Black Cherry - any good to build with?

[Geo]

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?

[Dave Hinz]

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?

[Geo]

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

[Mike in Arkansas]

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 :)

[Geo]

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.

[reedgray]

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

[Patriarch]

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

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

[George]

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.

[Geo]

center,

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?

[George]

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.

[Juergen Hannappel]

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.

[Old Nick]

but better to eat

[Patriarch]

"George" wrote in news:428dbcf1$1 [e-mail]:

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

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

Patriarch

[Edwin Pawlowski]

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.

[AAvK]

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.

[Geo]

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.

[AAvK]

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