WOOD SPECIES:
Cherry
SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Prunus serotina
OTHER COMMON NAMES:
American Cherry, Black Cherry, Capulin, Cherry, Chisos Wild Cherry, Choke Cherry, Edwards Plateau Cherry, Escarpment Cherry, Gila Choke Cherry, Mountain Black Cherry, New England Mahogany, Plum, Rum Cherry, Southwestern Choke Cherry, Whiskey Cherry, Wild Black Cherry
TYPICAL USES:
Cherry lumber and wood products lend themselves to a variety of woodworking applications, including furniture and cabinetry, boat building, musical instruments, turnery and more.
SOURCES:
United States, Canada, Western Europe
AVG BENDING STRENGTH:
13,000 psi
SPECIFIC GRAVITY:
0.50
AVG WEIGHT:
36 lbs/cu.ft.
SAPWOOD COLOR:
Cherry generally exhibits a light, yellowish to creamy pink sapwood color.
HEARTWOOD COLOR:
Cherry heartwood color varies from light reddish brown to a deep red color, darkening somewhat with time and light exposure.
GRAIN:
Typically straight, close grained, Cherry frequently exhibits dark wavy figuring, especially in Curly Cherry pieces.
TEXTURE:
Cherry lumber and wood products are typically of a fine, uniform texture.
LUSTER:
Cherry generally has a rich, satin-like luster.
MOVEMENT:
Properly dried, Cherry lumber is very stable, with little to no dimensional movement.
DURABILITY:
Cherry is rated as very durable and decay resistant, though the sapwood can be somewhat susceptible to furniture beetle attack.
BLUNTING EFFECT:
Moderate blunting on cutting tools.
CUTTING RESISTANCE:
Cherry typically saws cleanly with little or no tearout or splintering.
PLANING:
Cherry demonstrates excellent planing properties, machining to a clean smooth surface.
TURNING:
An excellent wood for turnery, Cherry machines extremely well.
BORING:
Excellent, above-average boring properties.
GLUING:
Cherry responds well to virtually any gluing applications.
NAILING:
Holds nails well, with little to no pre-boring required.
SCREWING:
Cherry lumber holds screws well, with little to no pre-drilling.
POLISHING:
Polishes very well.
STAINING:
Care should be taken when staining pieces with very fine, closed pores in order to prevent blotchy results. Otherwise, Cherry is known to take most types of dyes and stains very well.
STEAM BENDING:
Above-average to very good steam bending characteristics.
