Fruit Wood

[Moff8]

My neighbour asked me to cut down an old cherry tree that had died. Bloody hard work it was too as the thing was all dried out. Is the wood good for anything?

I've dropped part of an apple tree as well - is it worth drying out for anything? (quite dense for its size - maybe a handle for an axe?)

also whats the best place to store them and how best to store them?

Sorry for so many questions but this looks like lovely wood and I have no woodworking knowlege so any help appreciated.

Forgot about large Rhodadendron stump - any uses?

 

[weaver]

Most fruit wood is great for handles, spoons, boxes, turnings and most anything small. Not many fruit trees get really big. Ax handles require Hickory or Ash due to the high shock of impact. Some fruit woods will split easily. Most are very dense and take a great oil finish.

I have used plum, apple, pear and cherry.

Store it off the ground, under cover with the sides open so air can circulate freely. Paint the ends of each piece so it doesn't dry too quickly and crack or split.

 

[TheGreenMan]

I’m no expert, but I’m guessing that the actual species would have a lot to do with how useful the wood would be (and the intended use, of course). Fruitwood is highly regarded for knife handles etc. I’ve been looking for some for apple and pear for quite a while, now.

After you have sawn it into convenient lengths, leave the bark on, and dip 1-2cm of each end of each log into paraffin wax. This helps to prevent cracks forming at the ends of the logs (known as ‘end checks’) as the wood slowly dries out.

A far as I know, the best way to store it is somewhere that is unheated and sheltered from rainfall, and that has good air circulation. You will only know when it has dried out enough to use (assuming you’re not going to use it for ‘green wood’ projects) with the use of a moisture meter. There are more low-tech ways of estimating the moisture content of wood, but they are a little time consuming.

Turner’s Retreat have a Timber Moisture Meter for £24.95, illustrated in a leaflet that flopped through my letterbox yesterday. It might be worth you having a look at their site: http://www.turners-retreat.co.uk/

Best regards,
Paul.

 

[Moff8]

paint the ends in say - emulsion since I don't have any paraffin wax?

 

[bent-stick]

PVA adhesive will seal the ends better than emulsion.

It sounds like the cherry was standing deadwood - in which case there may not be any need to season it.

I've used apple for handles on drawknives, cherry for footings on arrows and also for spoons.

 

[woodwalker]

Spoons! Make lots of spoons!

I think fruit woods are good for spoons as not only do they carve well and have the dense tight grain you noticed, but they are unlikely to be toxic.

woodwalker

 

[hanzo]

Good for cooking on and smoking with.

 

[rancid badger]

You can use any oil based paint you like,I use some old green landrover paint. I''ve never actually tried emulsion before.
To be honest, it depends what your going to do with the wood, if your going to make spoons, then I would suggest choosing a few suitably shaped billets and splitting them now. you can wrap them in cling film to stop them drying out too quickly, but I often carve cherry spoons green. You get a different colouring to seasoned cherry but it's a lot easier to carve.

kind regards
R.B.