Flowering Cherry Wood.

[MJP]

I've just cut down an unwanted Flowering Cherry tree from my daughter's garden and become the proud owner of a few pieces of the trunk, 4" to 6" thick, two to three feet long.

I'll paint the ends and leave them to dry out but is this wood any use for anything in particular?

If not I'll just use it for marquetry but if it has a better use I'd be interested to know.

Martin.

 

[marcros]

I think you will struggle to get much from it- the 4 to 6" is going to have some sap wood which will lose usable timber. That said, sometimes the fun is in the challenge. Failing using it for turning, if you wanted something to remember the tree by, then small items would be possible. As you say, marquetry can be your back up plan.

As it is cherry, don't delay painting the ends. It tends to split as you watch it. You might want to split it down the pith too. I do so, but I am not an expert in drying wood.

 

[MJP]

Hi Marcros - thanks for this.

Yes, it's oozing well - I could see it bleed as I cut it yesterday, so I'll get sealing the ends pronto.

Sounds like it's nothing special then - so Marquetry it is then, more than likely.

Martin.

 

[CHJ]

The Marquetry route is possibly your best bet if you have not had experience and frustration drying Cherry, especially harvested this time of year whilst rising sap is still high.

I've had good results slicing Cherry into 20-50mm slabs/planks and drying this way have had very minimal end grain splits.
Cutting it into disks to get different grain patterns I suspect would result in significant radial cracks.

 

[MJP]

Thanks Chas.

Well, I've just unloaded it from the car with much puffing and panting, and sprayed the ends with a glorious blue aerosol originally intended for some long-forgotten car.

It can sit and dry for a while now while I ponder its fate!

I've got a short piece that I'll try ripping on my bandsaw before long, just to see how it goes.

Martin.

 

[CHJ]

Keep an eye on it for the start of longitudinal cracks starting if you leave it too long in the round and keep it out of direct sun heat.

Slabbing allows it to move without splitting. Once planked/slabbed stack it horizontally with small spacers to let air move through but keeping in close proximity to provide its own micro climate without excessive air moisture differential.

Aim is to let moisture evaporate at an even rate from all surfaces and sides.

 

[MJP]

Yes, I'll do that in the next few days or weeks Chas.

I'll see how my bandsaw handles this small piece, then I'll either use that or my table saw.

As for keeping it out of direct sun heat - it's South Wales we're talking about here!!

Martin.

 

[MJP]

Just ripped a small piece of this flowering cherry - it's got a nice grain, I wonder how it will look after it's dried?

Martin.

 

[Blockplane]

There must be considerable variation amongst different variaties of flowering cherry - yours looks much more interesting than the pieces I have, which are very plain looking - rather like ash to look at, but with denser grain.

 

[CHJ]

+1 very lucky to get that amount of colour variation, most of the ones I've had range from pale almost white to richer orange but most with little figuring in the main trunks/branches. All have been good for working and as Blockplane says good dense grain.

 

[MJP]

Thanks gents -

I'm quite looking forward to seeing how this dries out, it might look good after finishing.

Makes a change from the endless pieces of oak which is about all I find usually.

Martin.

 

[Racers]

I made a bowl from a small branch of cherry carved out when completly green, dripping wet in fact.

Cherry bowl by Pete Maddex, on Flickr

Reduced down to 6-8mm thick, then wrapped in news paper and re-wrapped in fresh newspaper weekly until the weight stayed the same between wrappings.
Then finished off.

Cherry bowl finished by Pete Maddex, on Flickr

Millars Falls No1 cigar shave by Pete Maddex, on Flickr

The other side I made a scoop/spoon.

Cherry spoon/scoop by Pete Maddex, on Flickr

Cherry scoop finished by Pete Maddex, on Flickr

Pete

 

[Keith 66]

In the 87 hurricane a lot of trees came down in our area, among them were a number of mature ornamental cherry trees from Victoria avenue in Southend, these were cleared by contractors & dumped on Two tree island. My other half & I liberated some sections for my dad before they all got burnt. We managed to cram three or four sections of trunk in, these were about 30" in diameter & 3' long, we rolled them up a couple of planks. Dad split them & used them for turning for years. Lovely timber, i still have a couple of small pieces left.

 

[MJP]

Just to round off this thread, here's a thin shim of the flowering cherry that has dried for just a day or so.

two coats of BLO followed by three coats of blonde shellac: Looks like it's going to give me some nice characterful wood.

Martin.