Issues with older wood, 1/8" Vertical grain Western Red Cedar

[Mac McQuinn]

I have a stack of what I feel is 1/8" thick, Vertical grain Western red Cedar. Picked it up over 12 years ago and it was old then. Evidently years ago, one the of the local Soap Box Derby stars had done some pretty neat things with it using a Vacuum press in building a body for his racer.

Dimensions are roughly 9' long, 17" wide and I have (19) sheets. While it's been stored high and dry, It's curled, with edges cracked on ends and it seems pretty brittle. Is there a method or solution to soften this for use? I've had this for some time and thought about putting it in the classifieds for sale since I don't anticipate using it in the near future although didn't want to sell something that's possibly worthless.

Any suggestions?

Mac

[david brum]

A couple of uses that come to mind for furniture are as veneer, liners for chests and boxes or dividers for boxes. If you post your question in the boat construction section, you could probably get some advice about whether it could be used for cedar strip canoes, etc.