Using green sawn E red cedar for the frame of an outdoor cabinet

[williams130]

I'm considering using green sawn eastern red cedar for the frame of an outdoor cabinet. I do not have a lot of experience woodworking and no experience with green lumber. Can I joint/plane this stuff? I'm not sure how "green" it is but I'll ask to get an idea the next time I talk to the seller. I plan on using screws to assemble the frame so there will not be any fancy joinery involved. After building the frame I will cover the side and back with T&G cedar and then make a face frame and drawers for the front which will also be cedar. All the T&G and face frame lumber will be air dried.

:dontknow:
My next question is to do with finishing the cedar. I know I don't have to but I really like the purple, red, yellow colors in the cedar. I'm think of applying a sealer to keep the new look. Any suggesting for the best choice of sealers from cedar lovers?

Craig

 

[PeteQuad]

To be honest, ERC is almost dry right after you cut it. You can almost use that stuff right off the tree. You shouldn't have any special difficulty machining it.

Finishing outdoor stuff is often an excercise in futility. You will have to refinish it yearly or so, depending on what you use. I don't think you'll be able to keep it from going gray/silver unless you are very diligent. That said, if it was me and I was really gung ho on keeping it new looking, I would probably use something easy to apply and do it more often, like watco oil or something similar. This should hold it for about a year with a good covering, and it is forgiving if you don't keep up. Strong film finishes might last longer but if you forget to keep it up it becomes a pain to reapply as you need to strip it to reapply properly.

Good luck, and don't forget to give us some pics

 

[CrealBilly]

It's pretty dry, about 25% moisture content right off the log, but needs to come down to about 12% before it's usable for any kind of outdoor furniture. Air dry it on sticks before you use it, else it will more than likely split on you. Splitting is the most common ERC drying defect.

 

[scsmith42]

Craig, I have a lot (as in 20,000 bd ft) of rough cut 6/4 x 4" - 5" wide ERC that is dry, if you need some. Average length is 10' long.

Chad (Toolman) bought some from me at the last shop crawl, and he can let you know how he liked it.

Cedar turns color due to ultra-violate light, and the only way that you can block UV over the long term is to use a stain that has a lot of pigment in it. Unfortunately, that in turn covers up the colors that you're trying to maintain.

 

[williams130]

Hey Scott,

That makes the issue of using sawn green lumber a non-issue. I'm interested in some of that dry 6/4 cedar for the frame.

Craig