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scoop10

Cedar wood

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I know this has been discussed before, but to refresh my memory ... should I be worried about the oily nature of cedar.

A buddy of mine who was working to break down heavy machinery at a closing furniture factory recently brought me what must be $500 in kiln-dried western red cedar. Two big boxes of the stuff, mostly 2"x2"x8" blocks, used to make handles on chests and doors. (Get this, they were going to chop it up into cedar shavings before he rescued it for me.)

Given a good coat of sealant, should I have any problems with this wood?

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Hi Scoop,

I've been using cedar for years now, both KD and seasoned timber without any problems. I was once told by an old ship builder to seal it properly. I not sure what you guy's use in the US, but in Aust (OZ) I been using a marine two-pac timber sealer called EVERDURE by International. a coulpe of coats not only provides a hardend outer crust but also gives you a great smooth surface to paint over.

Karl

PS:

By the way this a great site for us lurebuilder, there's nothing like it in Aust

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The cedar that was discussed was white cedar. It is suppose to have an oil that is toxic. I really don't know if all cedar has this. But the main thing for you is that the wood has been kiln dried. That is what really needs to be done to the wood. That will remove the majority of the oil. The problem with the oil started when Poes was bought out and the new company ordered a bunch of cedar that was not kiln dried. Eventually the oil rose to the surface of the bait and cracked the finishes. If you work any wood and create allot of dust then I would wear a paper mask. If you start getting a sore throat after working with any wood then you are breathing in too much dust.

Skeeter

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Skeeter's bang on here, but I'd go a step further and wear a better mask. I just finished making a bunch of baits from cedar (which I use almost exclusively). I got a sinus infection even though I was wearing a mask. I know I'm susceptible to dust, but cedar dust is very bad so if you'll be using it a lot get a good quality mask (like I must now do).

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I wont speak for others but that would be the one I would use. I got one for pouring plastic baits and I was suprised by its comfort and how well it filters out the smell (hopefully along with the toxic gases) of the cooked plastisol.

With any of these masks the main thing besides a comfortable fit is matching the filters to the material you are working with.

Comfort first because if its not comfortable you wont wear it.

Robert

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There is a BIG difference between eastern red cedar, like the stuff cedar chests are made of, and western red cedar. Western red cedar is very light, lighter in fact than basswood! Go to this link and you can see the specific gravity of all the cedars, yellow, eastern red, and western red.

http://www.tuktupaddles.com/tuktu_paddles_wood.html

I have used western red and had no problems but it wouldn't be my first choice for baits if you are building musky or salt-water lures because it's so soft, great for smaller species like bass. Make sure you use a good sealer, it expands when wet because it is so porous. It is a very lively wood tho, great action!! Make sure you use long screw eyes and glue them in with epoxy!

Anyone know what mask we should be using for etex? Stuff gives me a headache!

jed

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>Anyone know what mask we should be using for etex? Stuff gives me a >headache!

>

>jed

Jed I think the same one I got which has a organic media filter will work for etex fumes. It is used for most paint types and larger particled materials. I believe that epoxy fumes was one of the listed items it was good for, so I imagine that it should cover etex.

Mine was bought at Home Depot is made by 3M and covers the lower half of your face below the eyes. Again I was really suprised by how comfortable it is even after being worn for several hours. Although it does leave an interesting mark/impression on my face.

Robert

Robert

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when you say good, quality mask, are you talking one of those large deals with the dual filters where the paper fits inside, covering the entire lower half of your head?

Yes. Check the specs on the mask. You want one that will filter out the very small particles (measured in 1/10's of microns). Thats the stuff that will get into your lungs. Those cheap paper ones that look like surgeons masks are crap. Any time you are sanding, cutting, or turning wood on a lathe you should have one on. If you are doing a lot of wood working, it is worth getting an air purifier for your work space that will pull the small stuff out of the air. I got a Jet that hangs in the garage and is on all the time I'm making plugs. Also leave it running for an hour or so after I'm done turning.

Red Cedar actually is used for a number of saltwater plugs. Mostly surface swimmer type plugs. Gotta add some lead to them so they don't roll out in current.

Andrew

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Robert' date='

Can you give me a model number for it? Thank you!

jed[/quote']

Jed I dont have the actual model number for the mask, the filter for the one I got is a 3M 6001/07046* Organic Vapor Cartridge. It fits either the 6000 or 7000 series facepieces with bayonet style cartridge/filter attachments. It cost about thirty bucks for the complete set and it was the only cartridge style filter they had.

Looking at the filter literature there is about 8-10 different facepieces in the 6000 and 7000 series.

HTH

Robert

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Guys for your safety always wear a respirator type mask when working cedar , this stuff is plain nasty , everytime I used it I would get a flu like illness , also work in a well ventilated area and not around any family members . I quit using cedar a couple years ago because of the dangers with it , don't know what longterm dangers it causes but short term is bad enough, also it is verrrry easy to split , would ruin 1 out of every 6 baits because of splitting when put in bind. I have used white and red western cedar and both treated me the same.

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Well' date=' I am definitely wrong then. It is not Western red cedar. It is Eastern red cedar. It is deep red and was intended to be used for furniture.

So, River Man, you got any opinions on working with Eastern red cedar?[/quote']

So is the same as aromatic cedar?

Robert

It's definitely the stuff they used to line closets, so I'd say, yes.

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