Black Cherry

Carving comments

Although hard, black cherry takes detail and finishes beautifully. For an eye-catching natural-finish carving, follow these suggestions:

• Flat-sawed wood has the most grain pattern; quarter-sawed boards (growth rings perpendicular to the width of the board), the least.
• Power-carving tools fit black cherry. Use carbide burrs.
• To remove small scratches on the finished carving, first sand with a coarse sanding drum followed by a fine sanding drum. Then, go over the piece with a coarse sanding disc, using a rocking motion. Hand-sand with 150-grit, then 320-grit.