Help identifying wood

Murray13

Hi all, I am trying to identify what wood this is...
The first pic is of the tree I cut down about 3 years ago. The second pic is the blocks of wood drying.
I'm hoping the wood would be suitable for carving / turning.
https://ibb.co/pXp7zm5
https://ibb.co/64DwpRC
Thanks in advance!

magicbastarder

the bark says it's a cherry tree; very similar to a tree i took down a couple of years ago.
i've come across two different types of cherry wood in my time; one which is quite stable, and one which tears itself asunder as it seasons. fortunately, i think you've the former.

for future reference, if you fell a tree like that, it's best to split it down the centre, which results in less cracking as it dries.

Murray13

magicbastarder wrote: »

the bark says it's a cherry tree; very similar to a tree i took down a couple of years ago.
i've come across two different types of cherry wood in my time; one which is quite stable, and one which tears itself asunder as it seasons. fortunately, i think you've the former.

for future reference, if you fell a tree like that, it's best to split it down the centre, which results in less cracking as it dries.

Thanks for the reply. That's great. I'm planning on doing some carving, spoons probably to start with.

magicbastarder

i've never tried carving, so i can't tell you what cherry is like for that. i've just turned a little bowl with the cherry i mentioned above, which as i mentioned had the same bark as yours. nice to work with, but was just a tiny bit brittle in places.

Murray13

That looks great! cool dark grain running through it. I've always been interested in wood turning. What's required to get started? A laith and some chizles? How much would it cost to get the tools do you think?
Cheers!

magicbastarder

a lathe will cost a few hundred anyway, i suspect you could get started all in for €500 if you were able to get a usable one secondhand.
i'd recommend (when this pox is finished) trying to find a beginner's course first, and checking out your local woodturning chapter where you'll get advice and hopefully access to a supply of wood, before you invest.
all the chapters are in hibernation at the moment though.

Gingerino

It really looks like a cherry tree. Hmm