bbarry9999 Posted November 6, 2016 Report Share Posted November 6, 2016 I have some cherry that I planed and sanded for a project last year but never completed. I plan to use it on a new project this year,. It will need a few more pieces. The older boards have that wonderful darker shade Cherry gets with age. My question is should I sand down the older boards to match color of the new ones, get all new, or just build the project and let them age naturally. I plan to finish with oil only. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted November 6, 2016 Report Share Posted November 6, 2016 Probably best to use boards of the same color in one project. I have noticed that aged cherry is darker, even on the inside, than freshly cut & dried cherry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minorhero Posted November 6, 2016 Report Share Posted November 6, 2016 You will almost certainly need to sand your existing boards at some point before the project is complete. Even if its just after glue-up that will almost certainly make the boards the same color as newer boards so long as they are the same species of cherry. My sun aged cherry looks just like fresh cherry with minimal sanding. But my locally milled black cherry always looks darker then cherry I buy from places like woodcraft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Coop Posted November 6, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted November 6, 2016 I think you should sand the older boards. I like it when other people have to sand! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwk5017 Posted November 8, 2016 Report Share Posted November 8, 2016 how do you know the new boards will age to match the old boards? Its not uncommon to have a board of cherry completely not match its brothers. I would sand the old ones to compare to the new ones before anything had glue applied to it. It would suck to have a random color board sticking out like a sore thumb for the next 100 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbarry9999 Posted November 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2016 Thanks for the feedback. I ended up sanding everything again (which did lighten the older boards a bit) and putting the newer boards in places where the color difference wouldn't show as much. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted November 21, 2016 Report Share Posted November 21, 2016 A few hours in full sun will make a big difference. Halogen lights work as well. Watch out for shadows they can have a big affect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewalnutguy Posted December 3, 2016 Report Share Posted December 3, 2016 and be careful to avoid including any sapwood in the project. Sapwood changes color very little with age and exposure to sun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted December 3, 2016 Report Share Posted December 3, 2016 I just repurposed a cherry table top I had, but was out of service. I ripped a few inches off it, and used it for an entertainment unit. The front edge (the rip edge) was a different colour for about two weeks. Now it looks perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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