Cherry has long been a coveted wood and when used in the creation of Amish furniture designs it is a stunning choice. The Amish always choose native hardwoods for their furniture and cherry is one of, if not the, finest hardwood in North America. The elegance of hardwood cherry furniture is showcased in tables, cabinets, china cabinets, chests and baby furniture by today’s Amish furniture experts.

Because of the beauty of the cherry tree’s wood it seems poetically perfect that the cherry tree belongs to the rose family and is labeled Prunus serotina. American Colonists found the cherry a useful and tasteful fruit and used in food and medicine as well as in interior furnishings. Early printmakers created their engraving blocks from cherry. Early American joiners created tables, highboys and chairs that endure still today.

Once called American Mahogany by Early American cabinetmakers it was sadly stained to resemble the non-native mahogany used in English furniture of the period. Ironically, cherry is actually stronger than mahogany and most woodworkers appreciate it more. Whether the cherry wood is finished naturally, to showcase its unusual beauty, or stained to make its figure pop, it is considered by woodworkers to be an exciting wood to work with.

The cherry tree is found in the Midwestern and Eastern United States like Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and New York. The tree usually reaches a height of 60 to 80 feet and can live to the age of 150 to 200 years. Cherry has heartwood of various rich red to reddish browns. Cherry darkens with age or over-exposure to light. Cherry’s sapwood is a velvety white. Characteristically cherry has a fine uniform, straight grain with a satiny, smooth texture. Occasionally a naturally occurring brown pith flecking occurs and small gum pockets.

Cherry is easy to work with and assemble. It holds stain well and develops an excellent smooth finish, especially in the hands of an Amish craftsman using the RESISTOVAR finish. Fine furniture makers and cabinet makers have long sought out cherry wood for their furniture. Often used in moldings, paneling, flooring, doors, boat interiors and musical instruments it is also available in Amish furniture design. 

Tags: amish cherry furniture, Baby Furniture, cherry, cherry tree, early american, gum pockets, hardwood, history of cherry furniture, Prunus, resistovar, serotina

This entry was posted on Friday, September 19th, 2008 at 12:09 pm and is filed under Amish Furniture Styles, Cedar Chests & Trunks, Chairs, Cherry Furniture, History of Furniture Making, Understanding Hardwood and Furniture Construction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.