Cherry Milling??

[hautions11]

Down at the lake where I have been cutting up the oak, a neighbor came by asking if I wanted some cherry. I went to his house and looked at a nice 30" dia tree with the top blown out of it. There is a nice 25' section that is very straight and really clear of limbs. I love to work with cherry, who can fill me in on the rigors of milling/drying it. From what I have bought in the past it appears to be very prone to cupping and twisting. What are your experiences?

 

[Woodsurfer]

I got started with milling cherry the same way, a neighbour offered a standing dead tree. Got some good wood out of it and ended up cutting about ten more in the last 12 years or so. Local Woodmizer did the milling. Here's a shot of one pile in the barn:

Had no unusual problems drying it, some end checking, cracks at the pith but I think thats normal. I didn't even pile weights on the top, just threw on a few layers of wane scraps. Stickers every 16" or so. Give it a couple years in the barn, then into the house to season for a year or three before it goes into furniture. Go for it!

 

[woodshop]

wow... if my did the math right, a 25ft long 30" dia cylinder is about 122 cubic feet, or almost 1500 bd ft of lumber. If you're careful, figure with a csm you will get say 2/3 or so of that in actual usable lumber so we are still talking 1000 bd ft of cherry. Don't know about where you live, but around here even wet right off the mill (if they'll even sell it to you that way, and most won't for cherry) its more than 3 bucks a foot. Thats a VERY nice acquisition.

I've milled lots of cherry, and its relatively easy to work with. Not as hard milling as oak or hickory. Unlike some species like apple, some birch I've milled and some others, cherry has never given me a problem drying if I sticker it right away and keep weight on top of the pile. If you've got that much to work with, take the time to quartersaw some of it, so you get that pretty ray fleck that looks so nice on a drawer front or table rail.