Author Topic: Choke Cherry Stock? (Read 10964 times)

E.vonAschwege · « **on:** July 03, 2008, 05:32:55 PM »

Hey guys,
Well the neighbor's choke cherry tree came down last night... completely infested with ants at the crotch where it split. The tree removal guys were here this morning taking the part that was still standing and I was able to grab the only part of the trunk that wasn't rotten. It's still only pistol sized, but I might be able to get 3 or 4 out of it. Before I get the chainsaw out to cut it into slabs, is Chokecherry ok to use as a stock wood? The heartwood sure looks like good wood, and it seems really dense (it was an old tree!) What are your thoughts? Thanks! Dixon's in 3 weeks!
-Eric

I sort of miss the tree... it blocked the neighbor's house really well.

Stophel · « **Reply #1 on:** July 03, 2008, 06:24:22 PM »

Choke cherry never gets very big, so I don't know. Might be. Only one way to find out...cut it into slabs, let it dry and see what it's like in a year or two!

Robby · « **Reply #2 on:** July 03, 2008, 07:04:24 PM »

It should work fine, if not that wood carries a nice tone for box, turkey calls.

Stophel · « **Reply #3 on:** July 03, 2008, 07:43:25 PM »

I've wondered the same thing about crab apple. If the wood was useful for anything...

Jim Filipski · « **Reply #4 on:** July 03, 2008, 08:25:50 PM »

Quote from: Stophel on July 03, 2008, 07:43:25 PM

I've wondered the same thing about crab apple. If the wood was useful for anything...

Chris,
I have used crab apple for small tool handles ( chisels , turnscrews & the like ) it is pretty good. Never used Choke Cherry however. Doesn't seem to get very big around my parts.
Jim

E.vonAschwege · « **Reply #5 on:** July 03, 2008, 09:09:07 PM »

Thanks for the replies. I didn't have anything better to do this morning (I lie, I had lots of housework to do...) so I got the chainsaw out and cut it into slabs. Unfortunately I found a bunch of seperations in the growth rings right through the best part, @!*%. There was some soft wood that went deeper than I thought too, oh well. The tree was at least 40 years old by the rings, about 18" to 20" diameter at the base. There was 1.5" of soft sapwood, then the rest was a rich red heartwood. If it hadn't seperated along the rings I might have been able to squeeze in 4-6 pistol stocks. I managed to get just one beautiful quartersawn pistol stock that followed the curve of the trunk. Lathered it up with white primer and it's on the pile right now. That alone was worth the work.

I think crab apple would be a great wood. If not for stocks, then maybe for patterns and other small projects. They can't be too dissimilar.
-Eric

D. Bowman · « **Reply #6 on:** July 03, 2008, 11:18:57 PM »

Choke cherry, black cherry, wild cherry, all diff names for the same tree. Can grow 80 to 100 ft. Its what most cherry stocks are made from. D. Bowman

Robert Wolfe · « **Reply #7 on:** July 03, 2008, 11:28:03 PM »

Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) and Choke Cherry (Prunus virginiana) are not the same. Choke cherry does not get as big as black cherry, generally growing as a shrub or small tree. The wood is described as "heavy, hard, close-grained, weak, light brown with thick light colored sapwood" in one of my references.

FG1 · « **Reply #8 on:** July 03, 2008, 11:37:43 PM »

Choke Cherry around here doesnt get much bigger around than your wrist and gows in clumps like bushes getting about 10'- 12' high. Good jelly though even if ya cant get a stock from it

smallpatch · « **Reply #9 on:** July 04, 2008, 12:38:00 AM »

As a kid, we had a choke cherry tree right across the street. Spent many days hiding in that tree, eating choke cherries till we got diarhea.

Tree had to be at least 3ft in diameter and 40 to 50ft tall.

Don't know how hard the wood is, but they do get big.

rex · « **Reply #10 on:** July 04, 2008, 01:06:56 AM »

Hi: I have used choke cherry on about 10 guns. I love it. Hard to fing a large enough tree anymore. Rex

northmn · « **Reply #11 on:** July 04, 2008, 01:10:59 AM »

I don't know about the big choke cherry tree you hid behind but choke cherries from trees in my neck of the woods are so bitter they dry up your mouth what there is left after you spit out the pit. tried choke cherry wine, it was very "dry". That why they call them choke cherries. The cherrys are about as big as deer droppings and possibly less palatable (never tried deer droppings) I cut one to make a bow out of and it was very twisted and would not work. Might make a pistol stock out of a big one around here.

DP

T*O*F · « **Reply #12 on:** July 04, 2008, 01:23:51 AM »

Quote

Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) and Choke Cherry (Prunus virginiana) are not the same.

And to confuse the matter more it could be a Pin Cherry (P. pennsylvanica) or a Sweet Cherry (P. avium).

smallpatch · « **Reply #13 on:** July 04, 2008, 01:46:30 AM »

Quote from: northmn on July 04, 2008, 01:10:59 AM

I don't know about the big choke cherry tree you hid behind but choke cherries from trees in my neck of the woods are so bitter they dry up your mouth what there is left after you spit out the pit. tried choke cherry wine, it was very "dry". That why they call them choke cherries. The cherrys are about as big as deer droppings and possibly less palatable (never tried deer droppings) I cut one to make a bow out of and it was very twisted and would not work. Might make a pistol stock out of a big one around here.

DP

I think we're talking about the same tree. We used to steal a sack of sugar to dip them in.

northmn · « **Reply #14 on:** July 04, 2008, 02:43:30 AM »

Kind of reminds me of my grandfathers gooseberry pie, one cup of sugar to one cup of goose berries.

DP

Jim Filipski · « **Reply #15 on:** July 04, 2008, 02:50:05 AM »

Quote from: northmn on July 04, 2008, 02:43:30 AM

Kind of reminds me of my grandfathers gooseberry pie, one cup of sugar to one cup of goose berries.

DP

Gooseberry Pies ! Umm! That some good eatin! ( one of my favorites!) But I think we got way off the topic... Wouldn't you say ...Eric!
Jim

E.vonAschwege · « **Reply #16 on:** July 08, 2008, 07:56:24 PM »

I got around to taking some pictures of my projects the other day and I got a shot of the choke cherry stock as well. The wood isn't as red as some cherry I've handled, but I've also seen cherry sold as stocks that was much more pale as well (the wood is a bit darker than the photo). This is only a few degrees off of being perfectly quartersawn, more by necessity than choice. Not the best for the grip of a pistol perhaps, but it'll do. The black specs are on the surface, not in the wood. There's absolutely no figure, and this was as close to the root base as I could get. All in all it's worth it to try for a few stocks if a large enough tree comes down.

northmn · « **Reply #17 on:** July 09, 2008, 01:01:42 AM »

Will make an interesting project. Wonder if it will darken like other cherry wood. Some of the stuff I have cut seemed a little softer. I don't think I could make a Derringer out of the ones I have seen.

DP

ironwolf · « **Reply #18 on:** July 09, 2008, 02:19:27 AM »

I love it Eric. I think it will darken nicely. You could even use the black filler like on walnut.
Kevin

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Author Topic: Choke Cherry Stock? (Read 10964 times)

D. Bowman

FG1

rex

northmn

northmn

northmn

ironwolf