Eastern red cedar air dry time?

[Bill310]

We cut down 12 eastern red cedar trees in June of 2018.  The logs range from 10-18 inches.  I left all limbs on the logs for about a month.  We boarded them out to 1/2" and 1" in August. They have been stacked in an old hog house with 3/8" lath between each layer.  Air flow in the building is minimal.  How long will it take them to be dry enough to build cedar chests etc.? 

[YellowHammer]

My guess is they are as air dried as they can be for boards that thin.  It would help to know your location to understand the drying conditions better, but if you were in Alabama, its time to bake the biscuits.  

If you want to further dry them for inside conditions, bring some of them inside your house for a short while and they will come down to your house's moisture conditions.  

Air dried cedar sap can still be sticky, so watch for that.  Also, don't bring a huge load into your house, but enough to build a cedar chest or two won't overwhelm your HVAC system.

  

[Bill310]

Thanks Yellow Hammer!!!!  I'm in south central Nebraska.  I think I'll give it a try now rather than waiting.  I do like the idea of bringing it into the house for a few days first.

[Wudman]

Cedar is pretty forgiving.  Just don't pin a breadboard edge on your lid or some other joinery that prevents movement if your material is not dry.  Air dry, if you compensate for movement you will be ok.

Wudman

[Bill310]

For forming boards into the sides, top, and bottom I am planning on using biscuit joints.  The vertical corners will be rabbeted and the base will be dado joints.  The lid will not be hinged so it can be completely removed.  Does this procedure make sense?

[bluthum]

ERC is very forgiving, it's the only wood I've ever processed simply air drying with out problems later. Strange stuff. Your procedure sounds promising but your mileage may vary.

[Wudman]

I think you will be fine.  The place that I have seen issues is with trying to hide the end grain on the top.  Breadboard ends or edge banding that won't let it move and it ends up cracking in a glue joint as it dries.  Compensate for movement and you will be ok.

Wudman

[Florida boy]

If bread board ends are made correctly and you plan for enough movement with the design they work great. Used them on air dryed white oak about 10% mc and the end protrude about 1/8" in winter maybe a 1/32" in summer.
All depends on how much moment you anticipate and how you design for it....