Replies

1. 
   patternmaker | Dec 05, 2003 05:15pm | #1

   To ansewer your questions:

   Yes,titebond 2 works for me.

   No!I never stain red cedar. Aside from the odor inside ths chest,the wood is beautiful just as The Lord made it.

   I use a wipe on finish on the outside.Nothing on the inside.

   Now.if you have never worked this material you are in for an eye opener. The many knots and the wild grain,all of which add to it`s beauty,present a challenge. My solution is to band resaw the boards to a little more than the final thickness.I then drum sand to the final thickness. If you are a hand tool fanatic,now is the time for your scrapers. I have never been able to sharpen my planes to work on this beautiful material.

   Work safely ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬PAT¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

1. 
   stancalow | Dec 07, 2003 12:29am | #7

   Pat

   I asked almost the same question some time ago.  I have tried many different stain/finish options, on scrap pieces, and came to the conclusion that there is no good finish for cedar.   The combination of purple and white is too strong to tone down.   I've liked cedar since 6th grade shop class, but I haven't found any finish hat does it justice.   The closest thing is plain blonde shellac, but even that  looks artificial on cedar.   Let  us know if you come up with something better. 

1. 
   patternmaker | Dec 07, 2003 01:33am | #8

   On most of my projects I use a wipe on finish. It is called antique oil from Miniwax. it brings out the woods natural color better than any other that I have tried. A total of three coats with a light sanding between coats gives a wonderful finish on cedar and cherry. Let me say again,the quality of the final look and feel, is directly related to the care with which the wood surface is prepared prior to the application of any finishing material.

   Work Safely ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬PAT¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

2. 
   jonsherryl | Dec 06, 2003 07:32am | #2

   Molten, because the volatile extractives in this wood tend to bubble up and soften most oil based varnishes, shellac has been the usual finish used when a film type finish is desired. Maybe some of the newer water based acrylics would work, but I never use them.

   One other caution when working with aromatic cedar is to keep in mind that it is a very brittle wood. If you will be using any metal fasteners (even relatively fine brads or finish nails), it's a good idea to drill pilot holes to minimize the risk of splitting. 

1. 
   jimmyk | Dec 06, 2003 05:00pm | #3

   Thanks to both of you. I'll keep your experiences in mind.

   One last question: I seem to remember reading somewhere that cedar is VERY bad to breath in it's dust...worst than probably any other wood so EXTRA precautions need to be taken when machining and sanding it. Any truth to that?

1. 
   forestgirl | Dec 06, 2003 05:53pm | #4

   You certainly want to wear protection while sanding and working the cedar.  I don't think it's "toxic" per se -- i.e., it's not going to kill you if you breath the dust, but it does tend to produce reactions in people who might not normally be prone to allergies.  When I work cedar, I use a respirator that I normally use when paint stripping, and I wear long sleeves because I get itchy when the cedar dust gets on me.forestgirl Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   DBishop | Dec 06, 2003 06:04pm | #5

   FG I used to work in a factory boxing up big wooden sheds (like you see outside of HD or Lowes).  Man I used to hate Cedar day.  It sure smelled nice but it irritated my skin something fierce!

2. 
   jimmyk | Dec 07, 2003 04:47am | #11

   Thanks for the response, I'll wear the mask and long sleeves to be safe.

   molten

3. 
   ron61 | Dec 06, 2003 06:59pm | #6

   Glue will work

   No to stain  No to finish

   I would use it to line a chest not make the whole chest from cedar it is very weak wood splits cracks easily. I have made one all of Cedar you will not like it.

   They are right about the dust Toxic.

   Best way to surface it is to glue it up and sand it- take it to a cabinet shop and get them to run it through the wide belt sander. It has so many knots the planer will chew it up. 

   I use it just for the bottom of the chest and cut dadoes for it to rest in .

   
   

   ---

   Edited 12/6/2003 11:07:05 AM ET by Ron

1. 
   TomHigby | Dec 07, 2003 04:35am | #9

   I have made two blanket chests of solid aromatic cedar with no problems other than the knots.  I highly recommend it.

   Tom

2. 
   jimmyk | Dec 07, 2003 04:44am | #10

   Ron,

    I totally agree with you about not making it solid cedar, but that's what the client wants, even after I recommended against it so that's what he'll get. I even showed him a bunch of catalogs and maybe 1 of 50 chests were solid cedar...all others were cedar lined.

   Thanks for the advice,

   molten

4. 
   poorsh | Dec 07, 2003 04:49am | #12

   Hi Molten

   Other comments are on the money re structural properties and dust. There are a lot of west coasters who build spectacular canoes and kayaks out of cedar, most of them have a wonderful translucent finish that shows off the wood underneath. Think boat finishes- West system, wood epoxies. I know you are building a blanket chest so would leave inside unfinished.

   http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com

   Mac