Old Growth Western Red Cedar
45 to 60 Growth Rings per Inch!
30 to 40 Growth Rings per Inch !
1″ thick stock above
This is how we get the Stock (Rough 2″x3″ in this case)
Below, a Full 2″ thick
Sealed with Penofin Oil
Sealed with clear Waterbase sealer then Left to Weather
The Western Red Cedar we use is “The” Very Finest Grade. It’s Old-Growth, every piece Kiln Dried Clear, vertical-grained , with 40 or more growth rings per inch! I have a Very Special Contact here in the San Diego area who brings it down from Vancouver Island, B.C.
The Salvaged Logs are are all Naturally Downed, and left-overs from past logging practices, often found on steep hillsides and in ravines, and are so valuable they’re selectively taken out by helicopter! Trees like these are hardly being harvested anymore except off of Private Land.
This is what that they make Shoji Screens, Stringed Instrument Sound Boards, and Strong, Long Lasting Boat Hulls from!
Another Great Bonus for me is knowing I’m getting this Wonderful Wood from a Certified and Green Source, with a Managed Harvest overseen by a superb Forest Conservation Group. It truly is one of the Nicest Woods for Outdoor Use, and we truly appreciate this Beautiful Wood every time we work with it.
We can sometimes use a lesser grade of material for our Kits, (using this Fine Grade of Material does cost some more)
but we don’t suggest it as the Savings vs Gain isn’t that much especially compared to the Labor Cost (Detail Work) we put in to every Structure.
If you would like a quote using a different Materials, please Contact Us, as we have used many of them.
– Some W.R. Cedar Facts-
W. R. C. is the Largest of all cedars, slow growing and long-lived. It is completely Non-Resinous and is one of America’s most Decay-Resistant Species, making it a Preferred Species for Outdoor-Exterior Uses. It is one of the lightest weight commercially important softwoods and Suffers Little when Exposed to Weather Without Protection.
Known for extremely fine and even grain, flexibility and Strength in proportion to its weight, Western Red Cedar is a species of wood used in a variety of ways. Itis renowned for its High Impermeability and Natural Phenol Preservatives, makeing it Ideally Suited for Exterior Use and interior use where humidity is high. Western Red Cedars’ slow growth and Natural
Oily Extractives are responsible for its Decay Resistance and its Rich Coloring.
It is a Very Stable Wood that seasons easily and quickly, with a very low Shrinkage Factor.
It is Free of Pitch and has Excellent Finishing Qualities.
– Plentiful and Sustainable –
From Northern British Columbia, Canada, to California, a rugged 1,500-mile spine of mountains parallels the Pacific coast of North America. Along the slopes and in the valleys of these mountains humus-rich soil nourishes mixed softwood forests in vast abundance. It is among these coastal forests that the majority of Western Red Cedar grows. Western Red Cedar also grows in the drier interior forests of British Columbia, Washington, Idaho and Montana, where they are smaller in stature with a tight-knotted-growth characteristic.
Western Red Cedars are rarely grown in isolation; they are raised with other species in predominantly managed forests in which controlled harvests, natural regeneration, and reforestation programs ensure a perpetual harvest.
Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) is renowned worldwide for its unique weather-resistant properties. It is a lightweight and dimensionally stable wood, because it lies flat and stays straight, therefore resisting the natural tendency to crack and check,as you might find inmany other wood species.