Aromatic cedar questions

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Charlie Buchanan

Charlie
Corporate Member
I’m thinking of using aromatic red cedar for a drawer bottom for a dresser. The drawer is traditional construction with front and side grooves for a raised panel bottom. I’ll have to glue up the panel to get the depth of about 18 in. I’ve never worked with red cedar before.

Any glue adhesion problems with red cedar?
Will a full red cedar bottom be overpowering in a drawer? Would it be a good idea to alternate strips of say poplar with red cedar to reduce the level of odor?
 

Graywolf

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Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
Red Cedar should make a fine drawer bottom. The smell will calm down over a short time, no glue adhesion issues that I know of. I'd stay with one type of wood for the board.
 

danmart77

Dan
Corporate Member
Any glue adhesion problems with red cedar? No

Will a full red cedar bottom be overpowering in a drawer? Depends in a small way on how it was dried. Air or Kiln.


Would it be a good idea to alternate strips of say poplar with red cedar to reduce the level of odor? Like Richard said, stay with the cedar all the way if that's what you want.


As a rule, I like the smell of pine over poplar but those are the 2 secondary woods I can find cheaply around my area and they are strong enough for drawer construction. I don't use cedar unless the customer asks for it.

Its simple to consider really in your case Charlie.. just build the bottom with cedar, slide it in and see if you like it. If it smells too strong -- seal it with shellac and slide it back in. Odor gone. If you look at the bottom and its funny looking you just slide it out, use it as a template for another wood and you have a piece of cedar to ponder the next project.

I'm assuming you're doing a bottom some what like these below?

FF_24_.JPG



FF_16_.JPG

 

Jeff

New User
Jeff

Cuprousworks

Mike
User
Probably 10 years ago we bought a bedroom suite where all of the drawer sides and bottoms were of aromatic cedar. It's been a joy, and even 10 years later there's an occasional whiff, or noticable scent on a sweater that was on the bottom.

I don't know how the manufacturer did it- the sides are dovetailed, any time I used cedar in a closet I found it a bit brittle.
Mike
Chapel Hill
 
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