Cherry Wood Question?
 

My buddy Joe took down what we think may be a cherry tree....nice looking wood but I can't be sure.....how can I be positive that it is cherry? Also....would it be worth saving some to dry and turn or if not, would it burn well in my fireplace/woodstove? Thanks for any help.;)

scotty's buddy in Maine had taken a bunch of trees down a few years ago, scotty got the wood and was going to use it as kindling, cut one piece and was in awe... the stuff looked hideous but it turned sooo nice it turned out to be cherry. I dont know how Jeff dried it out or anything, but man oh man it looked nice!!! If you can keep it for a good amount of time I'd say go for it. Its like when you're doing laundry and find an 50$ in your pants or something, yrs from now you may stumble across the wood and turn something then be like WHOA!!! That was worth the wait..:btu:

Don't burn it send some to me i'll keep it and let it dry out nice.When its time i'll make you a nice plug out of it :drool:

Make sure you seal the ends or it will start checking big time. Anchorseal works great. I have some cherry burls drying now waiting to be turned into a bowl.

If it is cherry, and there is a good sized but section you should see a layer of white (cream) wood next to the bark, followedby light pink to red center section. When cut there is a definite fragrant smell. If your going to dry it as bole (log) then remove the bark, you will get end checking as the stockdries out. If you want it for plugs, bandsaw to the thickness you need and let it dry with air circulation arounf it. Outside there will not be much drying this time of year as the water held inside will be frozen. If you dry it inside coat the ends with old latex paint to prevent checking. If your basement is fairly dry it will tke sveral months to reach a point of equlibrium with the surrounding air.
If you intend to burn it then I would let it season outside till next year. Green firewood (fresh cut) has to much moisture to be an effective heat source. In addition the miosture that is given off during burning will contain resins that will lead to creosote production, not good for chimneys.

Ed

Give it a sniff, fresh cut cherry wood has a very recognizable smell.

It does have a cream colored wood around the exterior and darker rose colored in the center!:bgi:

Look around the stump and see if there are any pits, Larry. :hihi: :D

I can not tell a lie.

FYI i use cherry at work for all my woodn shaping tools. Cherry does not like to burn. Or lat least the wet cherry that i use that has been soaked in water can take a serious heat whoopin and not burn. you might have to dry it out for a long time to get it to burn

If you are drying it as a log, be sure to either remove the bark or at least run the chainsaw the length of the piece just through the bark.

I turned some cherry that I got from a cabinet shop and it works awsome.:btu:

If you are turning for fun try some green, it is beautiful. Makes nice bowls green just complete them before it dries and they dry oval shaped...

cherrt
 

not only does cherry smell good when it burns but if you use waste scraps of it (even chips from turnings) in a smoker, it will impart a wonderful flavor to whatever you're smoking. i don't waste anything from cherry except maybe the bark.

Nebe.
I turned some plugs this fall with Cherry.
They were so purty I couldn't paint the wood. Put it in your drying pile and think about future uses.