Cedar; What should I do with it?

[Rmartin]

I have access to a cedar tree which was cut down this past week. I haven't measured it, but I would say it's at least 14 inch in diameter and 20 foot long. At the base, it has about a 4 inch white wood ring on the outside and then a red center core. If I don't get it, it will go into a burn pile. I don't even own a chain saw, but I'll go get one if it's worth salvaging.

Any suggestions on what I should do with this, or how I should go about doing whatever I'm going to do with this?

Thanks

 

[rjwolfe3]

Cut it all up and send it too me. I've always wanted to try cedar. Just kidding. Just don't let it get burnt. If you find someone who can cut it up for you, you can probably sell it here and split it with that person.

 

[Firefyter-emt]

Natrual edge bowls come to mind with a deep ring like that. Kinda soft for pens, I have done them and they look nice, but soft all the same.

 

[hunter-27]

Done a lot of cedar pens, yes it is soft but nice pens, lots of bowl, box, and other applications. I've got all the cedar I could ever use but a lot of folks don't. Would be a shame to see it go up in smoke[xx(]

 

[Rmartin]

Thanks form the replies.

I forgot to mention; this is FREE to me for the taking. Looks like I need to stop at the local hardware store and buy a chainsaw tomorrow. I'll take some pics and post them as well. Maybe I can get some nice boards for making chests and still have plenty for bowls and pens. I've never used such raw wood before. Is it going to warp on me real bad once cut?

 

[jeff]

Originally posted by Rmartin

Thanks form the replies.

I forgot to mention; this is FREE to me for the taking. Looks like I need to stop at the local hardware store and buy a chainsaw tomorrow. I'll take some pics and post them as well. Maybe I can get some nice boards for making chests and still have plenty for bowls and pens. I've never used such raw wood before. Is it going to warp on me real bad once cut?

I hope you'll take this in the spirit it's given...

If you've never used a chainsaw before, you might be better off calling a tree service or lawn care company to see if they'll come buzz it up for you into manageable pieces. There are so many ways to get hurt with a chainsaw, even when you are very familiar with one. Kickback, sprung branches, wrestling with a pinched blade, not to mention that you can ruin your saw in short order without proper adjustment and operation.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[karlkuehn]

You might think about looking in the phone book to find someone with a portable sawmill and have them come out and mill it for you right away so you can get it stickered up and drying. That way when you go to cut it up later into smaller pieces, it's already got some square sides to work with.

 

[ahoiberg]

rick, i bet you could find a chainsaw on craigslist for a decent price. get it and go get a few nice hunks of that for bowls and boxes and platters and whatever the heck else you can think of. a breif check showed quite a few in atlanta, none in columbus though. or you could just buy a new one!

 

[Firefyter-emt]

IMHO.. If you buy a chainsaw for minor use, and for turning use. Look at the cheap electric ones. Not as convienent to use as a gas power, but they work well for wood turners and are light to use.
Before you do this, just read up on chainsaw safety on the internet a bit.

 

[rlharding]

What Jeff said.

I believe everybody should have a chain saw lesson before they buy one. Part of having one is to be able to maintain it. What will you do if the chain needs sharpening before you have cut up the wood? Do you know what size file you will need, or even how you find out what size file you need. Do you know what oil/gas ration to use?

I would also say DON'T go to the local hardware store if you want a decent chain saw. Go to a HUSKY dealership, or Stihl (sp?) dealership or.......at least there they wil show you how it works and hopefully sell you some chaps and a face screen.

 

[Rmartin]

I appreciate the safety tips. I should clairify though. While I don't own a chain saw, I have used them. I do like the idea of looking for someone locally to process the tree into board feet for me. They would probably have a better eye on how to get the best/most out of my tree.

If this is still on the front page tomorrow, I'll post a gloat pic

 

[GBusardo]

Whatever you do, please do not let someone burn it. THAT would be a complete waste. After you get whatever wood you can use for turning, see if you can borrow a chipper and you can make yourself some awesome mulch. No part of that tree should be wasted. Good luck and good gloat!!

 

[PaulDoug]

Native American Flute..

 

[RonInSpringTX]

Richard, all kind of stuff you can make with that wood!!I make planters indoor & outdoor with regular cedar dog-ear fence planks from HD or Lowes, plane 'em, biscuit-joint 'em, 4 of them(about 22" sq). I made a template(a little smaller than the panels) from that solid material that peg boards are made of. Cut out about a 12"sq from the center, then routed out each panel center. Then you can put decorative tiles on each panel, or whatever you want!! I used some larger lighthouse tiles for the center surrounded by smaller dark blue tiles.(our downstairs is kind of a beach theme!!) Told my wife I was gonna sell it at a craft show, she said, "like hell you are" oh well, it does look nice in our house! Anyways, I've skipped a bunch of steps, you know, the sanding, I shellaced mine, (used the garnet flakes w/DNA formula) looks great on cedar. Assembled with 2"x2" blocks at each inside corner. Dado'ed a slot at bottom of each panel for a bottom. You can do it different, just use the 2x2's to support the bottom works as well.
Put some top edge trim & corner trim, some swivel wheels on the bottom. It's ready to go!! Over Christmas holidays I was at my dad's and a friend of theirs told me I could probably get $300 + for that on Ebay or an upscale craftshow!! Will try & find a pic.

Ron

 

[RonInSpringTX]

Richard, I did find a pic of something else I made from the cedar dog-ear planks. It's a paper-towel / dish towel rack. It faces the sun going down from spring thru fall, looks better than the pics!!!

 

[R2]

Do as Hunter 27 and others suggest. Cut up and stack, you'll get plenty of uses for it.

 

[jeffj13]

Originally posted by GBusardo

Whatever you do, please do not let someone burn it. THAT would be a complete waste. After you get whatever wood you can use for turning, see if you can borrow a chipper and you can make yourself some awesome mulch. No part of that tree should be wasted. Good luck and good gloat!!

Just curious, with wood going for 200/cord, why would burning free wood to stay warm be a waste?

jeff

 

[hunter-27]

Originally posted by jeffj13

Originally posted by GBusardo

Whatever you do, please do not let someone burn it. THAT would be a complete waste. After you get whatever wood you can use for turning, see if you can borrow a chipper and you can make yourself some awesome mulch. No part of that tree should be wasted. Good luck and good gloat!!

Just curious, with wood going for 200/cord, why would burning free wood to stay warm be a waste?

jeff

Well,for 1 there is a lot of better choices for firewood than cedar, and I'm guessing a lot more "free firewood" out there than "free cedar" trees of that size. I could be wrong, but I'm not.

 

[Chasper]

Cedar is lousy firewood, it burns too hot and fast, too much danger of starting a chimney fire.

It would make great fence posts, use a draw knife or hatchet to trim off the white wood and the red stuff will last for 50 years+ as a fence post. However, I'm gussing that you may not have any cows in danger of wandering off because your fence needs new posts.

For turnings cedar is an almost wood. Interesting but not interesting enough, too common to get excited about. I like the low limbs for pens. The tree is probably 50 years old, there are probably limbs that began growing out of the trunk when it was a sapling. Now these low limbs are 2-4 inches in diameter and most of it is solid red wood, they might have 50 growth rings. This wood is harder than the main trunk, and you get some interesting hard knots. Sometimes I just put the limbs on the lathe and turn them round, then drill and make pens. They make great free form canes or hiking staffs. You can cut short limbs with a pruning saw.

If I wanted to make pen blanks out of the trunk I would cut it into firewood sized pieces, split it with a maul, then square up the pieces on the bandsaw. There is a lot of waste, but the wood is basically worthless anyway.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Can't tell from the pictures. Is it western cedar or eastern aromatic red cedar?
The eastern is a love/hate wood with turners. Very soft but also very brittle. If you do turn anything from it, whether pens or larger, do expect the occasional, and dramatic, blow-out just as you are about to finish your project. I used to sell it to folks in parts of the country that don't have it (eastern red). But, it is so cheap I couldn't make a profit on pen blanks and larger hunks invariably split in transit.

 

[monkeynutz]

Burning it would be a shame. Gotta get it milled and stack it. Cedar makes great outdoor furniture. Indoors, use it for blanket chests or closet lining. Save the shavings from the milling for potpourri or animal bedding (except for reptiles, that is).

 

[pssherman]

Originally posted by jeffj13

Originally posted by GBusardo

Whatever you do, please do not let someone burn it. THAT would be a complete waste. After you get whatever wood you can use for turning, see if you can borrow a chipper and you can make yourself some awesome mulch. No part of that tree should be wasted. Good luck and good gloat!!

Just curious, with wood going for 200/cord, why would burning free wood to stay warm be a waste?

jeff

Man you're paying a lot for firewood. Around here you can get a pickup load delivered and stacked for about $40.

 

[workinforwood]

Cedar makes a great raft. I'd tie several logs and branches together and sail to Canada where the economy is booming right now. You could be the very first American refugee! When you arrive, you can recycle your raft into a nifty lean-to. Just think...free food stamps, free health care

 

[Rmartin]

I'm gussing that you may not have any cows in danger of wandering off because your fence needs new posts

That's not far from being true. I live on 50 acres with a 5 acre lake, but the cows were sold and the fence came down almost 10 years ago. More than once I came home with a dozen cows in the middle of the road.

Here's 2 pics as promised:

Not the best pictures, but the sun was in my eyes. Can anyone tell what kind of cedar this is? Oh, this tree was damaged by a recent storm, and due to a long drought we've been under, it just wasn't going to make it.

 

[Jarheaded]

Can't be sure what type it is from the picture, but it looks like eastern red cedar. If you want to pay the expenses, I'll come down and turn it into blocks for you with my chainsaw and even give you some free lessons in using one. When we sell firewood around here, we make sure that there is no pine or cedar in the pile, customers complain about it because it will cause excess creosote build up in the chimneys. It sure is good for fires on camping trips though.

 

[Chasper]

It looks like eastern red cedar and those small limbs are the best pen wood in the tree. You might try a few of those dead pine limbs too, if you get into the knot just right they can have a lot of character and the pine knots are tough.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Looks like eastern red. Does it smell nice? The 'aroma' deters insects but can be tough on the throat and sinuses when working. Despite what others say, it has little value. Do try to work it. East to turn, but, as I said, it is brittle. Expect blow-outs.

 

[Jarheaded]

I make a lot of cedar pens and sell them to a couple of cigar specialty shops in the area. I guess that cigar smokers will try to use a pen to help cover up the cigar smoke or something. They do look nice when they are made, and smell great while making them.

 

[hunter-27]

Originally posted by hunter-27

Done a lot of cedar pens, yes it is soft but nice pens, lots of bowl, box, and other applications. I've got all the cedar I could ever use but a lot of folks don't. Would be a shame to see it go up in smoke[xx(]

Take it or leave it I feel all the proof I need is here, yes maybe a blowout or 2 but then again if you have not had an expensive piece of wood blow out at some point you are very lucky am I right?

 

[bitshird]

The first pens and pencils I made were from eastern red cedar, still have both of them, sometime there will be a variegation of red and yellow and nearly purple in the heartwood, it can be beautiful, also the limbs do have some interesting growth patterns, plus it smell so good.