Was curious as to some opinions about using cedar to make furniture. I was taught that it wasn't generally a good idea, but I wanted some other opinions and/or concurrence. I don't really remember the reasons I was given, which is another reason I'm asking :P
But anyway, I'd love to hear from you guys about it...
I can put it to you in a nutshell as far as my opinion goes. 30 years ago when I was framing houses, we got old growth cedar that was heavy, tight grained, and as hard as a medium pine. With few knots, it was straight as you could imagine. It was sent to us for fascia, trims, and cornice work.
The stuff that has been sold for the last 15 years or so is new growth stuff, and it is pitiful. Larged grained and knotty, this stuff has almost no resistance to the elements, much less insects. It swings from soft and mealy when green (the way it is sold) to hard and brittle when dry.
Overall, a waste of time. I think you would do better with just about anything else on your project, and if you are making the furniture for outside use, paint it no matter what wood it is.
As I said, my 0.02.
Robert
Not much reason to unless you're making outdoor furniture. Main problem is that most varieties are quite soft and not very strong--you can stick your fingernail in some of it. Finding a clear grade kiln dried is another issue--it does exist but it's not commonplace and you'll pay for it when you find it.
If you've got a local source get some stock and make a few small pieces and see how you like the result.
What's "cedar"? There's a whole bunch of them, some good, some bad. Some (the resinous rot-resistant sorts) I use for outdoor work, some (the lightweights) only for indoor work, such as large portable chests. Cedar of Lebanon I can't afford, Spanish cedar (sic) I can't find.
I would only use cedar on out door projects and even then , I have switched to Cypress or even oak, In doors I would never use cedar unless I was linning a blanket chest or a closet, but then it would only be a linner Thats my 2 cents
Randy http:nokeswoodworks.com
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I've used western red cedar for small boxes. The wood is very soft and can be brittle. Due to the softness of the stuff I get, I wouldn't use it in furniture. Your experience may vary. I note that in the Pacific Northwest it's used in a lot of things.
D. G. Adams
A lot of outdoor furniture was made of cedar in years past. We even had a "lawn swing" or "Glider" made of cedar on oak posts. Basically just the seat slats were cedar.It splits easily and is soft so not to be used where strength is critical. My front porch, however, is ALL cedar. Used to be a lot of house framing aroundhere was cedar. Now it's hard to get good cedar in Canada - we ship all the good stuff to the US for "rich yanks" to make their saunas etc!!!
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We just ship it on to Japan!
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