10 questions RE: Turning Cedar... Pre-Gloat

[Chris Studley]

My neighbor works at a golf course and they are in Fall clean up mode. He has informed me that he Will be dropping off some cedar they chopped down this morning.

1. I will obviously take measures to seal things tonight, but are there any other pitfalls I should be aware of?
2. I believe they will be in log form for now. Is this a "get the pith out of it ASAP" type wood or can I seal the ends and deal w/ it this weekend?
3. Are there any health concerns regarding dust? Or are normal means adequate?
4. What about safety? Is it softer and more/less likely to blow out?
5. What (besides a mess) does Sap introduce to the endeavor?
6. Are Natural edge, bark on, turnings feasable?
7. What kind of movement after roughouts should I expect? Excessive Cracking?
8. Is DNA soak still an option w/ Cedar?
9. Best Finish to retain Reddish color?
10. Is sharpening required more frequently? (like Purple Heart)

I guess The will be some Hickory and Beech coming My way as well.

[Matt Newton]

Hey Chris, I've turned some red cedar before and it is beautiful. It's reletively soft so your tools won't take a beating. I have 3- 4'logs that I sealed the end on, and are still good. If you want to use the sapwood for contrast though, get to it sooner than later as the bugs will get into it (obviously not the heart wood). I have not had any adverse reactions to the dust, but I always wear a trend respirator. The natural edge turnings are hard to keep the bark on since it is so stringy. Never DNA soaked a cedar piece. I used WOP for a finish and the red color stayed pretty well. I still have people try to sniff it though. Best of luck with the wood. If you feel like sharing, where in southern NH are you?

[Doug Herzberg]

Chris, I've turned red cedar or something like it, maybe Rocky Mountain Juniper.

2. Sealed whole logs have kept 6 months with minimal checking, but I've had the work crack on the lathe. Someone here said it might be heat from turning and suggested a spray bottle of water to cool things down.
3. I use a Trend as well. Smells great, no problems, and I'm sensitive.
5. No mess from sap from my wood.
6. I did a natural edge piece. Soaked the bark with ca first, no problems.
9. If you find out how to keep the red color, let me know. I would try keeping it from sunlight and sealing it to prevent atmospheric exposure. I've done some flatwork with red cedar and it still looks good several years later, but it's not as red as when it was new.

IMG_1351.jpg

See the cracks in the sapwood. I need to get out to the barn and bring some of that wood into the shop. Just saw it today and no serious checking.

Good luck. Have fun.

[Chris Studley]

Thanks for the Tips,

It turns out that the pieces I were smaller than I'd like. Should still be able to get some small items out of it. I have re-discussed preffered sizes with my Neighbor as to get better pieces when they do more cutting this fall.

Doug, thanks for the CA tip for the "Bark" (if you can even call it that), It looks nice on the bowl you posted. How/when did you apply it? it doesn't seem to be discolored or glossy. I'd be lucky to replicate it. My pieces will be small enough in some cases that there is hardly enough to do anything unles it has a natuaral edge.

[Lee Koepke]

I am working a series of bowls/platters from cedar we took from a jobsite last year. Surprisingly enough, the wood was rather 'dry' when I started working it, so the traditional drying methods and times didnt seem to apply to me. Maybe the tree was dead, standing?

It will develop cracks for no apparent reason while you are turning. Keep an ear out for that mysterious "POP", you may not see it, but the crack is there. When I do see cracks developing, I have soaked the area in thin CA...that has seemingly stopped the crack, and so far, its not noticeable to others.

I havent 'finished' any of them yet, but my final turn/sanding looks fabulous.....and your shop will smell good for DAYS and DAYS.

Oh, and if you drop a bowl while sanding/finishing, it will break on you DAHIKT!

[Doug Herzberg]

Thanks for the Tips,
How/when did you apply it? it doesn't seem to be discolored or glossy.

When I had a pretty good idea where the rim would be, I drizzled a circle of thin ca until it was soaked. I think a lot of people do this with ne pieces. Someone told me once it will dry more clear without an accelerator, so I think I waited for it to dry naturally.

[Robert Henrickson]

I can't be in a room where cedar is being turned, let alone sanded. It's far worse for me than walnut. But, so far, those are my known sensitivities, though I simply have avoided the tropical exotics.

[willis martin]

Chris,I'd be careful around cedar as I've been told by medical people (more than one) that the fine dust generated when sanding cedar is the biggest concern.As i've heard fine cedar dust has miroscopic little hooks on each particle (somewhat like asbestos) those hooks cling to your lungs creating multiple respitory problems.Beautiful wood and fairly soft ,Tool Friendly, But wear a good dust hood. And enjoy .I turn cedar quite often but I respect what could possibly occur So I use a trend pro shield.I have no material interest in trend pro but I do like mine, Willis

[Bernie Weishapl]

I always use a repirator. I turn a lot of cedar and generally with very few problems. Really nice soft wood to turn and turns out beautifully.

[Doug Herzberg]

I wanted to correct a couple things I said. I did get some of my cedar out of the barn and I found that the checking was worse than it appeared. I would suggest that you do more to prepare your cedar, Chris, than just seal the ends of the logs. Mine is still useable, but there will be some waste.

Second, I turned a bowl from a larger piece and found that it moved a little while turning, such that the rim thickness isn't consistent, and and it moved a lot more afterward. I guess if you want round bowls, you may have to consider roughing the blanks and turning them a second time when they have dried and, hopefully, finished moving. I also lost quite a bit of bark on the NE of this piece, so maybe that's something you do with this wood when it's green.

[Bill Bulloch]

I have an Eastern Red Cedar Bowl on the lathe right now. We had a tornado come through here in April 2011, and I put up some Eastern Red Cedar. I cut it into slabs, removed the pith and waxed the ends. It held up well with minimum checking. I wanted to do a segmented bowl with it, so I milled it the sizes I needed and took apiece to the local wood yard(www.woodyard.com) and had them check the moisture content for me. It was 11 percent. He checked the Kiln dried pieces he had on hand and they ranged from 10 to 11.6 percent. He told me that his supplier, the Amish, would only bring the moisture content down to 14 percenton their Cedar, of course, it dries more in the warehouse. So, I decided that 11% was good to go.

It’s soft and turns real nice. I was being a little too aggressive and it was chipping on me, so I slowed down some took lighter cuts and it worked out just fine. I was thinking that I wanted to leave mine all natural for the aroma. Maybe bring it back to the shop for a light sanding when the aroma fades, but am not sure how that will work out. Are there any other ways to preserve the aroma?

[Glenn Bird]

I have been told that cedar dust is a carcinogen (not verified) so best to protect oneself.