Oak and cherry value

[kburton66]

New to group. I have about 45 oak and 20 cherry rough sawn boards to be milled. I need all the oak I can get. I may be able to swap the cherry for oak from the miller. What are the relative values of the 2 woods? Thanks Doug

[WDH]

Down here I can sell red oak for $1.00 - $2.00/BF to local woodworkers.  Cherry would be $2.50 - $4.00/bf with $4 for straight, wider, and clear.

[Magicman]

kburton....Welcome to FF.

Here, if you are selling timber, you get twice the amount for oak as cherry.  If you are buying lumber, you pay twice the amount for cherry as oak....Go figure.....

[Den Socling]

The value of cherry depends on wide, clear boards with a nice, red color. It can really vary from log to log. Oaks are more consistent.

[SwampDonkey]

My experience with the red cherry color is it has to be heartwood and it reddens more with aging from oxidation. I've seen my own cherry darken in the lumber pile. If water moves through wood, so doesn't oxygen. ;D

As far as price, up here they are both odd ball species, so most of the market is pulp. Those who bother with it will keep it for themselves, dry it and may sell some and the numbers can be all over the map. Depends on how bad you want it and what I can buy it for down at the lumber broker. His is kilned and select or better grade. ;) :D Personally, I don't pay more than $0.90 a foot for local air dried woods. My barn is full of local lumber sawed at $180/th and others bought for $0.90 a foot.