Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)

Description

One of North America's premiere cabinet woods, cherry has long been a favorite of woodworkers, cabinet makers and turners. Cherry is close grained, easy to work, and about as hard as soft maple. Cherry is known for is deep, orange-red colour that the heart wood develops with age. The true colour and depth of aged cherry cannot be replicated by any stain or dye. The colour of fresh cut cherry however is leaves a lot to be desired, often taking on a pale, washed out salmon or pink colour. Luckily this colour changes fairly quickly with exposure to light. The sap wood of cherry is off-white and clearly demarcated from the heartwood, especially after exposure to day light for a day or two. Although sap wood is usually eliminated from cherry planks and blanks, when used carefully, a little sapwood can add considerably to a project. This is especially true for turned bowls and boxes.

Cherry works and finishes well, and looks good just as good with an 'in the wood' as it does under a film finish. To get the best of both worlds, a film finish over a well cured oil will produce a finish with exceptional depth and chatoyance that only gets better with age.


Also known as:
  • cherry
  • American cherry


For further information see:
Additional Images:
Some recent projects made from Black Cherry:

    Black Cherry Pencil Pots

    13" Dark Blue Painted Cherry Salad Bowl

    Dark Blue Painted Cherry Salad Bowl

    11.5" Cherry Crotch Bowl

    14" Natural Edge Cherry Crotch Bowl

    Green Turned Cherry Snack Bowl

    7" Blue Cherry Root Snack Bowl

    Small Black Cherry Natural Edge Bowl

    6.5" Blue Cherry Snack Bowl

    7" Blue Cherry Snack Bowl

    Pair Striped Blistered Maple and Cherry BFB

    Pair Striped Curly Maple and Cherry Bowls

    Black Cherry Winged Bowl

    Cherry Bowl in a Burl

    Nested Pair Cherry Burl Candy Dishes

    Black Cherry and Bigleaf Maple Stafford Box

    Green Turned Cherry Popcorn Bowl

    Small Cherry Root Burl Hollow Form

    Small Natural Edge Cherry Bowl

    10" Natural Edge Cherry Bowl

    Cherry Root Bowl

    Black Cerry Cereal Bowl

    Black Cerry Snack Bowl

    Black Cherry Calibash Bowl

    Cherry Onion Top Finial Box

    Cherry Crotch Serving Tray

    Beaded Cherry Calibash Popcorn Bowl

    Ombre Cherry and Ash Plate

    Spherical Maple Box

    Hornbeam Spherical Box

    Black Cherry Capsule Box

    12" Cherry Salad Bowl

    Cherry Hourglass Box with Maple Inlay

    Curly Silver Maple with Black Cherry Inset Lid

    Black Cherry with Spalted Beech Inset Lid

    Striped Cherry Bowl From a Board

    10" Cherry Salad Bowl

    Black Cherry with Maple Burl Inset Lid

    Black Cherry with Yellow Cedar Inset

    Cherry and Maple Striped Bowl From a Board

    White ash and cherry checkered bowl from a board

    10" Cherry Bowl

    Cherry Bowl with Maple Cresents

    Ash and Cherry Dovetailed Bowl From A board

    Curly Maple and Cherry Checkered BFB

    Ash and Cherry Double Dovetail Bowl

    Cherry and Maple Checkered Hollow Form

    9.5" Cherry Bowl

    Black Cherry Collectors Box

    Another 10" Cherry Bowl

    Cherry Platter with Curly Maple Rim

    Cherry Hourglass with Spalted Beech Inlay

    Berger Cherry Root Scoop

    Large Cherry Salad Bowl

    Cherry Plate with Curly Maple Rim

    Large Cherry Salad Bowl - 2

    Cherry Plate with Feather Figure

    Cherry River Plate

    Cherry Salt Shaker

    Cherry Root Timpani Box

    Cherry Round Bottom with Thuya Burl Inlay

    Cherry Box with Cedar Inlay

    Cherry hour-glass with yellow cedar inlay

    Maple Ribbon Platter

    Hemispherical Cherry Platter

    Large Black Cherry Bowl

    Medium Cherry Bowl

    Christmas 2018

    Square Cherry Plate

    Cherry Bowl - II

    Large Cherry Platter

    Cherry Platter

    Cherry Box with Mountain Ash Inlay

    Cherry Bowl

    Hemispherical Cherry Bowl

    Round Bottom Cherry Box

    Cherry Femisphere

    Christmas 2017

    Christmas 2017 Platters

    Figured Cherry Pen

    Christmas Bells - 2016

    Christmas 2015