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 Post subject: Drying Cedar
PostPosted: Fri Aug 11, 2017 2:04 pm 
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Location: Hampstead, MD, USA
Anything special I need to know about drying cedar? Not sure which species of cedar it is, but they are probably 40' - 50' tall. Have a bunch of them on a property that my brother and I bought to flip that need to come down. I figure the normal methods for drying apply, like sealing the ends and stickering the wood pile. Anything else that is peculiar to drying cedar?

Thanks

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 Post subject: Re: Drying Cedar
PostPosted: Fri Aug 11, 2017 8:31 pm 
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Location: Hamilton, MS
John Boy wrote:
Anything special I need to know about drying cedar? Not sure which species of cedar it is, but they are probably 40' - 50' tall. Have a bunch of them on a property that my brother and I bought to flip that need to come down. I figure the normal methods for drying apply, like sealing the ends and stickering the wood pile. Anything else that is peculiar to drying cedar?

Thanks


Depends on the variety. If you're talking about Eastern Red, then you may have a problem with loose and/or minor cracking on knots. Otherwise it dries pretty easily without developing internal stresses, honeycomb, excessive checking, etc. Just don't hurry it. Don't know about Western cedar.

One other thing: It's popular with certain kinds of bugs. Borer bees love it and will drill and tunnel nests in it if they can get to it.

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 Post subject: Re: Drying Cedar
PostPosted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 12:28 pm 
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Gene wrote:
Depends on the variety. If you're talking about Eastern Red, then you may have a problem with loose and/or minor cracking on knots. Otherwise it dries pretty easily without developing internal stresses, honeycomb, excessive checking, etc. Just don't hurry it. Don't know about Western cedar.

One other thing: It's popular with certain kinds of bugs. Borer bees love it and will drill and tunnel nests in it if they can get to it.


Good to know about the borers. No immediate plans for the wood, so not in any hurry. Thanks

There's also a 50' - 60' redwood in the yard that we are not taking down. Didn't know they grew this far east. Bunch of other trees that are staying also, but this backyard gets virtually no sunlight at all. Had to do something to let the sun in. Hopefully, the tree guy can tell me which variety of cedar it is before he cuts them down.

Thanks again.

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 Post subject: Re: Drying Cedar
PostPosted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 9:20 am 
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Location: Hamilton, MS
John Boy wrote:
Gene wrote:
Depends on the variety. If you're talking about Eastern Red, then you may have a problem with loose and/or minor cracking on knots. Otherwise it dries pretty easily without developing internal stresses, honeycomb, excessive checking, etc. Just don't hurry it. Don't know about Western cedar.

One other thing: It's popular with certain kinds of bugs. Borer bees love it and will drill and tunnel nests in it if they can get to it.


Good to know about the borers. No immediate plans for the wood, so not in any hurry. Thanks

There's also a 50' - 60' redwood in the yard that we are not taking down. Didn't know they grew this far east. Bunch of other trees that are staying also, but this backyard gets virtually no sunlight at all. Had to do something to let the sun in. Hopefully, the tree guy can tell me which variety of cedar it is before he cuts them down.

Thanks again.


I've got lots of cedar on my property, they sprout up like weeds. I've cut down several of the bigger ones in the last 15 years or so for various projects. If you cut a branch off and it smells strong it's likely Eastern Red (aka Aromatic Cedar). It's often what is used for cedar chests, fence posts, moth repellent, and flavoring of Gin.

Interesting about the redwood. Probably planted by somebody years ago, since they aren't found outside of the west coast as far as I know.

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I know no more. (Tennyson, In Memoriam)


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