Need help with cedar lumber.

[Valley Mick]

I'm looking to saw up some cedar for a new deck and a gazebo.  How long should i let the lumber air dry in my barn??
I'm planning on sticking it.  i was thinking of banding it to hold the bundle tight,  if I put a board top and bottom and then band it up will this hold the boards tight???
And keep them alittle straighter??  And is there a way to tell if the boards are dry enough to use without a hydrometer??

[Den Socling]

The banding doesn't work because of shrinkage. Ratchet straps do some good. If you don't have a MC meter and don't want to weigh and bake samples, just throw a small piece in a microwave. If it distorts as the water is baked out, it's still pretty wet. I have not worked with cedar but I don't think it would need to air dry very long before use on a deck. Pressure treated pine goes down wet!

[True North]

Hi VM,

We work a lot with NW cedar up here, and drying it is not a big deal if you are using it outside. My dad has a 18-20 year old cedar deck. He cut the logs, had them sawed, air dried them for a while, and built the deck. He has put a treatment on the deck, but I think if you air dry for a while in the barn, you should be ok.

[kelLOGg]

I've cut a lot of standing dead eastern red cedar and built outbuildings with it with no further drying. never had a crack.

[woodmills1]

It would help if you put in your profile where you are so we know if it is white eastern or red or western cedar.  In the summer I find cedar dries in about three months, here in NH, if I can ever find some.  Three logs in 5 years.

[red oaks lumber]

woodmills, at that rate you may as well plant your own trees and wait till they grow.l.o.l.

[zopi]

if you want to clamp your sticker piles, take some 4x4 or 3x4 bunking, drill matching holes through the ends of the bunks and run some all thread through them....think big parallel clamps..stack and sticler the lumber on the bunks...put the all thread in, nuts on the bottom, second bunk on top and tighten them down...doesn't need to be very tight...you don't want to distort the lumber...but it should be snug..

[woodmills1]

I planted walnuts at my previous house hoping to grow and the saw them

the new owner and I did not see eye to eye so never will I have the chance to grow cut and mill, then make something.  At 58 just isn't enough time

[ARKANSAWYER]

  If it is Eastern Red Cedar just saw and install.  I put it down green all the time.  It shrinks very little and is very stable for the most part.  If a board is well sawn then for the most part it will not move.  If a board wants to move it is best it do it before you nail it down.
  So what kind of cedar do you have?

[Jasperfield]

In March of 2008 I used Eastern Red Cedar for my porch. The 5/4 material was sawn the previous week. I drilled it and attached with cut nails.

I have had not the least little problem with it. Not even the least.

And I'd use it again. Green or dried.

[Kevin]

I mill eastern white cedar, cut it in the winter, mill it in the spring, stack it for about three months and it's ready to be used inside.
A one inch board will shrink to 15/16".

[Valley Mick]

This may sound stupid, but how do you really tell them apart??  I was told it is eastern white cedar.  Not really sure though?
Are you serious about the microwave thing?  Or should I be doing this in a 7 11 stores machine.

[Den Socling]

I'm serious about the microwave thing but the 7-11 store sounds like the way to go.    A piece of dry wood will start to smoke in a few seconds while a wet piece will curl and then smoke. A better way is to weigh before and after the microwave. Then you can calculate the moisture content. But, as others have said in this thread, cedar doesn't need it.

[Fla._Deadheader]

  If he does the 7-11 thing, we should DEMAND a video 

[Den Socling]

Now if he used his wife's microwave, then we would really need to see the video - with sound! 

[Fla._Deadheader]

 Don't think it would be fit for viewing on the FF. 

[caver]

Sorry for the slight hijack:

I cut some cedar from power line easement trimmings on my place. I love that purple look it has when you cut it. I don't suppose there is anyway to preserve that?
I noticed light tends to change it to the color we are more familiar with.

[Tom]

If you are talking about Eastern Red Cedar (juniper) and the brown color it gets from oxidation after sawing, then a light sanding will return the wood to its former red color.  Sealing it with polyurethane or even a sanding sealer (sometimes) will help it retain the color by keeping the oxidation down.   Sealing seals in the smell so not sealing the back of the board allows the smell to get out. (when using it in a chest or something like that.  When the smell goes away in the cedar paneling of a closet, a light sanding or the application of mineral oil will open the pores again.

[metalspinner]

If he does the 7-11 thing, we should DEMAND a video       

Now if he used his wife's microwave, then we would really need to see the video - with sound! 

Either way, it'll end up on the TV real quick!

[Valley Mick]

I think I will have to wiat until my wife is not here, or else she will think I have finally cracked when I walk into the house with a board and pitch it into the nuker.
I will make a mental note to cut it shorter than 8 feet though .  Is it best with salt and pepper, or a pinch a basil.  Could you imagine the look on her face when I ask if it smoked or curled up then smoked!!!!!! Plus I may get arrested if I try to explain to the pakistani guy at the 7-11 how I heard of this on the internet.

Now seriosly how do you tell eastern white from western red or northern white???  I looked all over the net and none of it makes sense to me, or is it just the region you live in that determines the breed of tree.   The logs I'm cutting are 16 to 20 inches on the butt, and some of them seem to have a real red heart but the outer wood is kinda whitish.  I got some really nice cedar,  due to having around oh 150 acres of damned swampy land.  And I know for a fact it isn't frozen yet.

[Cedarman]

Northern white cedar will have a tannish heartwood and creamy white to white sapwood. Eastern red cedar (aromatic red cedar) has a deep pink to purplish red heartwood and a creamy white to white sapwood.  Not familiar with Atlantic white cedar.

Northern white likes swampy land, eastern red hates it.

[Valley Mick]

OK  I'm cutting it in swamp,  so it has to be white cedar.  Thanks alot.  I plan to start sawing it in the spring.  Should I seal the ends of the logs?? It is winter here, so its not gonna be sitting in the heat.  Or is it still a good idea.  if so, what should a guy use to seal the ends?

[nas]

Don't bother sealing the ends.  I cut lots of white cedar and have never sealed the ends, and never had a problem.

Nick

[nb_foresttech]

In western New Brunswick Eastern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) is a very common tree. It will grow on many different sites, common in swampy areas it also will grow on upland sites and even rock. Some of the nicest I have ever seen have been growing on upland sites. Cedar from these sites appear almost as a different subspecies. Taller, larger diameter, less sweep, less but rot and less branching. These stands also have very high basal areas, often approaching what you would expect to find on the west coast. ABOUT THE WOOD - My families property has several acres of cedar, some grows in the swamp and we do have some upland cedar. We often mill this on our woodmizer and have used it to build decks, board and batton siding, interior trim, strawberry crates and hobby projects. You will look hard to find a species with so much versatility. We cut most of our cedar in the winter and the logs are easy to care for. If you keep them off the ground they will keep a very long time before sawing, I have seen 2 plus year old logs saw out nicely however I wouldnt suggest this. Logs don't tend to end check much however you always have to remember that sweep is common in these logs, shorter logs will saw out much larger volumes. Many trees will have butt rot and butt flare so you may lose some of your butt log. Outside projects require very little drying time however anything going inside or where shrinkage may be a factor will take a little longer. Still dries faster than any other species here. Same as any other species, sticker it with your lowest quality cuts on the bottom and top with your best lumber in the middle. Ooops almost forgot to mention you should mill your decking at a thicker thickness than spruce or fir as it has a lower structual strength. Depending on the distance between your joists and if you are going to plane it you may want to go to 6/4. Properly cared for cedar will give you a long service life, while cruising woodlots I often come across or follow cedar rail fence lines. Many were built by the early settlers some 150 plus years ago.