Cedar… maybe the most versatile wood!
Hey again! If you are lucky enough to live in Kentucky or at least in eastern United States, you no doubt are familiar with the aroma that is red cedar. Y’all know that amazing scent! Well today I want dive into why I believe that eastern red cedar might just be the most versatile wood to work with. I want to get into some of what we have used it for here in our small business. We are going to get into the great things about it and also the not so great things. (There are not many negatives imo!)
It doesn’t matter if you find yourself in possession of cedar logs or cedar lumber, you should consider yourself fortunate. Why you ask? Because this material is not only stunning in it’s appearance, the aromatic goodness is also highly prized. This wood can be cut and shaped with ease using any saw or chisel.
Let’s start with a table saw for example. Using planks of eastern cedar, you can cut through these like butter and rip them down to any size for any project. A table-saw project that we chose this material for was a custom end table. We were able to easily get the different size strips of wood for every part of the custom table that was needed.
Next up, wood turning! Turning cedar can be quite fun. The tools peel through it with no problem at all and the colors that pop out while you are working the piece are so beautiful. Here are a couple images from wood turnings we’ve done. One is a solid cedar bowl (still attached to the chuck) that Steven turned for my dad out of a tree that fell on his property back in the 2009 ice storm. the second picture is using eastern cedar planks mixed with western cedar planks. Also a piece that the hubby did on the lathe!
Another reason cedar is so versatile, it is rot resistant! This makes it a great candidate for outdoor uses where moisture can get to the wood. We found that chopping a couple pieces down with the miter makes a gorgeous roof for a bird feeder!
Here is some more cedar knowledge I will leave you with, because this tree is so much more than just the amazingly attractive lumber it provides. Eastern red cedar is more accurately named Juniper. It can live for 500 years or longer! This wonderful tree provides an abundance of shelter and food for wildlife. It is rot and bug resistant… cedar be like, “not on my watch termites!” The mulch is even used to repel insects from gardens and pet areas. As far as medicinal, juniper has been used to ease digestive problems like heartburn, GI infections, loss of appetite and more.
This wood can also be used for fencing, siding for indoors or outdoors. So many different kinds of outdoor furniture have taken advantage of it’s outdoor greatness. Place pieces of eastern red cedar in drawers and closets to stave off odors and moisture. I really can’t say enough good things about this material.
Like everything cedar has a few drawbacks, like the sawdust created when working with it can be considered an irritant to eyes and airways, so Always where protective gear when working with this wood, and any wood. The tree itself can overtake a field or fence row quickly if the property is not being maintained. But I promise you that the wonderful things about eastern red cedar, or juniper, far outweigh the negatives! This material is a must have in your woodworking arsenal!
I hope y’all enjoyed this one and thanks so much for hanging in there till the end of it! Feel free to let us know what you thought about it. Are you a cedar lover, or not so much? What projects have you used cedar for? Let us know! Have a blessed weekend everybody!
-Madison and Steven
