Cherry
Warm red that deepens with light and years.
lbf on the Janka scale
Softer than the range we like for boards
Black walnut is 60 lbf harder than cherry, and sits inside the board range.
Color
Salmon pink when new, darkening to a deep saddle red
Where it came from
- Dried
- Kiln dried before anything is cut from it.
More about cherry at The Wood Database · Wood data: The Wood Database (Eric Meier)
Cherry changes more than any wood we use. A new piece is pink; a five-year-old one is the color of a saddle. People sometimes think a cherry piece has been stained. It has not; it has been in the light.
How it ages
Weeks, not years. Leave a coaster on a new cherry board for a month and lift it and you will see the pale square underneath. The color evens out on its own once the whole surface has caught up.
Knife feel
A little softer than walnut, so cherry serves more than it chops on our bench: egg trays, serving boards, small pieces like the page holders. It takes a fine edge and sands to a glassy surface.
