# anyone every hear of interlocked grain in cherry?



## phinds (Jun 19, 2014)

Friend of mine loaned me some planks of American black cherry (to take pics of) that he swears have interlocked grain. He bases this on the way it damn near refuses to split when in log form but none of the surfaces show even the least hint of interlocked grain. I haven't cleaned them up enough yet to get a really good look but he even told me in advance that I wouldn't see any signs ... he says you have to try to split it before you'll be convinced that it has interlocked grain.

The planks all have a light curl figure, but I've seen that in plenty of cherry and it doesn't require interlocked grain (although it COULD be caused by interlocked grain).

I hunted around on the internet and can't find anything about cherry other than numerous statements that repeat what I already believed to be the case which is that cherry has a fine, straight grain.

Anyone have any experience with interlocked grain in cherry?

Thanks,

Paul


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## Kevin (Jun 19, 2014)

phinds said:


> anyone every hear of interlocked grain in cherry?



Yes there's various sub species known as cherry crotch, cherry burl, and figured cherry.  

The real answer is no I never heard of it. I'm subscribed though . . .


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## DKMD (Jun 19, 2014)

I've never heard of it, but I'm looking forward to seeing the pics when it's cleaned up.


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## rob3232 (Jun 19, 2014)

Paul,
Is this black ash end grain interlocked? Sorry, but I really have tried and do not understand interlocked grain. Seems like all figured wood would have interlocked grain?? Looking foreward to your pictures :)



Thanks Paul


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## Blueglass (Jun 19, 2014)

@phinds what do you call the grain weirdness you kept finding in the pieces I sent you? I have been running into on the drums I have in progress left and right. Seem to only find it in the quartered pieces.


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## Kevin (Jun 19, 2014)

Interlocking grain is not hard to understand, despite my usual sarcasm. But then spalting is also a simple thing. You don't need a doctorate to understand either one.


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## rob3232 (Jun 19, 2014)

Can you show me a picture of it flat sawn to help? (interlocked) I am really lost on this... Do you think the ash end grain in the picture is interlocked?


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## phinds (Jun 19, 2014)

*http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/_anatomy/_anatomy.htm*

and at the bottom of the main page there's a link to the interlocked grain page

OK, I've made the above a link and I just realized that the interlocked grain page needs updating so I'm uploading it right now. If you've looked at it before at 10:45PM EST try again.


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## phinds (Jun 19, 2014)

Blueglass said:


> @phinds what do you call the grain weirdness you kept finding in the pieces I sent you? I have been running into on the drums I have in progress left and right. Seem to only find it in the quartered pieces.


 
It's not interlocked grain and let's not confuse this thread with a new topic.


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## phinds (Jun 19, 2014)

rob3232 said:


> Paul,
> Is this black ash end grain interlocked? Sorry, but I really have tried and do not understand interlocked grain. Seems like all figured wood would have interlocked grain?? Looking foreward to your pictures :)View attachment 53817
> 
> Thanks Paul



Hm ... I'm not sure WHAT that is. Normally, interlocking can't be seen in the end grain. Only woods I can think of offhand that show it in the end grain are lignum vitae and verawood. See the page linked to up in post #8 where it will explain how and why interlocking is best (and usually only) seen in flat cut surfaces.

NOTE: I'm right this minute in the process of updating the version on the server. The one that's there now doesn't show end grain examples but will in a few minutes.


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## rob3232 (Jun 19, 2014)

Thanks Rob


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## phinds (Jun 19, 2014)

Rob, I'd appreciate it if you'd start a new thread with that ash, showing that end grain and any face/side grain pics you have of it. I think it's probably just a weird growth pattern with some sides of the tree growing more in some years and other sides in other years, but I'd like to get some comments from our sawyers and don't want to derail this thread.

Thanks,

Paul

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Treecycle Hardwoods (Jun 19, 2014)

A common interlocking domestic wood is elm. An explanation I got from an arborist and avid woodworker is that trees who have interlocking grain are those oddball species where old growth and new growth grow together rather than have distinct separations in the growth rings like maple and oak. If you have ever split elm, maple, and oak for fire wood you will know that maple and oak kinda cleave apart nice and clean and often pop apart when the splitter wedge is barely into the wood. Elm often has small strings of wood that attach the 2 halves that were split even after the wedge is all the way thru. Cherry behaves much like oak or maple when splitting so it is odd to hear of a story like this but at the same time there are anomalies throughout mother nature.


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## phinds (Jun 19, 2014)

Interestingly enough, when I was emailing Mark Peet (the fellow who loaned me the planks) to tell him about this thread, I had a sudden recollection of having, many years ago, a section of cherry log about 18" in diameter and about 18" long and trying to split it. I had EXACTLY the experience that Mark described to me, which was that basically the damned thing wasn't just hard to split, it was very close to impossible. I got a wedge stuck in it and thought I was never going to get it out.

I don't know what this could be other than interlocked grain but I just find it weird that there are no other signs. Maybe I'll see something when I get the pieces cleared up.

Has anyone every had a huge amount of trouble like that splitting a log for any reason OTHER than interlocked grain ? (embedded limbs don't count ... that's not what this was about for either Mark or me).


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## Treecycle Hardwoods (Jun 19, 2014)

phinds said:


> Interestingly enough, when I was emailing Mark Peet (the fellow who loaned me the planks) to tell him about this thread, I had a sudden recollection of having, many years ago, a section of cherry log about 18" in diameter and about 18" long and trying to split it. I had EXACTLY the experience that Mark described to me, which was that basically the damned thing wasn't just hard to split, it was very close to impossible. I got a wedge stuck in it and thought I was never going to get it out.
> 
> I don't know what this could be other than interlocked grain but I just find it weird that there are no other signs. Maybe I'll see something when I get the pieces cleared up.
> 
> Has anyone every had a huge amount of trouble like that splitting a log for any reason OTHER than interlocked grain ? (embedded limbs don't count ... that's not what this was about for either Mark or me).


Other than trying to split a really dry piece of wood I can't remember any but it brings up a parallel point that green wood is easier to turn than dry wood. The same thing is true for splitting. (For the most part) wonder if that may be the case here.


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## phinds (Jun 20, 2014)

Treecycle Hardwoods said:


> Other than trying to split a really dry piece of wood I can't remember any but it brings up a parallel point that green wood is easier to turn than dry wood. The same thing is true for splitting. (For the most part) wonder if that may be the case here.


 
Well the piece that I tried to split was dry as a bone and the pieces that Mark was splitting were freshly cut so I don't see how that could be it. Also, I've split a lot of really dry oak and never had a problem.


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