Woodworker's Journal 2009-33-1, страница 49

don't like the characteristic black pitch pockets and tiny pin knots that are allowed in top quality cherry lumber. The most common complaint is that cherry burns easily as it is ripped, routed and shaped.

Black cherry has been a premium furniture wood in the United States since Colonial times. It was widely used in the 17th and 18th centuries by fine furniture makers of North America, and that use continues today. It is relatively easy to work, is stable after drying and holds a finish very well. The heartwood of black cherry is reddish brown, while the sapwood is nearly white and is fairly narrow in older trees. Cherry is difficult to stain well but will darken to a rich reddish color with age and exposure to light. The heart-wood is resistant to decay.

Black cherry is the only native cherry of value for furniture-grade wood in the United States. Its common name originates from the black color of its small ripe fruit. It occurs generally from along the U.S. and Canadian border south to central Florida and west to the edge of the Great Plains. Large trees of higher quality are somewhat restricted to the Allegheny Plateau of Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia, although individual quality trees occur throughout the Appalachians and the upper Gulf Coastal Plain. Rarely, it will grow up to 100 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet in diameter.

Black cherry is not tolerant to shade, so thrives in ciear-cut and other areas where the overstory has been removed. As the stand ages, other hardwoods will crowd it out and, after about 80 years, its growth slows or stops. Many of them will die. Due to these characteristics, cherry grows best under even-aged management.

Black cherry fruit is an important part of the diet of many birds and animals. Curiously, the leaves and twigs are high in prunasin, a cyanide precursor. Cattle have gotten sick and died from ingesting wilted black cherry leaves and twigs. However, white-tail deer show little reaction to eating the twigs and leaves.

Although the United States does not have an unlimited supply of black cherry, it is widely grown and managed. It is not in danger of eventual rarity, and the supply is sustainable. For this reason, it is a preferred wood for use by those who desire high quality wood grown under "sustainable forestry" techniques.

T.C. Knight, Silviculturist, Oden, Arkansas

While perfectly at home in very modern projects, like Bruce Kieffer's bed (found on page 40), cherry lumber was also a favorite species for Colonial furniture makers.

Prunus serotina

Beautiful Flaws

My response to these naysayers is that, with the notable exception of the burning characteristic, the beauty of cherry lumber is actually created by the combination of all of its quirks and qualities. The pitch pockets and pin knots add detail and texture to the figure of the wood. The darkening over time adds a richness to the patina of the wood that is entirely pleasing to my aesthetics.

And cherry is not a one-act wood. Naturally growing cherry produces a variety of figure and grain patterns that give woodworkers an array of options to choose from. Curly figured cherry is not uncommon and combines the best qualities of curly maple and the hues of cherry. Quartersawn cherry presents a more subdued overall figure — a lovely, subtle "silk" pattern that runs across the width of the boards. Flatsawn cherry, one of the few flatsawn lumbers I like to recommend, has pin knots and pitch pockets to add a dimension of texture that lifts it out of the plain-jane category.

I am not alone in my high regard of cherry lumber. Our Colonial fathers often used cherry as a furniture wood. Many wonderful antiques that show off the beauty of old-growth cherry still exist, testifying to its popularity and durability. And, in an example of "that which is old is new again," cherry lumber's use in kitchen cabinetry has become very popular in recent years. That is good news for us home woodworkers, as the supply of cherry veneer-covered sheetstock is readily accessible. You can even request the veneer figure you desire — quartersawn or plain-sliced, for example — to avoid the rolled-veneer look often common in hardwood plywood. You would likely need to go to a lumberyard that works regularly with cabinet shops to find it, but it will be well worth the effort.

Woodworker's Journal February 2009

49