Black Cherry - any good to build with?
 

Dr. Woody's tree medic just informed me that a black cherry tree in my
back yard needs to come down. Is this wood any good for salvage for
WW'ing or should it be relegated to the bon fire pile?

On 19 May 2005 12:58:21 -0700, Geo wrote:
Dr. Woody's tree medic just informed me that a black cherry tree in my
back yard needs to come down. Is this wood any good for salvage for
WW'ing or should it be relegated to the bon fire pile?

Naah, it's crap. Leave it out, I'll be right over.

If the trunk is straight, long-ish, and not nail-infested, get it
milled, and stack & sticker it. There may be a woodmizer or
other sawmill owner in the area who would do the cuts for you either
for a price or for a share. How big is the trunk?

Dave Hinz wrote:
On 19 May 2005 12:58:21 -0700, Geo wrote:
Dr. Woody's tree medic just informed me that a black cherry tree in
my
back yard needs to come down. Is this wood any good for salvage
for
WW'ing or should it be relegated to the bon fire pile?

Naah, it's crap. Leave it out, I'll be right over.

If the trunk is straight, long-ish, and not nail-infested, get it
milled, and stack & sticker it. There may be a woodmizer or
other sawmill owner in the area who would do the cuts for you either
for a price or for a share. How big is the trunk?


It's about 20-24" wide. Very straight. Sounds like I might have a
hidden gem here.

Pardon my cynicism (sic) but kind of makes me wonder if the person
recommending removal knows the value and just really want's to get his
hands on the wood. Might get a second opinion unless of course now you
just want the lumber :)

Possibly, but I am keeping the wood either way and they know that so I
don't think they would want a perfectly good tree hacked away for
nothing.

Geo,
The first pieces to go out of my booth at the shows I do, are cherry,
both furniture, and bowls. The tree could have some rot in the center,
and how much will determine if the wood is any good. Sometimes it is
obvious to anyone who looks, how sick the tree is. Get some 8/4 and 4/4
boards. I an jealous!!
robo hippy

Dave Hinz wrote in news:3f49ucF5u8qqU3
@individual.net:

On 19 May 2005 12:58:21 -0700, Geo wrote:
Dr. Woody's tree medic just informed me that a black cherry tree in my
back yard needs to come down. Is this wood any good for salvage for
WW'ing or should it be relegated to the bon fire pile?

Naah, it's crap. Leave it out, I'll be right over.

If the trunk is straight, long-ish, and not nail-infested, get it
milled, and stack & sticker it. There may be a woodmizer or
other sawmill owner in the area who would do the cuts for you either
for a price or for a share. How big is the trunk?


The parts that aren't straight and long-ish are also prized by the
woodturning folks. A medium sized turning block is maybe 10"x10"x6"

Do you have a friend with a lathe? Often turners will trade good seasoned
firewood for good, but green, turning wood. For example, oak burns well,
and turns rather poorly.

And most turners have a network of friends that trade wood. This good
stuff need not go to the firewood pile, and you may end up with some nice
bowls from the process.

Patriarch

"Patriarch" wrote in message
. 97.136...

Do you have a friend with a lathe? Often turners will trade good seasoned
firewood for good, but green, turning wood. For example, oak burns well,
and turns rather poorly.


Huh? Guess it depends on how you prepare it for firewood - stays wet in 4'
lengths for two or three seasons. Hard maple's dry in one.

Turns beautifully, as well. Got a large amount in my firewood three years
back, and the bowls have sold _very_ well. Wish I'd made more than a
hundred.

Traded a face cord of maple for 6 veneer trims recently. 11 out of the 12
possibles - bark pocket in the other - worked up to bowls in the 14-16"
range. He didn't have to split, and what I gave him kept the chill off this
spring, where what I took was still damp.

wrote:
Geo,
The first pieces to go out of my booth at the shows I do, are cherry,
both furniture, and bowls. The tree could have some rot in the
center,
and how much will determine if the wood is any good. Sometimes it is
obvious to anyone who looks, how sick the tree is. Get some 8/4 and
4/4
boards. I an jealous!!
robo hippy


I looked last night and the tree does have some rot in the center so it
would be a bit of work to salvage the good wood, but sounds like it's
worth it.

What I am curious about is the bill from this guy said the tree was
dead and needed to come down. Yet, it's got leaves. Granted, it
definitely doesn't look as healthy as the otehr black cherry sitting
next to it, but why say a tree is dead when it's got greenage?

What I am curious about is the bill from this guy said the tree was
dead and needed to come down. Yet, it's got leaves. Granted, it
definitely doesn't look as healthy as the otehr black cherry sitting
next to it, but why say a tree is dead when it's got greenage?


Why say a person is "terminal," when they still have six months to live?

Brown rot in the center will cause the tree to become a weakened menace to
you and your home even as the cambium sustains leaves.

"George" george@least writes:


What I am curious about is the bill from this guy said the tree was
dead and needed to come down. Yet, it's got leaves. Granted, it
definitely doesn't look as healthy as the otehr black cherry sitting
next to it, but why say a tree is dead when it's got greenage?


Why say a person is "terminal," when they still have six months to live?

Brown rot in the center will cause the tree to become a weakened menace to
you and your home even as the cambium sustains leaves.

In a forrest near my home this winter a few pine trees were broken off
by high winds. They looked quite healthy on the outside but where they
broke off ( about 1.5 meters from the ground they were rotted inside;
on a 40cm diameter tree only the outer 4cm where sound wood, the
inside was completly soft stuff. After the trees wre cut up so that
they coub be removed you could see that about 3m up from the ground
the wood was sound all the way through.
--
Dr. Juergen Hannappel http://lisa2.physik.uni-bonn.de/~hannappe
Phone: +49 228 73 2447 FAX ... 7869
Physikalisches Institut der Uni Bonn Nussallee 12, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
CERN: Phone: +412276 76461 Fax: ..77930 Bat. 892-R-A13 CH-1211 Geneve 23

but better to eat

"George" george@least wrote in :


"Patriarch" wrote in message
. 97.136...

Do you have a friend with a lathe? Often turners will trade good
seasoned firewood for good, but green, turning wood. For example,
oak burns well, and turns rather poorly.


Huh? Guess it depends on how you prepare it for firewood - stays wet
in 4' lengths for two or three seasons. Hard maple's dry in one.

Here in California, it's cut to 18"-24" right away, and split, generally
with a power splitter.

Turns beautifully, as well. Got a large amount in my firewood three
years back, and the bowls have sold _very_ well. Wish I'd made more
than a hundred.

A small amount of our oak is usable for furniture. Very wild, course
grain. "Oak" certainly covers a wide range of woods, though.

Traded a face cord of maple for 6 veneer trims recently. 11 out of
the 12 possibles - bark pocket in the other - worked up to bowls in
the 14-16" range. He didn't have to split, and what I gave him kept
the chill off this spring, where what I took was still damp.

Patriarch

"Geo" wrote in message
What I am curious about is the bill from this guy said the tree was
dead and needed to come down. Yet, it's got leaves. Granted, it
definitely doesn't look as healthy as the otehr black cherry sitting
next to it, but why say a tree is dead when it's got greenage?


While not 100% dead, this sounds like the kid of tree you nee on the news
after a storm. The ones laying across the top of a car.

Dr. Woody's tree medic just informed me that a black cherry tree in my
back yard needs to come down. Is this wood any good for salvage for
WW'ing or should it be relegated to the bon fire pile?


Yeah right heh heh.. "Yip (chomp chomp chomp) the tree needs ta come out
(smack smack smack)" ... he wants the lumber for free while you pay for the
service (?). There is a ton of good lumber in that tree for you to have as a
woodworker... if it truly "needs" to be taken down that is. That's expensive.

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

AAvK wrote:
Dr. Woody's tree medic just informed me that a black cherry tree in
my
back yard needs to come down. Is this wood any good for salvage
for
WW'ing or should it be relegated to the bon fire pile?


Yeah right heh heh.. "Yip (chomp chomp chomp) the tree needs ta come
out
(smack smack smack)" ... he wants the lumber for free while you pay
for the
service (?). There is a ton of good lumber in that tree for you to
have as a
woodworker... if it truly "needs" to be taken down that is. That's
expensive.


I sense a hint of cynicism in your reply :-) Actually, I have no
intention of parting with the wood and the tree dude knows that so I
see no reason why he would want me to cut down a perfectly good tree.
Good to know though that I have some valuable property there. Thanks
for the input.

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

I sense a hint of cynicism in your reply :-) Actually, I have no
intention of parting with the wood and the tree dude knows that so I
see no reason why he would want me to cut down a perfectly good tree.
Good to know though that I have some valuable property there. Thanks
for the input.


No prob. Ay.. cynisism sure about that guy, I'm on your side about it.

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/