Western Red Cedar

[grsjax]

I was giving a couple of large pieces of cedar from a guy that cut one down.  He didn't know what kind it was but it appears to be western red cedar.  Nice wood, light tan in color with a mild cedar smell and a fairly fine straight grain with a few small knots.  My question to the forum;  Has anyone used western red cedar in building models?  If so how did it work out?

 

[Jaager]

For at least one response - I have no actual experience with this species of wood.  From the lack of reply, I guess that few have any experience either.  The information that I read in the Wood Database points to it being a poor choice for any part of an actual ship model.  It may make an interesting base.  It may work for making jigs and other support components.

[Landrotten Highlander]

I beleive Chuck is using yellow cedar for his kits.  Perhaps he can answer your question?

[Jaager]

As an indicator of the characteristics the term Cedar is all but useless.   It includes several genus groups and may be more than one family.  Being an aromatic conifer may be all it takes.

[reklein]

If you red cedar sample is straight grained and cured it will work nicely for planking and decks. It can be carved fairly easily too as that is the primary wood for totem poles and NW coast native art. Be sure to use a mask while sanding and machining the wood as it is an irritant. Also the sanding dust can be irritating to the skin. Yellow cedar trees look similar but the wood is a nice yellow-crème color. It has the same irritants the red cedar does. It is better to carve because straight grained wood is non-splintery and will take detail nicely. While harder  than basswood it doesn't fuzz like basswood when sanded. Yellow cedar best for carving and planking, Basswood best for sheetwood and carving. Red cedar good color and nice for planks and decks. More irritants than the other two.

[Sailor1234567890]

I built a canoe of WRC and it's kind of splintery so I doubt it would make good planking for a model. Funny, I used it for planking the canoe. It bends well, but can be brittle if that makes any sense. The grain wasn't what I would call tight. 

[Gerarddm]

Soft, splintery, the dust is toxic.

[Timmo]

I also did a canoe with it and endorse the above. I couldn’t see it working much for anything model size. I love it’s grain, smell and texture and the great result on the canoe but it doesn’t love me. A lingering skin irritation resparked by other wood dust is an unpleasant legacy. 

[clarkt]

I have used western red cedar as blocking and backing, as between bulkheads, but only if it is to be covered with something else.  As far as I'm concerned, its only good quality is that it's easy to sand.  And, of course, it's readily available.  However, there is another cedar species that I find very useful.  Port Orford cedar is not very strong, has a light yellow color that is objectionable and it smells bad when you cut it.  But it can be turned or cut down to about .060" and will stay absolutely straight forever.  So for yards especially (if painted), and other slender spars, I think it is ideal. 

[michael mott]

The term yellow cedar is a bit of a misnomer it is actually a cypress. although it does cut and plane and smell a bit like cedar It is a beautiful creamy wood and I am going to plank the Launch "skipjack" with it.

 

Michael

[vaddoc]

On 7/1/2020 at 3:38 AM, michael mott said:

I am going to plank the Launch "skipjack"

Fantastic news. Myself and I am sure many others have been patiently waiting for you to pick this up again.

[Eduardo Castellanos]

Quite interesting, but could not find what I was looking for.

[ratskiss]

I use WRC for some parts that I may need on my ships. My home is surrounded in a Western red cedar forest. The best is "old growth" which has fine grain and is a deeper red. This may be carved and used, better when fresh. "Second growth" is a lighter colour and has a wider grain. Second growth is not very good. As someone else said yellow cedar carves very nicely. WRC (old growth) is used all the time for kayaks and canoes. Our craft is just smaller. I try to get my wood as mill off cuts and waste as our old growth forests are disappearing.