Reducing burning in cherry rounds

[Joel Kaufman]

Having cut a few cherry pieces lately I noticed how easily it burns...sometimes even when slowing down the speed of my saw. Besides the clear tape on top and bottom are there any other tips to reduce or eliminate the burning? These upcoming pieces will be cherry rounds, so I will actually be cutting with the grain. Does that make a difference versus the typical cross grain cuts?

Lastly, does anyone have experience using blade lubricant as pictured below? Does that help?

Thanks,
Joel

[wood-n-things]

Joel,
I'm afraid Cherry is just prone to burning. You are doing everything right. Slow down your feed rate.

As for the blade lube I'd steer clear as it may interfere with your staining of your finished project. Others may have more information on it I have not used it myself.

[Hawaiilad]

I would not use the blade lube as Mike has said. I do use much cherry, as it is hard to find here in the Islands, but when I have, I had to slow the freed rate to stop the burning. The clear tape seemed to really help. I still had plenty of sanding in the corners.

[3_M]

Larry,
I just wanted to help the other Mike.
"As for the blade lube I'd steer clear as it may interfere with your stainin"
Mike

[woodsman]

The best thing I have found when cutting cherry is a fresh FD blade.
Once you get a hint of smoke change it out again.
This goes with the rest of the info with tape and all.

[lkbraa]

My two cents...STAY AWAY FROM THE BLADE LUBE!!! When I was a newbie (not saying I know it all now - lol) I got my blades, the blade lube and all the things I 'thought' one would need...boy was I WRONG!! Cheap blades...not so cheap lube and my remaining choices were all wrong too! The blade goop is awful...gums up your blades, makes a mess of your wood, didn't seem to work at all...and definetely did NOT prevent any burning! The best thing I found is Mike's great FD blades, slow speed and tape. The biggest difference I found is try to not 'push' on the blade so it binds, I still fight it when making rounds, but have gotten better thru these past couple years and actually cut some of the harder woods without a burn mark.

But don't fall into the gimmick like I did. Anyone got any ideas what to do with my goop - lol!?! Good Luck!!!

[sawdustus]

Slow down, don't force, and most importantly, put in a fresh, sharp blade as soon as your cutting rate begins to slow.

george

[handibunny]

Amen to all of the above. Clear tape, large enough blade, frequent blade changes, no forcing are about all you can do, and usually work.

[ncsealeveler]

I use blue tape and clear tape on both sides on cherry and FD blades to control the burning.
Tony

[Joel Kaufman]

Thanks for all of the comments crew!

I cut a full length test piece that took 4 hours and turned out so much better than expected. The detail held, no breaks or pull offs when taking all of that tape off...and NO burning! This is from a 40 year old cherry limb that is somewhat brittle around some of the edges and I can 't be more pleased. I used FD UR #1 blades and a 2/0 spiral for some veining.

Once I complete all 6 portraits and finish them I'll post the pictures.

[wood-n-things]

Looking forward to your portraits. Glad it worked out for you.

[Stoney]

One thing I have found with cherry is to have SHARP blades and router bits.

With router bit cuts reduce the feed rate some but do not stop and restart in the middle of a cut.

[Markru2002]

Hi Joel, I do use the blade lube and personally I see no difference from not using it. Since I did buy it, I do use it. Save your money. My $7.95 worth of advice. (cost of the blade lube).
Mark

[Joel Kaufman]

Thanks everyone for your input...and Stoney thanks for the router bit advice, I also plan to use cherry from the same tree limb for the frames of these pieces. Should I reduce the speed of the router, or does it turn so fast at any machine speed that it doesn't make a difference and only a slower feed rate can actually reduce burning?

[susieq4131]

Good advice. It can be difficult to sand off those burn marks. Much easier to try and avoid them.

SQ