cedar drawers restored

[ditchy]

i restored these western red cedar drawers from an ugly four or five coats of paint! the colour is the natural timber colour, no stain was used, just clear satin lacquer. the back is made of baltic pine, but the rest is wrc. it only cost me fifty bucks to buy and came up a treat.:)

[JohnM]

Very nice. Fifty bucks well spent!

[Simple]

Ditchy

Looks great!

What's your process for removing the old paint?

Simon M.

[nine fingers]

Ditchy, Are you sure the draw cabinet is WRC.
It looks more like Queensland red cedear or (australian cedear).

[Robert WA]

I have to say that the piece doesn't look like WRC to me. If it is from Europe, maybe it is genuine cedar. If so, you have yourself a bargain indeed.
Whatever, it is a nice piece of furniture and a wonderful restoration.

[ditchy]

simple; i use paint stripper easily found at any good hardware store, a scraper and plenty of elbow grease. most pieces require three coats or more of stripper and a bloody good sand, but its all worth it in the end.

nine fingers and robert wa; is there somewhere that i can get the timber tested? i would love to know if it is WRC or not, i guessed at WRC because of the familiar smell and softness, but i don't mind admitting that i am probably wrong, any advice is welcome, thanks.
by the way, the handles were saved from a reno. that i was painting.

John M; thanx, i thought so too.


ditchy..........................

[Robert WA]

The cedar used in any old furniture from Europe that I have seen is soft but a deeper colour than WRC. I have a Chiffonier that is definitely from Europe and is cedar, French polished.
Unfinished parts, drawer edges and the like, are a deep red/brown, similar in depth of colour to mahogony but more red and much softer.
Identifying old timber is the bane of my life as I do quite a lot of restoration. Some people, not me, have the gift and I have a friend who is one of them. When I am am stumped I just call him in. As far as I am concerned it is witchcraft.

[Shane Watson]

If it smelt like banana its WRC. Well thats my test in anycase case RC don't have that destintive smell well not the same as WRC..

[Robert WA]

Is that Carnarvon, WA bananas or QLD bananas?
If you are going to get scientific about these things, you should supply all the information.

[thewoodworker]

wow ,looking great
well done ditchy cool
:cool: