cherry

[chuck-ia]

Can anyone tell me how cherry is to work with compared to red maple or walnut? Will be using hand tools. What about stain? Or just leave it (like walnut) and use tru oil or whatever. thanks, flinch

 

[rich pierce]

Cherry can work a little like plain straight grain black walnut. Not real hard wood, making it harder to carve cleanly than hard maple. For the reddish color use EasyOff oven cleaner to stain the wood.

 

[Stophel]

Cherry varies widely in quality. "Good" cherry is softer than walnut. Unfortunately, cherry is often less than good, being butter soft and light. I will only buy cherry if i can see it in person. On occasion, a superb piece of cherry can be found that is dense, heavy, and nearly as hard as sugar maple. I have one nice blank like this, never seen another so heavy! Cherry chips VERY easily, have to be careful. And because it's generally softer, it doesn't carve so nicely. Personally, I think it's a marginal stock wood unless you have a really nice piece.

 

[Zonie]

I don't know if there is any truth to it but I've heard that some folks are allergic to the dust caused by sawing or sanding cherry.

Then I suppose that wouldn't be too surprising. I've also heard that walnut can affect some people that way too.

I haven't heard that about maple though.

 

[chuck-ia]

Thanks for the replys, think I will go with maple or walnut. flinch

 

[okawbow]

Cherry can make an interesting change from maple or walnut. As others said, cherry can be prone to chipping more than maple, but is a little easier to shape and finishes nicely. I didn't use any stain on this one. Only boiled linseed oil and paste wax.
SANY0062 by okawbow, on Flickr

SANY0061 by okawbow, on Flickr

SANY0060 by okawbow, on Flickr

 

[Rifleman1776]

I've also heard that walnut can affect some people that way too.

Walnut dust can be wicked bad for many people.
Most of us are careless when it comes to dust control and/or wearing masks.
For me, cedar dust is a terrible irritant. Strangely, I love the smell of the wood but the dust is deadly.

 

[kaintuck]

I don't know if there is any truth to it but I've heard that some folks are allergic to the dust caused by sawing or sanding cherry.

Then I suppose that wouldn't be too surprising. I've also heard that walnut can affect some people that way too.

GUILTY AS CHARGED!!! walnut will make me sneeze as long as I am sanding it!...I use masks these days, it helps, but as soon as i use all my stock up...i will start useing maple~

 

[ohio ramrod]

Cherry is more likely to chip or split than walnut, sharp tools and fine cuts are necceasary, But it is a beautiful wood and was ofetn used in the New England area.

 

[cutshurt]

I have worked all the gun stock woods with no problem, but I can NOT work Padauk (not a stock wood)two days after working it on my lathe I was in the hospital with a getting much worse body rash and had problems breathing, good way to find out if you can work with a wood is rub a little dust from it on a small patch of skin, if you get a bad reaction wash it off and get some Benadrill in yha real quick !!!! that hospital visit cost me $1400.00 so a test first is the cheeper way to go !

Darrel

 

[MSW]

Cherry is more likely to chip or split than walnut, sharp tools and fine cuts are necceasary, But it is a beautiful wood and was ofetn used in the New England area.

my experience as well ... made some really pretty shaving brush handles out of scrap that I found (cringe) in the woodpile. tools need to be scary sharp, though (they should be, anyway)

make pretty things out of wood, and then make good smoke!