Chinese Cherry "Update"

[Donny Lawson]

Well, This is what I got done today. I got 3 roughed out today along with some other blanks. The bowls are taking a DNA bath right now along with some of the blanks. I took one of the aftermath in the shop. Alot of mess for 3 bowls.

[Jeremy Leasure]

Super jealous of that wood. Thanks for the update :)

[Mike Stephens]

Wow! Super nice. Great score.

[charlie knighton]

very nice, quite different from the cherry i know Donny, will be on the lookout

[David DeCristoforo]

Nice, donny. But you are going to have to do better than that if you want to be a contender in the messy shop category...

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really nice Donny. That is different from the cherry I know but boy is it nice.

[Donny Lawson]

It doesn't look like the cherry I know either. The owner said that it was chinese cherry. I haven't seen any like it. I may have to research it a little more to make sure he knows what he is talking about.

[Thomas Canfield]

Donny,

Good looking rough bowls. That looks pretty much like the Cherry Laurel I have had before. I did notice there seems to be a little bit of pith still in the single bowl photo and my experience has been that there will be a lot of distortion in that area if no cracks form. You might look into using some shower curtins to drop the shavings (and sap) to keep from having them fly across shop. You can buy oversize curtins (7' to 9' height) from Amazon. I found that 8' behind me dropped about 95+% of shavings and made cleanup a lot easier.

[Mike Cruz]

Really intereseting grain, Dony. Looking forward to seeing them done, too! Mess? Um, that looks like ONE bowl's worth to me... EEK!

[John Waver]

Sa-weet!!! Crazy grain!!! Curious, are you left-handed? I ask since I haven't seen a tool rest on the left side of the power head before.

[Donny Lawson]

Sa-weet!!! Crazy grain!!! Curious, are you left-handed? I ask since I haven't seen a tool rest on the left side of the power head before.


No, I'm right handed. I haven't really paid attention.

[Robert Henrickson]

I haven't seen a tool rest on the left side of the power head before.
The picture shows the 'backside' of the lathe -- the controls are on the other side of the headstock. The headstock is simply pushed to near the end of the bed. Much easier to work on the inside of a piece.

[Tim Rinehart]

Donny, that looks like some cherry I got last year from an area that clearly wasn't populated with 'native only' trees. I brought a piece in to one of our club meetings and a member who really knows trees commented it wasn't a native cherry, and I think he mentioned Chinese Cherry as a possible. Same crazy wild flame, and very large diameter trunk for relatively short trees.
I'll say this..work it quickly into rough outs and get rid of ANY pith and an inch away from it if possible. This stuff has been somewhat crack prone and distorts more than average. I'd leave roughouts with a 15% thickness, vs typical 10%.
Nice haul, by the way!

[John Waver]

The picture shows the 'backside' of the lathe -- the controls are on the other side of the headstock. The headstock is simply pushed to near the end of the bed. Much easier to work on the inside of a piece.

Okay, I see it now, thanks!