Thread: Juniper (aka Pencil Cedar) for Recorder Blocks

Hopefully Mobyturns will chime in as I think I have some Pencil Cedar in large pieces, but as I have no sense of smell and I am colour blind I can't pick it from all the other cedars I have.
If it is we can do some for you.
Rgds,
Crocy.

Thanks Crocy, if you can positively ID the cedar you have as Juniper that would be marvellous - and much appreciated.

Vaughan

Sorry mate, this stuff is pencil cedar from the NQ rainforest, not that Juniper you are after.
Rgds,
Crocy.

Thanks Crocy, yes most 'pencil cedar' in Oz seems to be NQ rainforest timber not Juniper.

I'll continue the hunt...
V

which particular Juniper are you after. I have some Juniperis Virginiana (about 2m3) Eastern Juniper, Pencil Cedar, Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) | My Garden Life
and I know Chris Parkes has a slab (mostly because I gave it to him).

This is the last log I slabbed up. does it look to be the stuff? There are shorter thicker lengths in the rack behind

B

Yes, T91 Juniperus Virginiana (Eastern Red Cedar) is one of the most common used for recorder blocks. A few other junipers are also used.

If you have any suitably small pieces I'd be interested purchasing some from you.

Thanks,
Vaughan

I am emptying the kiln tomorrow. Pretty sure I have some 300 to 400mm wide, 50-60mm thick, 600mm to 1.8m long. DM me with some measurements specifying what you would like and Ill see what I can do. I am only going to check it for moisture content tomorrow. I also have some 90mm thick-ish stuff which has been air dried for 12 months. Its probably OK for turning, but not for cabinet work
b

Thanks Brendan, I'll email you this morning.

V

for anyone who bothers with this thread this is what Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus Virginiana) looks like, off the saw/planer

Did you end up getting what you needed?

I milled a couple of small logs ten years or so ago and do have one piece still sitting in the shed, from memory it’s about 60 or 80mm square and about 1 to 1.5mt long.

Didn’t get an exact id but closest was Aromatic red cedar, which from a quick search could be Juniper as well???

D9D857E5-86A3-4357-8785-7C0086743C23.jpg 1122748D-3527-4309-A915-BF50DD6C1EB0.jpg

Thanks DJ - it does look like you have Juniper - but I will soon have enough to get on with thanks to Brendan.

Vaughan

Many, many thanks to Brendan for obtaining this beautiful Juniper. Today I got a chance to try out making my first recorder block.

The timber is a lovely red-pink colour and has a gorgeous aroma.

It turns well:
IMG_20220126_171153.jpg

And carves well:
IMG_20220126_171319.jpg

I'm not too experienced at carving so I'm pretty pleased with my first attempt at a curved, tapered windway. Keeping track of grain direction kept me on my toes and I made a few boo-boos. Getting it concentric with just a chisel and plane is also tricky even with turned shoulders either end to guide me.

Next challenge is fitting it snugly into the bored and carved mouthpiece (beak). It needs to be airtight and very cleanly finished to work well. Too big and it'll split the mouthpiece.
This work is probably the dovetail equivilent in woodwind instrument making, so it'll take some serious practise!

V

I am getting Ray Halpin to put together an article on how to get JV to retain its colour.. It generally loses that pink with exposure to light and turns a lightish brown. If he writes the article, I will link it into this thread.