Cherry seasoning

[Soylent1]

I have just been given a small log of Cherry (approx. 200mm long and 150mm diameter), and I was wondering how long to let it season before turning. Also should I remove the bark, cut it into blanks and put it underneath my log burner or just leave it as is??
Tony

 

[CHJ]

If you have not done so then seal the ends immediately.
DO NOT remove the bark.
Do Not under any circumstances put it in a heated position.

Cherry needs to be dried as slowly as possible.
Time for 150mm diameter about 3 years min.
I'm currently just starting to use some stacked away in 2006 and some of that is still at the 15-18% moisture level.

Unfortunately the odds are that it will split on you if it has not already started.
If there are any signs of splitting you may be better off cutting it into something like 20mm thick slabs (ends sealed)
If that dries, (about 12 months) without undue distortion or splits it can be turned or sliced into pen blanks.

 

[Soylent1]

That's disappointing! I thought I would be able to dry it out and would have been turning it in a couple of weeks/months! It was only cut down this morning so It's not started cracking yet. What do you suggest I should I seal the ends with?

 

[gregmcateer]

Wax, any paint, PVA glue, (I use whatever is to hand - usually cheap PVA, which seems to do the job in most cases.
HTH
Greg

 

[CHJ]

If fresh cut it needs sealing within minutes not hours or days, if you don't have anything suitable put it in a sealed plastic bag immediately until you have sealer.

If the tree had been in full summer growth it would already have split on you, you will see them forming in the ends of logs as you stack them off the chainsaw.
Hence the reason green wood is always left as long as possible, as long as possible, then any end splits are a smaller percentage of the whole.

You may salvage two bigger pieces by splitting in half through the central pith, but seal the ends.

 

[Soylent1]

That's great, thanks for the advice. just going to PVA the ends and wait... for three years!

 

[CHJ]

There's some general Notes on drying logs in the Help stickies. that may be of use in future.

 

[Soylent1]

All done, more pictures to follow....in three years!

 

[woodfarmer]

Cherry is really lovely wood, but does love to split.
If that is all you have I would be inclined to cut it into planks (albeit short ones) seal and stack and when dry use it to make a segmented bowl, perhaps diluted (interleaved) with a pale wood such as sycamore or ash.

 

[BRYAN]

It loves to split and also very prone to bug attack,I believe.
I once had whole butt slabbed 4" thick and put in stick in a barn.
A few years later when I scrambled over the accumulated junk to inspect it,I found lots of holes and dust but not much wood.
So keep an eye on it and perhaps a squirt of insectacide might be a good idea.

Bryan.

 

[Soylent1]

I don't think I'm quite at the skill level where I can start sticking different bits of wood together, I find it quite difficult as it is! hopefully in three years time I'll be good enough to give the little piece of Cherry some justice and actually turn something nice with it. I think I'll just leave it where it is, and keep an eye out for insect activity.

thanks Tony

 

[CHJ]

.... hopefully in three years time I'll be good enough to give the little piece of Cherry some justice and actually turn something nice with it. ...

Cherry doesn't need fancy turning to look reasonable in the hand.

 

[Soylent1]

wow! I really like the cherry bowls, especially number 1179. It's just the kind of stuff I like, nothing technically fancy just someone giving a log a bit of form and letting the wood speak for itself...brilliant!

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

I limbed a cherry tree in the garden a couple of years ago. The logs started to split almost as soon as they were on the ground. I rough turned quite a lot & packed them in Primark bags with the wet shavings & put them away for 6 or so months.
I still have some bits full of splits despite sealing with PVA.
It's lovely to turn though, and the grain can be very interesting.

 

[Robbo3]

In contrast & just to show every bit of wood is different ... a friend was going to chop down an ornamental cherry tree & asked if I could make use of it. Of course I said yes & asked him to not cut it up into short lengths but to leave each piece as long as was manageable.

About a month later we were chatting & he said that he had forgotten to tell me that he had cut the tree down just after he first offered it to me & it was now lying by his back gate & he would deliver it in his van as soon as he was able.

Three months later he rolls up & asks where I want it. I go out with great trepidation expecting it all to be riddled with cracks but to my complete surprise there were only a few minor ones to be seen. I quickly slapped on as much white emulsion as each end would take before borrowing an electric chainsaw to split them down the middle & cut out the pith - I'm just not geared up to handle such large chunks of wood.

So I ended up with 6 halves approx 300mm wide by 450mm long, a length of trunk 150-200mm wide by 1200mm, another piece of trunk 150mm by 600mm & three 50mm thick slabs cut from the middle. They are sat under the carport & have very little signs of cracking even though it's now some ten months since the tree was cut down. I've put it down to pure luck of having a very wet spring & early summer which probably prevented the moisture from evaporating.

 

[CHJ]

This is one of the reasons I say to folks, you need to try various storage methods and locations on your particular property.

There are so many variations.
1. tree moisture content when cut.
2. tree species.
3. geographic location, and seasonal humidity/temperature differences, altitude/county/country/rain shadow etc.
4. yearly variations in seasons.
5. micro climate in property surroundings and buildings.

It has taken me several years to get any sort of feel for where best to stack wood, assuming there has been the luxury of space that is:-
1. some is OK in high humidity greenhouse.
2. some splits the moment it is exposed to the heat of the greenhouse.
3. some fares better in the garage or shed.
4. quite a lot can be moved around and speeded up in dryer positions when you do a sort out.
5. some like Laburnum and Cherry must never be subjected to rain or wet.
6. some won't spalt when you expected it to.
7. some spalts through to rot in weeks while your back was turned when you were deliberately trying to dry it clean.
8. and some proves you ain't got a clue and splits the moment you feel you have mastered it.

Just another sample of those frustrations and occasional high points in life when you manage to win out every now and then.

 

[woodfarmer]

.... hopefully in three years time I'll be good enough to give the little piece of Cherry some justice and actually turn something nice with it. ...

Cherry doesn't need fancy turning to look reasonable in the hand.

Those candlestick look great, wife has made some hints.. It so happens the figuring in those two is not entirely dissimilar to acacia.

 

[Robbo3]

Further to my previous post the four half logs with white painted ends plus the slabs behind them & most of the upright lengths are the cherry with a small length of laburnum as well.
The 26" bicycle wheel should give some idea of the scale.