cedar

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JohnDrayton

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Anyone out there ever turn pens from southern red cedar? Or is too soft? I have tons of it, and it appears to have great grain and tiny knots.



John Drayton (Ar)
 
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turns fine, cracks fine if sanded too hot. Cracks when drying if bowls are not of even thickness.

Soft for pens, so it may dent, but has a nice feel (JMHO)
 
I've used a few and they make nice pens. A bit tough to finish because it is soft...if you sand it properly (use proper grit steps) there should be no problem. Oh, they tend to splinter sometimes so be careful.

I collected a few recently and the base/root ball have very nice figure. The knots you metioned should produce interesting figure too.

I love the aroma too (though some people don't like it).
 
They are beautiful pens, but as John and Dario pointed out, they can be a little soft so they'll show all the bumps and bruises the pen receives. That being said, I've told recipients that it adds "character" to the pen! [:D] Here are some pictures of various cedar pens:
http://www.penturners.org/forum/photo_album.asp?mode=search&AlbumUsers=0&Photo_Search=cedar&submit1=search
 
Last week I found an old cedar hiking stick I made years ago. Since I haven't been hiking in a while, I thought I'd try using it to make a pen. I finished it with CA, EEE and then Shellwax. It came out nice and shiny. So much so that I made a matching pencil. Now I have about 4 more feet of pen stock to use !!
 
I've turned a few pens out of cedar, and yes, even with a CA finish they dent. I have thought about sending a couple blanks off for professional stabilizing, but just haven't gotten around to it yet.

I've also turned cedar "acorns" for our closet

Ryan
 
Originally posted by Gary Max
<br />It's still my #1 selling pens----heck I make them 20 at a time.
Of course I have some of the best Cedar on earth---really I do.
Click to expand...

Now, I have to see these cedar of yours [:D]

I do have a few cedar blanks worth showing off too [;)]
 
Originally posted by Dario
<br />
Originally posted by Gary Max
<br />It's still my #1 selling pens----heck I make them 20 at a time.
Of course I have some of the best Cedar on earth---really I do.
Click to expand...

Now, I have to see these cedar of yours [:D]

I do have a few cedar blanks worth showing off too [;)]
Click to expand...

No. Mine is better. [:D] I sell pure Arkansas Ozarks aromatic Red Cedar blanks.
 
I have not seen cedar from the Ozarks, but I have Kentucky burl cedar from Gary and it is Grade A stuff. I put no finish on them other than oil to let the aroma come out.

Gary gets my good house keeping seal of approveal [:p]
But I wouldn't take that to the bank [:D]
 
Thanks for the input, the pics of your cedar creations are great! I will try it as soon as it quits raining here in south Ar. !


John Drayton
 
No offense meant to anyone's cedar, but here's Gary's. It's as beautiful as I've ever seen. (This was the worst of the lot, if you can imagine.)

<b>Image Insert:</b><br />
20058421041_CedarBurlView3.jpg
<br />
 
I'm new to the forum, but had to comment on what a beautiful pen this was. I have turned only a couple of cedar blanks so far and they came out pretty nice.
 
I have some Virginia cedar drying in my garage right now. It grows all over the place here. I can't resist the urge to sniff the small saddle of it every time I get the chance, it smells so good. I hope to get some nice burling when I cut it - probably about this time next year, huh?

Any tips on turning and finishing it? I like a high gloss finish, but I imagine that's kill the scent. Will stabilization kill the nice smell? What about sanding sealer?

Dan
Unionville, VA
 
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