Is this spanish cedar

[Jeremy Redman]

I am not sure if this is right forum but i have a question about some wood. I purchased some spanish cedar from a local vendor and began milling it yesterday, but the more i cut the worse it looked. In addition it had zero aroma, when i say zero i mean no smell at all. My wife nor father could smell anything either. Now i am new to woodworking but it just doesnt look or smell like any spanish cedar i have ever seen(humidors). What is this wood or did i just pick a bad board?20131007_165345[1].jpg20131007_165436[1].jpg20131007_165324[1].jpg20131007_165312[1].jpg20131007_165238[1].jpg

[Andrew Fleck]

I'm not an expert on Spanish Cedar, but I do know it's not actually a cedar tree. So if you are expecting a strong cedar smell I think you will be dissapointed. Your pictures look like the spanish cedar I have seen. Try putting a chunk of the wood in a ziplock bag for a day or two and then take a wiff. It might smell like you expect then.

[Jeremy Redman]

This could be true i am only going by peoples comments on the strong amazing odor of spanish cedar. I guess the redish tint could just be gum.

[Rob Feldner]

It looks like it could be, but from a photo it is fairly hard to tell. A sliver under a microscope would give some more clues. Some Spanish Cedar has a stronger odor than others, but in my experience once you start sanding it you'll know. Without a dust mask your next meal will probably taste like it!

[Jeremy Redman]

Yep i was sure to wear a mask when cutting it so i thought that was eliminating the smell so i did go as far as to give it a light sanding then remove my mask and sniff the board. When looking at the end grain it is no where near as porus(spelling?) as a humidor divider i had on hand.

I do thank you guys for the responses i know its hard to identify a species of wood just from some photos but its nice to bounce some ideas around. My biggest fear is to fill it with a few hundred dollas worth of cigars and it not give me the protection of cedar.

[Mike Cutler]

Jeremy

It's been going on 7+ years since I built this tack trunk, lined with spanish cedar, and every time we open it, the aroma still fills the room. Even the leftover board in the shop still has that nice aroma when it gets shifted about. It should have a very distinct, pleasant aroma.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...unk&highlight=