of my way to get, or pay for I want to know it is going to be worth it. Some woods, cherry being one of them, are gorgeous when dry but getting them dry is either a long winded or a tedious task. 

Pete


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## Paul.J (29 Nov 2009)

I once had a couple of large lumps of Cherry logs off a forum member that were just split in half with the pith cut out,they were sealed with PVA on the ends,and just left under me bench in the shop and they dried fine.
I have also had some Cherry freshly cut and prepped it the same and have had about 50/50 success with it.
If it splits too badly it just gets cut up for pens or other smaller items.


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