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Thread: cherry lumber disappointment

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
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    Unhappy cherry lumber disappointment

    Perhaps I'm expecting to much. OTOH, maybe not.

    I just got back from my lumber dealer. I was lookin' for some 5/4 cherry. While their bins had a lot of it, all boards had plenty of sapwood. I was able to pick two out that were mostly heart, but still had plenty of sapwood to cut around or otherwise deal with.

    Two things come to mind - the first is the lumber itself. Is this just the state of things today with cherry? Would I be able to get all heartwood cherry somewhere else, like if I mail ordered boards I needed?

    Second, if sapwood is the modern norm, how is everyone else dealing with it? Stain the whole project, dyeing the sap to match the heart, or what? I'm seeing great looking cherry projects here and there, and they all look evenly colored. What'd they do? Get lucky?

    What's your take on this?

  2. #2
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    Asking too much

    I guess it depends on what is available in your area. But around here(central New York) I would expect a better selection than that. I would at least expect the boards too be fairly wide with sap only on the edges and none on the back in any thickness other than 4/4. I am a sawyer and I usually use narrow 4/4 to get through the sap and into the good stuff.
    Of course this is IMHO and still it depends on what is available in your area. Cherry is plentiful here and we get much of it from PA which is top quality.
    Just my penny and 1/2 FWIW.

  3. #3
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    I think a lot of high quality Cherry is available and its all in knowing where to look. I read an article about a sawmill somewhere in Pennsylvania that dealt only in cherry and it is an abundant species.

  4. #4
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    John

    I'm finding around here (southern Ontario) that cherry prices have gone up and/or quality has gone down. I think that with the popularity of cherry right now, that they're harvesting trees that could use a bit more growing still, thus resulting in moe sapwood.

    Steve

  5. #5
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    We get some pretty good cherry here, but I know for a fact that the really good stuff is bussed in.

  6. #6
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    Greg, where's "here?"

    I'm gettin' willing to do some driving, but within reason. I'm in SE Wisconsin (Milwaukee). I guess I gotta try somewhere other than Kettle Moraine Hardwood.

    Heck, it'd be great to find a sawyer to get a whole log, assuming the whole log is any good.

  7. #7
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    When you specify quality for cherry, it is common to specify "all heart one face". All heart two faces would be difficult to find I assume. Finding good cherry, however, is the tough part. Perhaps the best yield ($$) for mills today for primo cherry is selling it for veneer or exporting it. When I specify "no sapwood", the price goes up about 25%. So, I don't specify it unless the client wants to pay for it.

    I'm not familiar with the NHLA rules for grading, but be sure that the grade your supplier is selling meets the NHLA rules for what you are getting. (I suspect this isn't a big problem overall though.)

  8. #8
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    Todd, I know a little about the NHLA rules though I am no expert. I don't think that cherry is graded for color.

    You're right about the veneer. We sell a lot of cherry logs for veneer.

  9. #9
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    Virtually all the cherry I buy is heart both sides and sap only appears on really wide boards. I guess I'm lucky, but it's been that way at several suppliers since I first started woodworking. Where you are can definitely affect the supply, so you might consider ordering in a quanity from an area more "rich" in cherry, such as PA or NY states. http://www.hearnehardwoods.com is one of the suppliers I patronize for cherry, although usually for more figured material. I have a more local source for "regular" stuff, but he doesn't ship and only accepts cash.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  10. #10
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    Thanks for the link to Hearne Hardwoods. I've mail ordered before, but the problem there is shipping. I've always gotten nice boards that way.

    Todd, the problem with all heart on one face is when the part being cut will be seen on end or edge. Sapwood just doesn't look good.

    I must point out I'm a hobbyist, not a pro. Buying large quantities just isn't in the cards.

    And I've yet seen a reply that addresses the issue of coloring the sapwood to match. Is this not done? Do others simply live with the color difference?

  11. #11
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    John, the problem with coloring sapwood is that the heartwood is going to change color over time...significantly...and you cannot anticipate fully in advance what it ultimately will look like dark/light.

    As to ordering quantities...get together with one or more woodworking friends and put in a larger order, both to get better pricing and to leverage the shipping cost better. Have it delivered to the trucking terminal to save money. (residential delivery by truck, if even available, costs bucks!)
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  12. #12
    I had been looking for a good place to buy hardwood lumber. Well, last week I found it . I found a guy who has wood mizer. He and he son in law cut lumber on the side. They had everything I wanted and more. I got 150BF of some real nice cherry for $1.75, 100BF of Walnut for $1.50 and 100BF of Maple for $.75. I am going to go back and get some oak for $.60. They made sure they did not short change me. I had my little trailer weighted down. The other local hardwood lumber companys were asking $5 BF for cherry and walnut, and $2-$3 for maple and oak.

    Keep looking, you will find better lumber at a good price.

  13. #13
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    Wow. good deal

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Leighty, Chattanooga TN
    I got 150BF of some real nice cherry for $1.75, 100BF of Walnut for $1.50 and 100BF of Maple for $.75.
    The local supplier I often buy from sells me furniture-quality air-dried cherry for about $2.50 bd ft. He's well into his 80s, but manages to cut it, seal it, stack it and sell it quite successfully...for about 42 years now, according to him. His son is now involved in the business and hopefully he will continue in the same tradition into the future. The other suppliers in the area ask $5 and up!

  15. #15
    I really like the varigation you get with the mixed Heart & Sapwood - but that is just me, I always just clear coat my cherry projects and let them age naturally.

    But I do know for a fact that the Cherry from SW PA and WV usually does not have much "Sapwood" Most of it has a rich salmon color with very little ~1" or so per tree of the lighter sapwood - at least that is my experience from the lumber my family has harvested in that region. The Walnut in the deep SW corner - that is another story - The LAurel Summit region is much better for walnut.
    Wood is Good!
    Greetings from The Green Mountain State!

    Kurt

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