Cedar Wood

[Guest]

I never see anything written about using cedar wood for scrolling. It is fairly cheap and smells great, although you lose some wood through knots. It is fairly easy to work with, although dusty. Does anyone else like to use it, or is there something about cedar that I don't know about

[Captain_Bandaid]

Re: Cedar Wood

: Don't breath the dust. There is a reason it prevents moths from living long enough to do any damage.

[boogatoo]

Cedar dust is toxic.

Wear a good dust mask when cutting Cedar.

[Old Mooner]

Check out Judy Gale Robert's books and intarsia site--www.intarsia.com. She uses Western Red Cedar almost exclusively. I agree with the others that you need to wear a mask when working with cedar. Sanding more so than scrolling, but why take a chance?

[CanadianScroller]

Cedar is abundant here, I have had both success and failure with it.
I guess it depends what you are cutting.
There are many qualities of cedar I have some "Old growth" where the rings are so close it is hard to discern the sapwood from the pith. I have also had some wood that was so soft the blade would plow through the pith and bind on the growth rings, smooth lines were hard to achieve.
Some of the best carvings in the world are done by the Northwest Indians, but you will notice thier style of carving has been adapted to work with cedar.
All I can say is, if it is cheap where you are try it and experiment, wear a dust mask.
Check out SSW issue 19 for wood toxicity

[Woodbutcher68]

I've used aromatic cedar for scrolling and turning. I've made some beautiful bottle stoppers and ring holders as well as some ornaments. The only problem is if you put a finish on it, you lose the smell.

[Carter-Johnson]

I use 1/4" aromatic cedar plywood from Wildwood Designs for some of my puzzles, both full-size and Christmas cards. It doesn't hold up over time quite as well, but you're right...it does smell nice. I didn't discover the need for dust protection until I developed a cough while cutting it. A paper mask solved the problem.

Carter

[SharonW0111]

I ve used cedar for a lot of things I make -- bird houses and squirril feeders are great with it - but scrolling I find it tends to break - my large deer pic is in cedar .. but for scrolling I use 1/4 and 1/2 birch ply - to me that works best ..but I do have a dragon statue I am going to do as my next project and since it is a large piece I am going to attempt it in cedar. Hope it works because it will be a gift to my son when he comes home next month ...

[Forester21]

I use cedar for the majority of my scrolled ornaments and crosses. As mentioned, it will lose its smell when you put a finish on it. Some finishes are not compatable with the oils in the cedar and won't dry well ~ sorry, but I can't remember which one it was that wouldn't dry when I used it. And it's color will fade overtime - very quickly if left in the light.

Theresa

[scrollworks]

I have used cedar on several projects with excellent results. Agree with everyone about wearing a mask, not only with cedar, but any time you're cutting and sanding.

_______________
Chuck...