Top Ten History And Facts About Cherry Wood Furniture

When I started working here at Vermont Woods Studios, I really had not put much thought into fine wood furniture. I was into fashion and shoes more than the cherry wood bed I slept in. So, as time went on, and I started listening to Peggy and learned more about the Vermont Woods Studios' Mission, I got hooked! So, I will be talking about the sustainably harvested wood that our Vermont fine furniture makers use, and the things I find interesting about them, and what makes what we do here so special. Today is about cherry wood furniture. All I can hope for is that you find them interesting too. Feel free to add what you like for a comment!

1. Cherry wood has been used for furniture as early as 400 BC by the Greeks and Romans.
2. Early Colonial furniture makers called cherry "New England Mohogany" due to it's darkening color with age, similar to mahogany.
3. The heartwood of the cherry tree varies in color from pinkish, when first cut, to rich red to reddish brown and darkens with age.
4. The sapwood of the cherry tree, in contrast, is creamy white in color.
5. Black cherry is called a variety of names - rum cherry, choke cherry, whiskey cherry and wild cherry.
6. Small natural mineral deposits in cherry furniture can often be desirable, giving each piece it's uniqueness.
7. The grain of the cherry tree is desired by furniture makers because it has unique ripple figures, is straight and satiny, it takes a finish well and is easy to work with.
8. Cherry wood furniture has a beautiful, lustrous finish and is actually satiny to the touch.
9. Cherry has characteristics that make it perfect for fine furniture, it's strong, moderately hard and has excellent shock resistance. Early printmakers even used cherry wood for their printing blocks!
10. Black cherry trees grow throughout the Midwest to Eastern U.S. - average tree height is 60-80 feet and extreme ages of trees can reach 150 to 200 years.

All the cherry wood used by Vermont Woods Studios artisan furniture makers is harvested from forests that use sustainable practices, so we are not contributing to decimating forests for our furniture.

I had so much fun writing this post! I found so many fascinating facts about cherry wood that I will have to do another posting soon to include all the cool cherry wood facts I didn't include in this post.

Enjoy!

Rebecca