Different color cherry

[Tom from Clayton]

I'm in the process of making a side table/end table out of cherry and noticed some significant color differences between the top and the rest of the table. The top is made from some cherry that is nearly 100 years old and the remainder is relatively new that I got from Glenn this summer. The old cherry was rough sawn so I was assuming, apparently incorrectly, that after planing it wouldn't be that dark. After applying BLO, The top is darker, somewhat reddish compared to the brown bottom. It doesn't look bad, just unexpectedly different. Any thoughts on if the bottom will eventually darken to match top? If I can remember how to do pictures I'll post a few in the next few days.

 

[Willemjm]

Cherry needs slow growth and age to display it's beauty. Unfortunately most of the retail stores sell Cherry which resembles light color of smaller diameter trees resembling sapwood color. Both will darken with time, but there will never be a match in color. Cherry remains my favorite hard wood lumber, but I take extreme care in buying and never purchase retail.

 

[redknife]

I take extreme care in buying and never purchase retail.

Willem, it may be obvious, but can you flush out this statement a bit? What are you looking for when assessing cherry rough lumber? How do you source your cherry?

 

[Phil S]

I have had some good luck in speeding up the cherry aging process. I got a few black lights and put them about two feet from the cherry. There was significant color change after 48 hours

 

[SubGuy]

When I work cherry, I make sure all of it is from the same batch of wood. It's harder to get it from the same tree unless you buy it that way. But I've found if it's from the same stack out of the kiln, you'll get a similar look. Chris from SRH on here has provided me the best cherry I have worked and I found this a true concept while buying from him.

 

[Willemjm]

Willem, it may be obvious, but can you flush out this statement a bit? What are you looking for when assessing cherry rough lumber? How do you source your cherry?

I have also purchased good dark red Cherry from Chris. I normally purchase small quantities from private deals, or buy wholesale in at least a 1,000bf lot. Color has to be dark red, older growth. Always rough sawn where possible.

 

[Jeff]

A few general points about black cherry "aging" over time with exposure to uv light. The pic is similar to a cherry wood floor partially covered with an area rug in a brightly lit room with lots of sunlight.

http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Cherry_Color_After_Aging.html

Glenn = GPS Hardwoods? I haven't seen his wood in person but my impression is that he is "picky" about selecting the logs that he'll saw for quality.

 

[red]

You can remove the top and place the bottom section outside in the sun and it will darken rather quickly. Don't forget to turn it hourly so it darkens on all sides. Bring it in when you're satisfied with the color.

Red

 

[jlwest]

I also think it depends on where the tree grew. PA cherry is the best in the world. Climate has a lot to do with the tree character. There are also different species of cherry but Black Cherry is best for furniture. It is nice to get all your wood for a project from the same tree.

 

[Glenn1]

A few general points about black cherry "aging" over time with exposure to uv light. The pic is similar to a cherry wood floor partially covered with an area rug in a brightly lit room with lots of sunlight.

http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Cherry_Color_After_Aging.html

Glenn = GPS Hardwoods? I haven't seen his wood in person but my impression is that he is "picky" about selecting the logs that he'll saw for quality.

You are correct about cherry getting darker with age. My policy is to not purchase any logs smaller than a 16" diameter. Many of the logs are over 20" in width and I aim for the log to be clear on all sides with no defects. They come from West Virginia which isn't too far from PA. The reason for choosing larger logs is to remove all the sapwood and that only leaves the heartwood. With smaller logs, this is close to impossible to achieve. One thing I have found to darken the wood is to leave it in the sun for a few days (watch out for rain).

Glenn
GPS Hardwoods

 

[AllanD]

One word of caution if you place it in the sun. Don't place it on the ground. Use sawhorses, table, or something as the moisture from the ground added to the drying effect from the sun on the top will put a bow in it. Which is the way I do to get bows out of plywood, etc. in the opposite intention. I'm sure you know this but just in case someone reading it doesn't.

 

[Jeff]

Glenn, maybe "picky" is not the right term and "discerning" would be more accurate. Thanks for explaining how you shop for quality wood.

 

[Glenn1]

Glenn, maybe "picky" is not the right term and "discerning" would be more accurate. Thanks for explaining how you shop for quality wood.

Thanks Jeff for picking a complimentary word.

AllanD, thanks for pointing that out. As I read your thread, I thought "I should have mentioned that" Glad you did.