Cherry NE

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ok all you NE turners. I am in the process of buying 2 cherry blanks 8 X 8 X 4. He said he cut them in the spring. First off should I pursue them and because if I do I want to turn a NE with both? Second how do you handle a NE when drying. Do you just DNA them as any other bowl? I don't want the bark to come off after I turn the thing. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Raymond Overman]

Bernie,

Cherry turns nice natural edge bowls. Are the blanks burl or just straight cherry?

Personally, I DNA them just like I do my other bowls. I don't usually lose any bark in the bath. That comes after I've completely finished it as I'm carrying it out of the shop and barely touch it to the door frame. :( I'd suggest turning it very thin when you go for your final cuts. Cherry is notorius for cracking on you but generally has lots of figure and chatoyance around here.

Good luck.

[W.C. Turner]

Bark will usually stay on better when the tree is cut in the Winter.

[Dave Smith]

I also soak the NE rough outs in DNA. Turning the rough out thiner than the 10% thumb rule makes for less time with your knuckles near the edge. One think to keep in mind is that the bark will sand faster than the wood. If the bark integrity looks suspect after drying I apply CA glue before turning it. If CA glue gets on the wood it will usually turn away. An other way to stiffen the bark before final turning is to apply your finish of choice and let it soak into the bark. I usually finish my pieces with Rockler's gel polyurethane and it does a good job of stabilizing cherry bark. Use low pressure air to blow out excess finish from the crevices no matter what finish you use.

Berrnie if you want some wood for natural edge turning I have some silktree blanks that make nice looking pieces. If you want to start small I have some dry cascara buckthorn you can turn very thin.

I don't particularly like NE bowls. I turned several to test the effects of DNA soaking on the bark. The ones I have made sold quickly so I didn't have to look at them very long.

Dave Smith

I sell wood, bark and all in Longview, WA.