Reply To: Cherry lumber how to saw by hand?
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Wow. I just came across some cherry too; someone cut a tree down in their yard. I’m also not quite sure how to process it.
I took a rip saw and sawed down the center of a few pieces that look twisted, and I’ve split a couple of short ones with a hatchet. I then hewed the round back off, and left them in roughly shaped 1″ x 3″ pieces to dry after removing the bark and sealing the ends with glue.
I’ve never done this before, so we’ll see if it works. Most of my pieces are fairly small in diameter though; not much larger than 4-5″, and most around 2-3″. You might want to make some wooden wedges to help with splitting larger diameter pieces. Be sure to process them promptly and seal the ends; they’ll tend to crack when drying, and the cracks tend to emanate from the pith, which should be removed if you split/saw it.
Also, leave them to dry outside. If you bring them inside, the humidity change is too rapid and may cause them to crack.
That’s about the extent of what I know. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable can chime in and help us both.