American cherry

Photo and data from Forest World

Common Names

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Black cherry

Capulin

Cherry

Chisos wild cherry

Choke cherry

Edwards Plateau cherry

Escarpment cherry

Gila chokecherry

Mountain black cherry

New England mahogany

Plum

Rum cherry

Southwestern chokecherry

Whiskey cherry

Wild black cherry

Common Uses

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Cabinetmaking

Carvings

Caskets

Furniture

Interior trim

Scientific instruments

Sculpture

Turnery

Veneer

Woodenware

Bedroom suites

Chairs

Chests

Desks

Dining-room furniture

Dowell pins

Dowells

Drawer sides

Floor lamps

Hatracks

Kitchen cabinets

Living-room suites

Moldings

Radio, stereo, TV cabinets

Rustic furniture

Stencil & chisel blocks

Stools

Sucker rods

T-Squares

Tables

Wainscotting

Wardrobes

Woodwork

Species Distribution

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REGIONS:

North America

Western Europe

COUNTRIES:

Canada

Switzerland

United States

Physical and Environmental Profile

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Environmental Profile

In North America, Black cherry is reported to be rather widespread, abundant, and secure,
although it may be rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery
(Source - The Nature Conservancy - Rank of relative endangerment based primarily
on the number of occurrences of the species globally ).

Distribution

In North America, Black cherry is reported to be distributed in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec,
Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida,
Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts,
Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina,
Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Illinois, Georgia, North Dakota, Nebraska,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio,
Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.
It sometimes occurs in pure stands, and can thrive,
with the exception of very wet or very dry soils, on many sites,
including soil without much lime and good drainage.
As many as five varieties of Black cherry are reported to be known.

Product Sources

Some material from this species is reported to be available from
sustainably managed or other environmentally responsible sources.

States in the United States that lead in the production of cherries in commercial quantities
are reported to include Michigan, Washington, Oregon,
Utah, California, New York, Pennsylvania, and Idaho.

The popularity of cherry in the furniture market is reported to have
increased over the years because of its warmth, personality, and ease of use.
The price of cherry is reported to be based on the absence of each of the
three basic characteristics of the wood: gum or pockets and streaks, pin knots, and figures.
The wood is usually graded by the amount of character it has,
and cherry without any figure markings is reported to be rather difficult to find.
Cherry lumber is reported to be slightly more expensive than oak.

Tree Data

Black cherry is reported to be the largest of all North American cherries,
attaining heights of about 100 feet (30 m) in the favorable climate of the Appalachian.
The average tree is reported to be about 80 feet (24 m) in height,
and produces a tall trunk which is about 24 inches (60 cm) in diameter.
Cherry trees are reported to be large enough to harvest after 35 to 40 years,
with larger trees growing to full heights in about 100 years.
The trees are famous for their wood, but they are also reported to be attractive, flowering species.
Cherry trees are reported to be easily attacked by various organisms,
including birds that eat the food and harm the bark to mites, slogs and insects such as, fruit flies.
They are also susceptible to brown rot, root rot, leaf spot, and blossom blight.

Sapwood Color

The narrow sapwood is whitish to reddish brown in color.
The wood has also been described as creamy pink.

Heartwood Color

The heartwood varies in color from reddish brown to deep red,
or light reddish brown, usually with brown flecks and some gum pockets.
Some flooring manufacturers are reported to steam Black cherry lumber to bleed
the darker heartwood into the sapwood for a more uniform color.
Color variations between boards are reported to be rather significant.

Light & Air-Induced Changes

Black cherry is reported to be very sensitive to UV light,
and changes to its characteristic reddish-brown, mahogany shade upon exposure.
The use of UV light inhibitors in coatings has been suggested to prevent the color change.

Grain

The grain is reported to be fine, but material with dark wavy streaks
which are described as striking in appearance are frequently found.
Quartersawn pieces are reported to be very beautiful.
Cherry is reported to have a strong resemblance to true Mahogany,
and is often called New England mahogany.

Texture

Texture is fine and uniform, and the wood often has narrow brown pith flecks and small gum pockets.

Luster

Luster has been described as rich and satiny.

Natural Durability

Heartwood is reported to be very resistant to decay,
but the sapwood is vulnerable to attack by the furniture beetle.
Natural resistance to decay is reported to be of little
concern because of the typical uses of the wood.

Veneering Qualities

Black cherry crotches and burls are reported to be highly sought after for figured veneers.

Blunting Effect

The wood exerts moderate blunting effect on cutting edges.

Resistance to Cutting

Black cherry is reported to saw cleanly.

Planing

The wood is reported to have excellent planing qualities and works to produce smooth, clean surfaces.
Stock with cross grain may be fairly difficult to plane,
and requires reduced cutting angles of 20 degrees for best results.
(Number of pieces out of one hundred yielding perfect results in planing = 80).

Turning

The wood can be turned easily, and Black cherry has been described
as an important timber for turnery purposes.
(Percent of turned pieces with fair to excellent results = 88).

Boring

The timber is reported to bore cleanly to yield holes with smooth surfaces little variation in hole size.
(Number of good to excellent pieces after boring one hundred pieces = 100).

Moulding

Black cherry is reported to respond well to moulding.
(Percent of pieces producing good to excellent results in moulding = 80).

Mortising

The wood is reported to have excellent mortising properties.
(Number of mortised pieces producing fair to excellent results after machining one hundred pieces = 100).

Gluing

The wood glues very well.

Nailing

Nailing qualities are reported to be good.

Screwing

Screw-holding properties are reported to be good.

Polishing

The wood has good polishing characteristics.

Staining

The material is reported to take stains and all types of finishes very well.
Finished Cherry wood is very handsome because of its rich luster and
reddish brown color which turns richer and darker with age.
Addition of ultra-violet light inhibitors has been suggested to prevent color change.

Steam Bending

The timber has good steam bending properties.
It has been compared to Beech and Ash in steam bending properties.

Response to Hand Tools

The wood works well with hand tools.

Strength Properties

American Black cherry has been described as a wood with many moods,
and is usually considered to be in the same class as mahogany for usage in the United States.
It is described as wood for fine furniture,
with a warm look that is reflected in many furniture styles.
The stiff and strong wood is reported to work easily with both hand and machine tools.
European and American black cherries are reported to be
comparable in many aspects, but the latter is more plentiful.
Both species are reported to be strong and tough
and have been compared in strength properties to Yellow birch.
Its has high bending strength in the air-dry condition
(about 12 percent moisture content), and compares favorably with Teak.

Reference Sources

Numerical Data Source

USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook - Wood as an Engineering Material,
Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook No. 72,
Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.

Descriptive Data Source

Panshin, A.J. and C. deZeeuw. 1980. Textbook of Wood Technology,
4th Edition. McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources.
McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.

Canadian Forestry Service. 1981. Canadian Woods - Their Properties and Uses.
Third Edition. E.J. Mullins and T.S. McKnight, Editors.
Published by University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada.

Jackson, A. and D. Day. 1991. Good Wood Handbook - The Woodworker's Guide to Identifying,
Selecting and Using the Right Wood.
Betterway Publications, Cincinnati, Ohio.

California Department of Forestry.
Comparative Physical & Mechanical Properties of Western & Eastern Hardwoods.
Prepared by Forest Products Laboratory,
University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California.  n/d.

Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois and E.M. Wengert. 1988.
Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Woods: Temperate and Tropical.
United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory,
General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Madison, Wisconsin.

USDA. 1988. Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy.
Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.

Little, E.L. 1980. The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Western Region.
Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York.

Kaiser, J. 1989. Wood of the Month - Cherry: 'New England Mahogany' is in Style Again.
Wood of the Month Annual, Supplement to Wood of the Month, Volume 1, Page 22.

Kaiser, J. 1992. Wood of the Month -
Cherry: The Handsome, Regal Fruitwood.
Wood & Wood Products, March, 1992. Page 48.

Kaiser, J. 1994. Wood of the Month - Cherry: An American Tradition for Fine Furniture.
Wood and Wood Products, December, 1994. Page 48.

NWFA. 1994. Wood Species Used in Wood Flooring.
Technical Publication No. A200.
National Wood Flooring Association, Manchester, MO.

Kline, M. 1977. Prunus serotina - Black cherry.
In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr.,
J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 291-291.

Rendle, B.J. Editor. 1969. World Timbers, Volume Two - North & South America
(Including Central America and the West Indies).
Published by Ernest Benn Limited, Bouverie House, Fleet Street, London.