• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Wood Typers

Wood FAQs and Supplier Information

  • Home
  • Contact Us
    • Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy
  • Submit Questions
  • Sitemap

Cherry

Domestic Species Focus: Cherry Wood

Last updated on June 5, 2017 by Sozo Staff Leave a Comment

With roots meandering as far back as the Colonial period of America’s history, the J. Gibson McIlvain Lumber enterprise can trace beginnings back to 1740, even before the American Revolution. Just in time for the urban sprawl of Philadelphia and westward expansion of our fledgling nation, Hugh McIlvain established a new lumber business on the banks of the Schuylkill River, perfectly positioned to accommodate the direction of growth.

Over the years McIlvain lumber would be used to build iconic buildings of our nation: our Capitol Building, the White House, the Supreme Court, and Smithsonian buildings all contain lumber from McIlvain-family-owned lumber companies. Since those early days of the McIlvain lumber dynasty, we’ve considered Cherry a marquee product of ours. In fact, we’re still working with some of the same local mills across the Ohio River Valley that we forged relationships with centuries ago, sourcing premium American Cherry to meet our current customers’ needs.

Cherry Sourcing

Finished Cherry floor

Cherry trees grow across much of the U.S., but we’ve noticed that the Appalachian region, including Ohio and Pennsylvania, produces the Cherry with the greatest degree of consistency in color and quality. As with the imported lumber species that we carry, we carefully source our domestic Cherry lumber from mills with which we have individually worked to ensure that we get consistently high quality lumber for our customers. Our attention to detail includes travel to each individual mill in order to regularly inspect the Cherry we order; we take special care to ensure optimal heartwood-to-sapwood ratios that our customers request. Because of the extensive network of mills with which we work, we’re able to offer you plenty of options when it comes to length, width, and thickness of Cherry boards.

Cherry Characteristics

With its subtle grain and warm coloring, Cherry is an ideal species for interior applications such as furniture, mouldings, doors, and windows. When properly dried, Cherry moves in predictable ways and can be easily worked — two characteristics that make it a treat for woodworkers everywhere. Rough-sawn Cherry is much lighter than many people realize. The rich, reddish brown color which many consider a “Cherry finish” is actually something caused by decades of chemical reactions, combined with dirt and finishing techniques. Even though giving your Cherry a “sun tan” can help its pinkish color to deepen into a brown, dyes and stains are often used to expedite the process. For restoration work, the process of matching antique woodwork can be a daunting one.

While Cherry remains one of our favorite products, today J. Gibson McIlvain carries more than domestic hardwoods; we also carry a variety of exotic hardwood species as well as hardwood plywood, including architectural plywood with Cherry veneers. By ordering all the lumber products you need from a single dealer, you can avoid extra shipping costs, saving you and your customers time and money.

Continue Reading About the Wood Industry

• Understanding Factors Affecting Lumber Pricing
• The First Three Steps Toward Expert Millwork

J. Gibson McIlvain Company

Since 1798, when Hugh McIlvain established a lumber business near Philadelphia, the McIlvain family has been immersed in the premium import and domestic lumber industry. With its headquarters located just outside of Baltimore, the J. Gibson McIlvain Company (www.mcilvain.com) is one of the largest U.S. importers of exotic woods.

As an active supporter of sustainable lumber practices, the J. Gibson McIlvain Company has provided fine lumber for notable projects throughout the world, including the White House, Capitol building, Supreme Court, and the Smithsonian museums.

Contact a representative at J. Gibson McIlvain today by calling (800) 638-9100.

Filed Under: Cherry

Cherry Wood Lumber

Last updated on October 6, 2013 by Sozo Staff Leave a Comment

Cherry wood case with details
Cherry wood case with details

Cherry wood is one of the most famous species of wood used in the United States, and it has a long history of use in various applications. Traditionally, Cherry lumber was used by furniture makers to manufacture handcrafted masterpieces, and although its uses today have expanded, it still finds itself perhaps used most commonly in the crafting of furniture.

One of Cherry lumber’s main appeals is its extremely beautiful appearance. The wood displays warm tones of brown and reddish orange undertones, and its grain pattern is subtle and attractive. When purchasing Cherry, however, it is important for consumers to be aware of the existence of a “break in period.” The rough and freshly sawn boards of Cherry tend to be a much different color than older finished boards. The freshly sawn lumber is a light pinkish color, but with time and UV exposure and oxidation, the lumber’s color will deepen into the beautiful brownish red for which it is so prized.

Cherry lumber moves very predictably when properly dried, and it therefore makes for fine finished projects. As mentioned above, Cherry is often used to create furniture pieces, many of which act as the beautiful centerpieces and focal points of America’s homes, and it is also popular for use in door, window, flooring, and moulding projects.

Like other types of wood, Cherry’s quality varies as a result of the region in which it is grown. Therefore, high quality lumber dealers will search far and wide to find the regions of the world that produce the finest Cherry. One such region – the region preferred by one of the countries oldest and most reputable lumber wholesalers, McIlvain Company – is the Appalachian region of the United States. This area, which includes Pennsylvania and the Ohio River Valley, tends to produce Cherry with consistent coloration, fine grain patterns, and other characteristics of top quality Cherry that customers have come to love.

Filed Under: Cherry

Key Differences Between Cherry And Mahogany

Last updated on September 26, 2013 by Sozo Staff Leave a Comment

Cherishing beautiful wood is not a new thing. Sculpture, furniture, and buildings constructed from high quality wood all over the world date back generations. Two such prized woods are Cherry and Mahogany. Many people have problems telling Cherry and Mahogany apart because of their many similarities, and it’s no wonder why: Both are dark reddish brown lumbers used in skillful furniture making, decorative millwork, and flooring. Asking and expert, like those trained at J. Gibson McIlvain, about the differences between these two woods will make differentiating between the two a bit easier, thus assisting you with choosing the correct wood for your next project.

Type of Wood

Every wood has a heartwood and sapwood. Cherry and Mahogany differ quite starkly in this area. Cherry has narrow sapwood with color from white to deep reddish brown. Surprisingly, the sapwood can also be a creamy pink. In contrast, mahogany sapwood appears yellowish white. Mahogany sapwood is also less insect and rot resistant than cherry.

Cherry heartwood has a darker hue than the sapwood. Its fine and uniform texture appears deep red or reddish brown, and cherry also contains brown flecks and gum pockets. Freshly cut Mahogany heartwood is yellow, red, salmon, or pink, and these pale hues darken into deep reddish browns. Some dark gum pockets and white spots can occur in Mahogany.

Grains

The grain of the wood is important to how easy it will be to work. Cherry has a fine, uniform grain pattern with rich, dark, wavy streaks. Quatersawing cherry displays these waves best. Mahogany, on the other hand, has a uniform grain ranging from very fine to extremely coarse. Typically straight, Mahogany grain also contains interlocking patterns like blisters, mottles, and fiddle backs.

A wood’s grain also helps to determine it’s stability. Cherry is fairly stable in the lumber world, but Mahogany is inherently supreme when it comes to stability.

Individual Working Properties

The third difference between Cherry and Mahogany involves their working properties. Both are premium woods that give clean cuts with power tools and hand tools, but Mahogany tends towards splintering if the tools are not sharp enough. The open grain pattern in Mahogany is very responsive to sanding and planing, but the lumber’s large pores need sealing before a final coating for a smooth finish. Cherry also needs a finish to even out its density.

Cherry and Mahogany are both hardwoods. However, Cherry is the softer of the two, and there are many other hardwoods that are denser than both of these woods. Because of their relative softness, both woods boast great workability, making them perfect for interior applications. Cherry and Mahogany can both last a lifetime in the right environment.

Despite their differences, Cherry and Mahogany have many similarities. If you still have questions about the differences between these two gorgeous hardwoods, allow McIlvain Company to help you decide which is best for your next project. They carry premium boards of both types of lumber in a variety of lengths, widths, and thicknesses. An industry leader for over 200 years, no one is better qualified than McIlvain to help answer your lumber questions. For more information on this great lumber wholesaler and to see their selection of domestic and exotic lumbers, visit McIlvain.com today, or check out these selections from their lumber blog:

  • Understanding how your lumber is graded
  • Best substitute for Mahogany
  • Just because it’s FSC certified doesn’t mean it’s legal lumber!

Filed Under: Cherry, Mahogany

Primary Sidebar

Popular Articles

  • Give Furniture an Antique Look With Pickling
  • Western Red Cedar Lumber
  • Marine Grade Plywood
  • Sapele Wood - Suppliers & Wood FAQs
  • Key Differences Between Cherry And Mahogany

Recent Articles

  • Domestic Species Focus: Western Red Cedar Wood
  • Domestic Species Focus: Walnut Wood
  • Domestic Species Focus: Douglas Fir Wood
  • Domestic Species Focus: Cherry Wood
  • Domestic Species Focus: 3 Types of Maple
  • Domestic Species Focus: Alaskan Yellow Cedar
  • Domestic Species Focus: 2 Species of Oak
  • The Continual Flooring Trend: Real Hardwood Flooring
  • Make a Dramatic Statement with Light or Dark Wood Floors
  • Is an Open Concept Floor Plan Right for You?

Recent Comments

  • Shannon on Western Red Cedar Lumber
  • jake murphy on Western Red Cedar Lumber
  • Shannon on Western Red Cedar Lumber
  • Scott Wheeler on Western Red Cedar Lumber

Copyright © 2023 Sozo Firm Inc · Privacy Policy · Disclaimer · Sitemap