Replies

1. 
   WayneL5 | Aug 22, 2003 05:50am | #1

   I'm only a hobby woodworker.  I used Western Red Cedar to build the front door to my new home.  I noticed that the cedar is very soft.  If I set a board down on the bench and there was a shaving of wood underneath it, the wood would dent.  So it may be that very sharp tools are needed.

   I also found that I got a headache and mild flu-like symptoms (muscle aches) after working with it.  It took a while to make the connection.  They say some people can be sensitive to certain woods, especially tropical woods.  Of course, I didn't expect it to be me.  So if you feel bad every time you work with it, that might be it.

   Good luck with woodworking.  It can be very rewarding.  You'll get some good advice here.

1. 
   willameena | Aug 22, 2003 06:17am | #2

   I've been on vacation for two weeks. I was looking forward to get working on my projects. I decided to spend some time in my workshop.  I've been also fighting a bad cold ... I guess I'd better finish my project fast and get some other wood to work with. Thank you for the advice. 

1. 
   willameena | Aug 22, 2003 06:38am | #3

   Oh and one more question... What kind of woods would you suggest . I have tried Ipé, nice finish, but terrible to work with, and of course pine.  Can you make me some suggestions?

   Thanks

1. 
   pino | Aug 22, 2003 11:01pm | #8

   As a novice myself I have had good luck with Beech. Finishes nice too.

2. 
   forestgirl | Aug 22, 2003 08:48am | #4

   Soft wood is probably not the best to work with when learning to use chisels.  Seems to me I've seen oak and maybe walnut recommended for practicing dovetails and such.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   NormInFujino | Aug 22, 2003 09:55am | #5

   I think poplar would be a good choice for learning dovetails; economical and not hard to work. An alternative might be alder.

   ". . .and only the stump or fishy part of him remained."

   Green Gables: A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township

1. 
   forestgirl | Aug 22, 2003 07:19pm | #6

   Poplar and alder would certainly be better than pine or cedar.  Alder dents real easily, so presents some of the same problems (for actual building, no practicing) that cedar does, but I sure love the way it finishes!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

3. 
   fredb | Aug 22, 2003 09:23pm | #7

   Just cut my "1st" set of practice dovetails with only three tails (new chisels, new marking gauge, new mallet and new at this dovetail thing - oh boy). I happen to be using poplar myself. Reason? I just like it way better than pine. After building a bird feeder with my 2-1/2 year old out of red cedar I realized just how soft that stuff is! Anyway - once I get the "hang" of cutting through and half-blind joints in my poplar boards, I'll commit a few bucks to cut some in hard maple before I head off into dovetailed project land!

   Kind regards - Fred