A Big ol'Cedar...

Re: A Big ol'Cedar...

Tim of San Leandro

>"just wonderin' the proper time to wait afore makin' somethin' worthwhile out of this wood"

Depends on if and how the trunk was sawn. Also depends on the use. I don't turn but do know that many woods can be turned while green. Also depends on where you are at (for air drying) and the location (for air drying, again) where the stack is. Kiln drying is kinda set in stone.....

Re: A Big ol'Cedar...

Moses Yoder in White Pigeon, MI

>You would want to get it cut into boards or split into smaller chunks as soon as possible after dropping the tree. There are a number of things that can be made with green wood, such as mallets; you will want to cut out the heart wood to avoid splitting as the wood dries. How fast does a board dry? One rule of thumb which I have heard quite a bit is "One inch per year", but I think this is totally guess work. What you really need, and every woodshop really should have one, is a moisture meter to see what the moisture content of the wood is, unlees you want to go totally neanderthal, in which case I've been told "If you put the board to your lips and it's warm, it's ready to use."

Re: Speaking of Cedar

Mike G.

>I'm building a new fence. To build the new one, I first had to pull the original posts out of the ground. They're all split Aromatic Red Cedar. Some of them are big enough to saw a couple of boards from and some of them would probably make good turning stock after the nails are removed, of course. These posts had been in the ground at least 15 years, but when you split a piece from them, you could still smell the strong scent of Cedar.

As far as the "one year per inch of thickness", for around here, I think the old timers referred to perhaps W. Oak and Chestnut, with W. Pine and SYP taking maybe six months or so per inch. YMMV

Mike G, in the foothills of S. Carolina

eastern or western?

Tom Sontag - St. Louis

>If you are talking about eastern redcedar (ERC), then my experience may be relevant. This stuff air dries quickly without degrade. Heck, it seemed to be pretty dry when we dropped them.

Especialy if you are talking about an outdoor project, I would not hesitate to use it right off the saw. As for sawing the logs up right away this is usually the correct idea, but again ERC seems to stay together pretty well so some delay may not hurt.

There is nothing more pleasantly aromatic than sawing up a redcedar log. If you sticker it to air dry a bit, put it somewhere where you can enjoy the scent. The color fades very quickly in sunlight.

aromatic cedar

Jack Guzman from Maine

>I was working with some aromatic red cedar in the shop and almost tossed a handful of shavings into the trash barrel.I got an inspiration and brought them to LOML instead.Great move. She loved the smell.She used them as potpourri.---Jack

Re: aromatic cedar

Dean Burke - Yakima, WA

>Aromatic cedar shavings are great for padding dog beds and the like, too, a great insect repellant.

Dean