Cedar Bowl

[Glenn Hodges]

Someone asked in a recent post about how eastern cedar was to turn. Here is one of my cedar bowls. It is 12 in. in diameter X 8 inches high. I rolled the lip to give it a different look from the rest of mine. I finished it with multiple coats of tung oil solution and then buffed it. It took a lot of coats of this. Cedar is one of those woods that is beautiful, but it will crack as you look at it. I find it cuts like butter and sands easy. I like the smell until you turn it all day in the shop. As always, comments welcomed.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

That is a neat looking bowl. I agree with you that Cedar looks great turned! I have only used it in pens, but it is nice to work with, very easy and smells the best!

[Wolf Kiessling]

A fine looking bowl, Glenn, I've always like aromatic cedar. I just hope the volatiles in the wood don't eat your tung oil finish. I carved a couple of pieces out of aromatic cedar a few years ago and finished them with Tru Oil (the gunstock finish). The volatiles just flat ate the finish on both pieces and I had to redo both of them. From that time on, I only finish aromatic cedar with wax. Again, a really good looking bowl and I hope the finish holds up.

[Dick Parr]

Very nice job on the bowl Glenn! I have only turned one piece of cedar but it was fun and I did love the smell, for awhile.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Very nice Bowl, Glenn. Cedar IS nice.
I got a chance to turn a piece of it today. Neat stuff. My whole house smells of it!

Bruce

[Michael Stafford]

Great looking bowl, Glenn! I was mentioning to another turner friend that I had never had the opportunity to turn some cedar of any size larger than for pens. I have used a little in segmented work.

Glenn, Wolf mentioned that the oils in cedar would work on your finish. I know you have turned cedar before, has that been your experience?

[Glenn Hodges]

The finish I use has tung oil, spar polyurathane, and turpentine in equal amounts. It seems to hold up well over time on cedar. I think the polyurathane helps.