I have a nice collection of carved wooden ducks. I've never carved anything. But, my neighbor had to cut his big cedar tree down due to a storm. I asked if I could have the three big trunk pieces. They are about 2 1/2 feet across. He cut them in about 2' tall pieces. If I can't get the hang of carving a duck... I'm thinking a jewelry box or the like. Anyhoo...does this have to age before you carve anything out of it? Or, can I attempt to try carving something out of it while it is still green?
I don't know a ton about carving, but I've been reading a lot about building my own log cabin. Everything I read seems to suggest a 40-60 day drying time. If you carve and cut before then, you run the risk of more cracking. Also, the wood will shrink some, depending on the grain structure, and this could distort your jewelry box. There, now you know everything I know about drying wood. Good luck
Thanks for the input. That's more than I knew. I had a feeling it needed to dry. Now I have to figure out how long it takes to dry. These are big pieces. They are beautiful & they smell amazing.
Then throw them in your closet for a year. Great to ward away bugs. Don't they kiln dry a lot of construction lumber? I would think you need more that 60-90 days, especially since it's right from the tree. Seasoned fire wood over here is after a year. Take it for what it's worth...
Yep. I cure lots of woods. I have not done any carving in years, but do do a lot of work with natural wood in my bow making. The best thing you can do is seal the ends with wax or paint (I like wax the best) and put them up in a dry place for about a half a year. I always test my specific gravity before I use it. Ive got a chart of different wood gravities that I use to determine moisture content. If you do not seal the ends, they will split. Some ceders will split more than others.
I work with a lot of cedars for a living. Doe Pee is right, construction lumber is dried in a kiln to speed up the turn around. I don't know a thing about carving, but wet cedar shrinks, and it can crack and check easily as it dries. I would say let your logs hang out somewhere for awhile, or find someone who mills their own wood, some people around here make wood kilns, on a small scale of course.
ok...next ? I just picked up the cedar from my neighbor. Promised to show him what I make of it, if I'm proud of it LOL...What takes the sap off of your skin? While handling the wood the girls & I got the sap on our hands & arms. I'm going to try gas for now. Thanks...oops, my fingers are stuck to the keysssssssssssssssssssssssss :d
Well when you get those fingers off the keys, go get some "Goo Gone" or that amazing orange stuff that has the grit. Either of those should take off the sap.
Thanks we finally got unstuck with some gas & lava soap. I'll have to get some of that goo gone. I like that stuff. Need to keep some handy. I got 4 huge pieces of this cedar. Hope I do it justice.