Cedar for Closets

Tony · July 18, 2022, 01:53:06 PM

I had a customer bring a trailer load of cedar logs to saw into 1/2" boards to line the closets in his new house. Turned out to be quite a job. I have a few low quality cedar logs of my own. Would like to see if there is a market for closet lining or whatever it would be called. Have any of you had any experience with or calls for cedar closet boards. Really don't want to waste time and boards if there is no market for them.

Thanks,
8) Tony

doc henderson · July 18, 2022, 02:33:13 PM

I would saw them custom. ERC dries well and only has a few bugs. may need to sterilize. I did some for my BIL and they are very happy.

Larry · July 18, 2022, 03:10:15 PM

I've sawn lots of it. When I built my house I lined all the closets, and used it for porch ceilings. It was all tongue and grooved "V" paneling. Have also made it for other folks.

The secret to making a dollar is being really efficient and super fast. I sawed boards at 1-1/8" thick, dried, and later resawed at 600 board foot a hour to 1/2" thick. Climb cut the tongue and groove at 50 fpm on my shaper. Still wasn't fast enough to complete with the real cedar mills. Sure I could complete with the box stores, but that market is mostly diy'ers wanting 50 foot.

ladylake · July 18, 2022, 04:31:32 PM

Larry
How did you reasw to !/2" thick.. Seems like a resaw would be a lot faster than 600 ft hr. Steve

Larry · July 18, 2022, 05:33:43 PM

Your right. My resaw is a shop built attachment for the sawmill. Its powered by a stock feeder running at top speed. The sawmill itself isn't even straining, I could probably double my speed if I had a bigger faster feeder.

JoshNZ · July 18, 2022, 05:42:03 PM

Could you open the gear box and change the gears? I'm pretty sure my one has configurable change gears to change the range

WDH · July 18, 2022, 08:07:59 PM

I have never had anyone ask for cedar as closet lining. Maybe I am not doing a good marketing job.

doc henderson · July 18, 2022, 08:17:19 PM

everyone thinks it repels moths and all that, like a cedar chest. and it smells good!

Larry · July 18, 2022, 08:44:48 PM

Josh, already have the optional high speed gears in the gearbox.

I could sell the stuff all day long. We have a lot of vacation lake homes in the area and everybody wants cedar. It's even easier to sell to put on the ceilings, especially on porches/decks. Easier ways to make a dollar so I duck most of the time when somebody brings it up.

Cedar in some of my closets. The last one is in the tornado/safe room.

JoshNZ · July 18, 2022, 09:52:30 PM

What about cheap VFD off eBay then Larry. Run it at 100hz and get double feed. I bought a delta one to put on my lathe and it hasn't missed a beat. I imagine people's luck varies

Acem · July 18, 2022, 10:50:41 PM

Cedar is commonly sawn here in western Arkansas. It is used for closets, privacy fences, chests, siding, etc.

I spent alot of time helping a friend saw cedar logs to build his house.

I had a nice set of cedar chests until I learned my daughter was allergic...

Thx-Ace

SwampDonkey · July 19, 2022, 03:31:55 AM

At the old farm house we had one closet cedar lined and mother had a cedar chest the school build her. I never hear tell of anyone using it for closets these days. I think the notion got moth balled, literally and liberally. ;D

Cedarman · July 19, 2022, 06:46:10 AM

Last order for cedar T&G V was 10,000 sq' RL. Lots of orders for 500 to 2000 sq'.
We make a lot of 9/16" and a fair amount of 3/4". Widths from 3" to 5 1/2".
Moulder is the best way to go for volume. Runs at 30 to 40 linear feet a minute. We also run the boards through a sander to take the moulder sheen off.
Most boards are the jacket boards. Only one side needs to look good.
There is a big demand for cedar paneling.
Need to dry to about 8 to 10% without getting it over 100 degrees.
Bugs are not a problem.

JRWoodchuck · July 19, 2022, 11:09:53 AM

Why the 100 degree limit?

Cedarman · July 20, 2022, 06:39:41 AM

If you get ERC too hot, you evaporate the oils.
If you flat stack dry cedar for a while, when you unstack you will see what looks like white mold between the boards. If you look close you will see that they are needle like crystals. This is condensed oil.

WDH · July 20, 2022, 07:50:31 AM

So,you don't sterilize the cedar?

Raider Bill · July 20, 2022, 09:10:51 AM

Mt Dad had a closet cedar lined back in the early 60's.
All wool suits, coat etc.
When he passed and I had to vlean out his house I found all the clothes were moth eaten. Made it a challenge to find a suit for his viewing.

Cedarman · July 21, 2022, 08:23:25 AM

bugs can attack the sapwood in cedar, but most of it is cut away when sawing leaving mostly heartwood. Insects and fungi do not like cedar heartwood. Have only had one complaint from a lady that had a couple beetles come out of sapwood .
Those do not like other woods.

hilltopper46 · July 21, 2022, 12:43:49 PM

I'm wondering about the statement that insects do not like red cedar heartwood. The ants that came out of the middle of this log and got busy moving their eggs/larva to another location might cause one to think otherwise. I am relatively new to all of this.

I found the location where they moved to when I picked the mill up a couple weeks later - they moved under one of the timbers I had blocked the mill up with.

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Tom King · July 21, 2022, 01:38:10 PM

Like Cedarman, we had cedar lined closets in the house I grew up in. I still remember my Mom having to "darn" moth holes in wool clothes.

doc henderson · July 21, 2022, 04:03:03 PM

often ants in ERC, but most in the sap wood of dead wood in larger trees. i cut one in the winter and a void appeared to be filled with epoxy. it became water after i brought it in the shop. most ants will leave when the home is only 1 inch thick.

Walnut Beast · July 21, 2022, 07:03:36 PM

Hilltop he probably means if the wood is sound. From my handful of sawing it and researching the causes of the deterioration of the heart. Root rot is very common and caused by overly wet soils. and travels up the tree and that's the cause for the insects

beenthere · July 21, 2022, 07:10:54 PM

Quote from: hilltopper46 on July 21, 2022, 12:43:49 PM
I'm wondering about the statement that insects do not like red cedar heartwood. The ants that came out of the middle of this log and got busy moving their eggs/larva to another location might cause one to think otherwise. I am relatively new to all of this.

I found the location where they moved to when I picked the mill up a couple weeks later - they moved under one of the timbers I had blocked the mill up with.

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The ants are moving to moist wood that is decayed. The cedar wood that is not moist or decayed will have no ants. When the wood dries then the ants leave.

Cedarman · July 22, 2022, 06:52:02 AM

Carpenter bees will bore into heartwood, but they do not eat it. They will not bore into a vertical log or post either, only horizontal wood.
As mentioned, ants only in rotten wood that had never became heartwood.

caveman · July 22, 2022, 07:48:10 AM

As Cedarman stated in the post before, carpenter bees will bore into the heartwood. Unfortunately, it was a customer that let me know that one of the boards he left with had bees in it. Thankfully, he was very understanding and was able to complete his project with his very reasonably priced wood.

We generally air dry cedar but we have one stack that will have to go into the hot box due to bees. We have three more loads of heart pine to run through the hot box before it will be available for anything else though.