# Cherry from Heaven (or Irene)



## Greg in Maryland (Jan 6, 2011)

Over the weekend a large tree, which I believe is cherry was blown over by the hurricane. Thanks Irene!

Here are the dimensions:

25 to 30 feet of straight trunk before any branches
43 inches in circumference mid way up
13 3/4 inches in diameter according to this calculator 

According to this calculator using the Doyle scale, I get 149 board feet, the International scale will give me 225 and the Scribner will give me 180 board feet.

Local price for 4/4 Cherry is 5.50 and 8/4 Cherry is 7.50, so in theory this tree is somewhat valuable.

So, is this worth the trouble of having it professionally sawed into 10 foot lengths, or should I just cut off small sections (< 4 foot) and do it myself on my band saw or just let it complete the carbon cycle?

Thanks.

Greg


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

I would have it sawn into lumber, me. But then, I'm a woodworker and have been known to hoard wood.

Locally, I get logs sawn for $0.31 per bft.


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## tcleve4911 (Dec 16, 2006)

Lots of guys have portable band saws.
Saw it into boards, planks, chunks for bowls ...whatever.
I did this 3 years ago and I'm still using the wood. 
There's great satisfaction taking it from tree to finish...........


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## mikeswoods (May 18, 2009)

It's worth doing if you have a way to get it to a mill.

However, saying it's worth $*** is like looking at a cow and saying it's worth a million dollars because a steak dinner costs $40.

There is a lot of steps between the cow and the finished steak dinner.

You will enjoy having a pile of cherry in the shop----It makes for a lot of fun projects.


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## tcleve4911 (Dec 16, 2006)

mikeswoods said:


> There is a lot of steps between the cow and the finished steak dinner.


Yes there are, Mke...you know.....

....but you get a lot of Filet Mignon's that way......:yes:


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## Greg in Maryland (Jan 6, 2011)

Thanks for the responses. I'll see if I can swing it. 

Greg


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## ArmedFerret (Aug 24, 2011)

I was hoping to lurk and read/learn more before starting to post, but what the heck....

I'm in MD also (stationed at Ft Meade) and a coworker had a couple nice-sized cherry trees felled by Irene. Sadly, they already cut them into "manageable" lengths, which means no long boards. I did however go pick up a few chunks, and they look like this inside (mind you, these are cut really close to the edge; they're about 12-14" in diameter):



















if nothing else, I'll be able to go box-crazy. 

I'll be stopping by their place again tomorrow after work (meeting up with a pard in his Silverado) to snag a whole lot more. Some will be destined for chunks for the smoker, but hopefully i can convince him to use the smaller limbs for that duty. I believe I saw a maple that was downed as well; didn't look like that one had been hit by the chainsaw yet so we might could get some bookshelf wood out of that.

Also going to take the above logs (and a couple others i picked up today) to the wood hobby shop on base--don't have my own bandsaw yet, so i'll just use theirs. 

Curious, though, about how long I should let it dry out before using it? Any thoughts?


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## qbilder (Dec 19, 2010)

I was told air drying rule is 1 year per inch of thickness. Don't really know for sure by experience, though.


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## Greg in Maryland (Jan 6, 2011)

Hey ArmedFerret,

I have also read that wood needs a a minimum 1 year for one inch of width. Presuming you are not in Arizona with 100 degree sun every day.

I think that you will want to seal the ends with something -- wax, anchorseal, paint or something. This will even out the drying.

"My cherry" tree is still in its natural state, abet a bit horizontal, so I have not treated it yet. I'll do so when I get it cut up.

Greg


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

Greg, 

No to the 1 yr per inch to width, only that way if width is thinner than thickness. In years past PRIOR to insulation ADing alone was fine :thumbsup::yes:but now with "climate controlled indoor enviroment":icon_smile: and insulation our indoor MC is lower and final kilning is necessary to correct the lumber MC and to kill them creepy-crawleys that you DON'T want in your house:thumbdown:.

You also should seal the ends of uncut logs ASAP after cutting the log to length. They will start immediately into the drying process but acually worse from ends if not sealed. EXPERIENCE SPEAKING:yes:.

ArmedFerret,
Short lengths are fine just a little more time consuming to cut. For my bandsaw anything under 4' in length is aggrevating but can be jigged and done. For the record I have a stack 4'-5' ftrs. waiting to cut.

Have a Blessed day in Jesus,
Tim


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## Greg in Maryland (Jan 6, 2011)

Oops, thickness not width.

Greg


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