Aeromatic Cedar - Woodworking Talk

Ohio Ron · 02-16-2008, 09:14 PM

I was at our local lumber yard and walked by the Cedar boards. I have never used Cedar before and I noticed one board that had some unusual markings on it. I wondered if it make a pretty vase. I finished it today and am pleased with it. I found that it is easy to work with, but is very soft. One big plus is than my dusty old shop, now has a great smell. :-)

LarrySch · 02-16-2008, 11:22 PM

yes I agree Cedar has a smell that is just great - lets bottle it - and the vase that you made is very very nice.

dpmcreations · 02-17-2008, 12:57 AM

Great job... And yes... Cedar is such an exquisite smell... Nothing like cutting it and/or working with it... You can do alot with it, but always keep in mind that it is a very soft/porous wood... Very rot resistant.... Have fun and make lots of shavings...

mmwood_1 · 02-17-2008, 08:40 AM

Nice colors and interesting form. Not typical. I like that.

**TexasTimbers** · 02-17-2008, 01:07 PM

Very nice vase. I mill alot of cedar and that coloration mix is one of my favorites. Sort of creamy vanilla, I don't know how to descrfibe it I am not good with colors. Almost yellowish beige? Anyhow, I milled a bunch of boards for wall paneling this week before the rains and opened up another log with burl, and all sorts of wild figure. It is rare to see burl in ERC but I have been getting quite a few lately. I ended up bookmatching a set of natural edge boards with them.

Again, very nice vase and I too love the way you shaped it.

Ohio Ron · 02-18-2008, 12:45 AM

Texas, I'd love to see a cedar burl, can you post a picture?

Thanks

Gerry KIERNAN · 02-18-2008, 12:39 PM

That is a really nice piece of turning Ohio Ron.
One of my hobbies is beachcombing, as I live very near ocean and lakes. Every so often I will cut into a cedar log and find that it is aromatic. I believe that this is probably my favourite smell. What a great scent.

Gerry

**TexasTimbers** · 02-18-2008, 02:04 PM

Ron I will take a pic when I can - you may have to remind me. I have 'em stickered and stacked and covered.

Gerry, You find ERC washing up on lake shores but not on sea shores do you?

Gerry KIERNAN · 02-19-2008, 01:21 PM

Hi Texas

The aeromatic cedar that I find is Western red cedar, to the best of my knowledge. It doesn't have the strong colouration as the turning that Ohio Ron shows, but it does have a very strong and pleasant fragrance. I have no idea what makes it different from the conventional WRC, but every so often I will cut into a piece and there is that aroma. I sometimes find it on lake shores, and sometimes along the ocean beaches. Unfortunately, it doesn't show up very often, and I have no way of telling it from the regular cedar until I have cut into it. I would like to try and gather enough to make a blanket chest.

Gerry

**joasis** · 02-20-2008, 07:06 AM

Eastern Red Cedar is the aromatic variety...WRC has a distinct aroma, but only ERC is the true cedar of chests and closets.

**TexasTimbers** · 02-20-2008, 10:47 AM

Gerry, when you say "regular cedar" that's like saying Ironwood. Although you can find some tree books that will refer to Ironwood and will give the latin name of what the author believes is Ironwood, that's just an indication the author himself has fallen pray to common fuax pas, and that is that there is no such animal as a single species known as Ironwood. There are dozens of trees refered to as Ironwood, and it is usually the hardest tree found in a specific area. Hornbeam and Linum Vitae are two that come to mind.

Same with cedar. There'e many species of cedar and junipers are often lumped in with them. No such thing as a regular cedar. I have no doubt that your cedar has an aroma but the term Aromatic Cedar (a slang term) is widely held to refer to Juniperus Virginiana and has alot of other names Eastern Red Cedar, Pencil Cedar, Red Cedar, Red Juniper, Closet Cedar, Eastern Cedar, Aromatic Cedar of course and several more I can't think of right now.

Since you live in BC I can only assume you are referring to WRC which does have an aromatic smell when you put your sniffer up to it but it isn't the same stuff stuff known as Aromatic Cedar which of course is not actually a cedar at all but a Juniper.

I am no dendrologist for sure but a real tree guru could explain why it is not down to the type of cell structure and all, but I don't have time to crack the books or read a wiki article right now.

Gerry KIERNAN · 02-20-2008, 12:53 PM

Hi Texas

I was thinking that the aeromatic cedar you were referring to was actually a species of juniper. The stuff I find is definitely WRC, but every so often I find a piece that has a very distinct fragrance, and is very close to what you refer to as aeromatic cedar. [It smells like a cedar lined chest]. As I mentioned earlier, it does not have anywhere near as much colouration as Ohio Ron's vase, but it sure smells nice. I don't think I will find any of the juniper varieties around here, although there are juniper species growing in the interior of the province. On the coast we mostly have Western Red Cedar, as it is pretty much a rain forest species, and that's where we are.

Gerry