Advice request - Aust. Red Cedar

[deldridg]

Hi folks,

I'm relatively new to this forum and am excited about reviving my woodworking with great plans to renovate our house, build furniture etc.

Last weekend I was fortunate to purchase some Aust Red Cedar as follows:

15 sheets - 1600x310x25
5 sheets - 2800x250x25

These sheets are all smooth cut and are from the same tree (or so I'm told), kiln dried and exude gorgeous fiddleback and glorious grain characteristics.

My questions are:

1. what is the best way to store these for 12 mths or thereabouts,

2. is it possible to split a sheet parallel to the face (making 2 thin sheets),

3. can these be treated so as to retain their gorgeous honey (or big chardonnay) colouring?

I'm very excited to have bought these and will treat them well before deciding where to use them. The splitting question (Q2) is about maximising the gorgeous surface area for inlay work perhaps.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Cheers,
David E (Sydney)

[AlexS]

Hi David. If you didn't have to mortgage the house to buy that timber, you've done a good deal. They are called boards, not sheets, by the way. Answers to your questions.

1. Store them in a dry place, lying down with air circulating around them. If you do a search of the forums or in a good woodwork book on 'stickering' you'll get good info.

2. Yes. Aussie cedar is usually pretty stable. Wait until you're almost ready to use it, then it can be resawn on a bandsaw. Give it a couple of days for any stresses to even out, then dress it for use. Normally, I'd dress one face before resawing. You can even make veneers out of it if that's your wish.

3. Any finish will darken it slightly, but what you use will depend on the use. I usually use shellac & oil on small pieces, but for other uses you might want to use a wipe-on poly or even spray pre-cat lacquer.

Whatever you do, don't waste it.

[deldridg]

Hi Alex,

many thanks for your response. Yes, I realise I was very fortunate and got the lot (roughly .25 m^3 give or take) for under $2k. At the time I probably didn't fully realise how precious the timber was but gut feel suggested it was a pretty good buy.

I will ensure I store these boards well and will do much planning before touching them. We love the cedar characteristics and live in a timber house, though it's made from WRC, not ARC. My wife doesn't want a dark red kitchen and we're hoping to achieve that lovely golden colour if possible - so may have to conduct some small tests, starting with your suggestion!

So thanks again and fingers crossed we'll make optimal use of this gorgeous wood.

Cheers,
Dave

[Wongo]

David,

I am jealous. ARC is a beautiful wood. I do have a fair bit in the shed but they are probably not as precious as yours.

I live very close to where you live so feel free to come over and maybe we can swap a few boards.

[deldridg]

Hi Wongo,

yes, I'm pretty lucky it appears. Who knows - a bit of swapping could be useful!

You can get me at [email protected] (where a = deldridg, b = ozemail, c = com, d = au). I'm in Turramurra for the record!

Cheers,
David

[Wongo]

I am 6 stops before you on the north shore line coming from the city .

You keep the wood mate. I was just kidding. If you need help to do anything then I am just 10 minutes away.

[Alastair]

The colour of cedar depends to a large extent on where it was grown, Trees growing in red iron rich soil tend to have the deeper red colour, while other timber may tend towards pink, or even more golden.

In addition, where I have worked with it to date, cedar tends to redden up the more it is exposed to sunlight, so freshly planed boards may be pale, and will darken with time.

As a timber, it is quite soft, and you have to be careful not to dent items made from cedar. It can be a challenge to work, in spite of the softness, as it can tear out if the grain is wild, (which pieces are often the most dramatic). Further, the outer timber and sapwood tends to be furry and difficult to plane, particularly if the original tree was fast-growth.


regards

[Sawdust Maker]

I am 6 stops before you on the north shore line coming from the city .

You keep the wood mate. I was just kidding. If you need help to do anything then I am just 10 minutes away.

Artarmon or Chatswood? Maybe St Leonards?
You'll have to invite me over for a cuppa

[Wongo]

PM sent.

[Glider]

Good to know there are so many woodies on the North Shore.