I recently purchased some cedar from our local Home Depot to make some large eight sided flower pots. The joints were tight after building them however they opened after a few weeks outside in the garden. The cedar was obviously green that I purchased and I did not have a moisture meter at the time to check it. Before I ever do another cedar project I will have a meter and check the moisture content until the wood is stable. It is very aggravating to spend the time making a project and have it end up looking like some beginner made it. Even the joints that were splined and glued together pulled apart.
I've been working with Western Red Cedar for several weeks now, Jeremy.
I didn't get mine from the home center, but a real bonafide lumber yard. At that, my 2x6s were construction grade and I should have searched for a better grade because these are a bit too knotty and not as straight as I would have liked. They did come kiln-dried. My 2x6s did warp a little bit but not to the extent that I can't handle but some stayed much straighter than others. Wood: a fickle medium!
My 1x6s were a step above construction grade and thus much, much clearer and definately straighter and also kiln-dried.
I did lots and lots of planing and jointing to get my stuff in shape and the shop always smelled WONDERFUL duirng and after milling.
Sharp tools are a must as cedar is soft...very soft. So soft that if you look at it funny, it will dent. Seriously. Every little bang, scrape, and nick will show up. Pencils leave deep marks (use chalk). Be conscious of your surroundings when swinging your freshly milled lumber around.
As far as moving on you, this is a tough one. Some say do it now and others say wait and hope for the best. I'm in the camp of making sure the wood is acclimated and you don't want it acclimating (i.e. moving a lot) either during or after your project because that strikes me as either a lesson in futility getting joints to line up or frustration as the chairs falling apart on you.
On my gate, I'm using as slow setting an epoxy as I could find locally. On a recent dry (clamp) run, I learned some things on how I should approach gluing up my gate even with ample set time, it took me a while to work out the procedure.
I also suggest any point of contact with the ground be sealed with epoxy.
home depot cedar
cherry pick it when nice batches come in
You'll get about 30 or 35 boards out of a stack of 200
Planed to 7/8" then T&G it makes a nice exterior wall
Seal it in Sikkens paint 2 stage, expensive but lasts forever
It is airtight, and the only natural insulation-wood. I can put my hand on it when it is in the teens outside, and it is warm to the touch on the inside. The inside with the boards you see showing, and 2x4 cedar studs, sanded and finished is all there is.
Butt em up tight, a little shrinkage is normal, but not much with a dry batch. The T&G maintains a tight seal.
Last edited by Bob Feeser; 06-02-2008 at 11:42 PM.
"Fine is the artist who loves his tools as well as his work."
I just started cutting out the rear legs yesterday. I thought about it, and since the plan was designed for construction center cedar, if I let it acclimate, then find that it is no longer straight and has to be milled, the plans will be no good because the dimensions have changed. On the other hand, if I build it now, there is a chance that things will open up later. I chose the risk the latter, since the joinery is not complex. (glue & screws, no "real" joinery.)
It seems like the best way to go would be to buy oversize construction grade, let it acclimate, then mill it down as necessary to get straight lumber. Oh, and use plans that accomodate this. (it seems like custom plans would be the only ones, since the magazines sell because they advertise using construction grade lumber as-is)
Jeff: I thought about stainless screws, but the expense is too much for a simple adirondack loveseat. $35 for a box, ouch! I'm going to just hope for the best with my Spax plated ones.
Chris: Thanks for your detailed experience, it was most helpful and I'll probably refer back to this frequently during the next few weeks!
Lawrence: I'm crossing my fingers. This design has no "proper" joinery, so hopefully, if it loosens up, I can just tighten the screws a bit. Otherwise, it will have been an expensive lesson. ($180 for all the materials, and its SOFTWOOD. The Ash for the two nightstands was only $280...)
Bob: Beautiful work, as usual. The only problem is that your house is becoming so beautiful that your wife might get funny ideas about how much money it is worth. Careful! Also, your review of the Bosch random-orbit sander on Amazon was super-helpful. Thanks.
The coated will last for a while. I would expect you may be sanding/ refinishing down the road, if the screws are exposed you will have to be careful not to sand thru the coating or replace the screws. Better yet, cut some cedar plugs with a plug cutter and hide the plated ones completely.
I used all stainless on my cedar deck, when you spend the money for good cedar the screws aren't much in comparrison IMHO.
Good luck with your project!
A reputation for craftsmanship is a responsibility
As far as plugging the holes, I wouldn't skip that step. I built some adirondack chairs a number of years ago and didn't plug them. It seems like that is where the finish fails first. Water gets in under the finish and then starts to wreck havoc. I would get a plug cutter and cut the plugs from some scraps of the same wood. With cedar, it won't be hard or time consuming to cut and sand the flush.
As far as plugging the holes, I wouldn't skip that step. I built some adirondack chairs a number of years ago and didn't plug them. It seems like that is where the finish fails first. Water gets in under the finish and then starts to wreck havoc. I would get a plug cutter and cut the plugs from some scraps of the same wood. With cedar, it won't be hard or time consuming to cut and sand the flush.
OK, I will plug them then. I have plug cutters already. Hopefully, I will have enough scrap to cut all the face grain plugs.
As for sanding them flush, I'll probably rout them flush with a flush trim jig. It would be a kick in the nuts to leave the screws exposed so I could tighten them, then have the wood rot out instead.
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Also, your review of the Bosch random-orbit sander on Amazon was super-helpful. Thanks.
Originally Posted by Mark Ball
