What's the best kind of Wood???

[Mike Henderson]

It's FREE wood!

A friend GAVE me this board, which turns out to be "Spanish Cedar" (he called it "Cedro"). It actually comes from South America. He had it in his garage for several years and never used it. Since I do woodworking, he thought I could use it. I usually don't take free wood because I don't have room to store it and if someone is giving it away, I figure it's not fine wood. He brought it over so I had to take it. I planed the surface to see what the wood looked like (see pictures).

It's about 8' long, 14" wide and 3/4" thick. I know that Spanish cedar is used to line humidors, but what else is it good for? Any suggestions for what I could use this board for?

Mike

[Mark Engel]

Here is a link to some information on 'Spanish Cedar':

http://www.exotichardwood.com/pic_spanishcedar.html

[David Weaver]

That's a nice looking board. It looks a lot like good cherry heartwood, though I'll bet it doesn't look quite so much like it up close.

What's the grain like - is it open pores, or is it closed?

[Mike Henderson]

That's a nice looking board. It looks a lot like good cherry heartwood, though I'll bet it doesn't look quite so much like it up close.

What's the grain like - is it open pores, or is it closed?
It's open. Not as open as oak but definitely not closed grain. The wood is fairly soft. When sanded with coarse sandpaper, it gets "fuzzy".

It's listed in "World Woods in Color" by William Lincoln. In the 1991 edition, it's on page 253, and listed as "South American Cedar".

Mike

[Pam Niedermayer]

Spanish cedar is used to make guitars, including Martins (think they may be somewhere near you), for necks, heads, and often backs.

Pam

[David Weaver]

They're in the same state - not really close, though. If I recall correctly, cedar topped guitars are a little warmer than spruce, and I have owned Martin guitars, but opted to dump them to get some guitars from smaller makers. The tops of mine have all been spruce. The Martins were Sitka spruce, and the ones I have now are Adirondack, or which I think might be called red spruce in non woodworking circles.

I think the cedar topped guitars are more often the small parlor guitars and the classical guitars - where warmth is important. I could be wrong, though. All kinds of stuff is starting to show up in guitar tops and sides lately.

That board would be wide enough to make a parlor sized top in one piece - I'd bet it would be warm and big sounding for a small guitar.

[Mark Stutz]

Spanish Cedar will hold up well outside and can be used in place of mahogany for outdoor furniture, but one board would make a pretty small chair.:D

[Gene DiNardo]

I use it for drawer bottoms in jewelry boxes and armiors.

[Mike Cutler]

I used it to line a blanket chest.
My wife loved the spicy aroma of Spanish Cedar. Hated regular cedar.
Keep it around Mike. Ya' never know when........

[Mike Henderson]

I used it to line a blanket chest.
My wife loved the spicy aroma of Spanish Cedar. Hated regular cedar.
Keep it around Mike. Ya' never know when........
That's a good idea, Mike. Since I only have the one board, that would work well. Thanks for posting that suggestion.

Mike

[Tom Sontag]

Every time I run across a mention of spanish cedar it is in the context of a humidor. I think we've seen a little veneer work from you before, eh? I think fate has spoken....