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Guy28
12th November 2011, 01:15 AM
There is a fallen tree nearby that I've been able to identify as Cherry Ballart or Wild Cherry.
Does anyone know if it is worth retrieving for turning? I'd rather not run the risk of raising the local Council's ire by removing it unless it is worthwhile.
Any particular tips on drying?

dr4g0nfly
12th November 2011, 06:53 AM
If it's the same as the cherry's we get here in the UK. The wood is creamy, wide grained, cut's well and takes a fine finish.

But unless you working a crotch piece or something else with some figure, quite uninspiring unless you do something with it, texture, colour, piercing etc.

Then again it's free wood, so it's got to be good, and if you save the council time & cost by taking it away, why should they care.

I'd get in fast - because sure as 'egg is eggs', someone else is having the same thought.

tea lady
12th November 2011, 01:09 PM
I think I got some wild cherry somewhere! Could be good. :cool: Won't be the same as normal cherry. That smells like you are turning cherry pie!

How big is is? You kinda need to rip it down the middle through the heart wood. then paint the end grain with something. Just paint, or "end grain sealer" if you want to get technical. Or dip the ends in melted wax. although that seems to stop the drying almost completely. Turn some or all of it while it is green, if you are doing bowls. Its fun.:cool:

artme
12th November 2011, 07:03 PM
ALWAYS worth retrieving freebies, especially unknown species.

If the wood is not so good or interesting then what have you lost but a bit of time and effort?

On the other hand........:)

TTIT
12th November 2011, 10:43 PM
A bit of googling shows it's been used for furniture, gun stocks etc - can't be too bad :shrug:

Guy28
12th November 2011, 11:02 PM
Thanks folks,

I'm going to break out the chain saw tomorrow. I'll let you know what it looks like.

rsser
13th November 2011, 05:40 PM
Yeah, it's worth it. Turned one lump named as such; fine grain, medium density, light pinkish brown.

rowie
14th November 2011, 12:16 AM
in most respects, very much like myrtle

David Mitchell
18th November 2011, 10:29 PM
I had a request from a lady to turn a bowl from apiece of wild cherry that was growing on her patents place. I thought it may have been too green.
Here is the results.
Regards
David:2tsup:

dr4g0nfly
19th November 2011, 05:55 AM
Nice colour, far better than our cherries, which as I said is quite creamy and bland at best a honey colour after a bit of UV and other exposure.

rsser
19th November 2011, 06:47 AM
It's not a real cherry though:

http://www.anbg.gov.au/apu/plants/exoccupr.html

auscab
19th November 2011, 10:08 AM
Great timber, I milled ( badly ) a log of that that blew over near Ballarat, it is great to turn, heavier than US cherry , and a higher oil content , with a strange smell. The tree I had was a big one , at chest height I could reach around with both arms and just touch my fingers. Another thing I noticed about them is ,the larger ones always have a thick bed of moss under them, you can be walking around the bush on a hot day on stoney dry ground and you see one of these giving total shade on to a thick green moss carpet, bush luxury , I think many a child would have been conceived under that tree.
Rob.

NeilS
19th November 2011, 02:10 PM
It's not a real cherry though:

http://www.anbg.gov.au/apu/plants/exoccupr.html

Yep, locally we call it Native Cherry Pine.

One of my favourite woods.


188157


Largest we get around here is about 12" diam. Going by the rate of growth that I have observed over the last 40 years, reckon the one I'm working through at the moment would have been 200yrs+ old. And, yes, they always have that green moss, at least on the trunk.

PS - will split big time if you don't pre-work it by either green turning or at least sectioning down and sealing.

Dalboy
20th November 2011, 10:40 AM
This is the english cherry I think has a warm look to it. So if yours is anything like this grab it while you can

http://i702.photobucket.com/albums/ww21/diggerdelaney/th_DSCF07172.jpg (http://s702.photobucket.com/albums/ww21/diggerdelaney/?action=view&current=DSCF07172.jpg)

http://i702.photobucket.com/albums/ww21/diggerdelaney/th_DSCF07242.jpg (http://s702.photobucket.com/albums/ww21/diggerdelaney/?action=view&current=DSCF07242.jpg)