What kind of cedar? Some yes...some no. None of them would be especially good for it. Cure times depends on the variety of cedar.

 

I don't know what kind. I'm in the Carolina's, that maight give you a clew.

 

So it's natural cedar you're cutting yourself?

Got a picture? What color is it?

 

One of the guys at work has to cut at his father in laws house. I haven't seen it but it will be freshly cut. If it's like the rest I've seen in the Carolina's it will be tan/white and pink inside.

 

Well, in your area, there's two varieties of cedar that predominate the hills:

Red Cedar:

Makes good bows, furniture, stocks, is aromatic, and is pretty to look at.

White Cedar:

...makes good firewood.

 

It will most likely be Red Cedar from how it was described. So I guess it will be good stuff. Should I use a vertical or horizontal section assuming it's large at the base ?

 

Always go with the grain. If the base is under 12" in diameter then what I would do is cut it into 40" (or so) lengths and seal the ends with varnish or poly. Then toss it into the attic for about two years. You may not need that long, but my cedars have never cured in less than 18 months unless it was split into workable staves before the curing process (I make bows), and then they weren't too great after being finished. Best to leave a whole log to cure. Bark on.

 

I make signs out of red cedar. That stuff is squirrely, when u cut it, apply finish, breath on it..... Plus it does not seem that dense of a wood, actually kinda soft.

 

I bought an Antique(50's/60's) benchrest gun- It had a home made laminated red cedar stock on it.- It was very light but would dent if you gave it a hard look.

 

Wow...I thought it was really a dence hard sort of wood. Also I thought it was really high on the resin count and would need about five years or so to cure even in blank form.

 

All makes great kindling. I made a bed for deer camp from the red stuff. Tempermental trying to suck the pieces into alignment after they cured all warped like. Screws were really squealing while the wood was being pulled into shape. Pretty though after the tru oil dried.
Not dense enough for stocks to me. I think cherry is better and has figure.

 

I've used Eastern red cedar and Spanish cedar in a few lightweight wood/carbon fiber laminate stocks for benchrest guns. It is too soft to use for a hunting gun in my opinion- dents very easily as others have said, but if reinforced it makes for a good target rifle stock (i.e. bench rifle). You could make a hunting stock with it for a .22, but I personally wouldn't take the trouble.

Carving-wise it is awful with chisels (just wants to chip and split) but melts like butter under a sharp rasp. Finishes just fine with Tru Oil or spar urethane, although the colors will fade a bit over time too.

 

If softness is an issue, I just stripped a stock this weekend that was covered in Brownells Acra-Wood epoxy.
I think styrofoam could be used as a gunstock with that stuff on top of it.

 

I guess I'll pass on the Cedar because it wood be a hunting stock and I'm not easy on stocks. Thanks for all the help! :bthumb: Mac

 

If you want a good hunting stock material, go to Lowes or home depot and buy a 1X6X8 red oak plank, some titebond II, and (if you don't have any) a small collection of c-clamps. Cut the plank into sections the length fo the stock you want, glue them together and leave them in the clamps for a week. Whittle your project from that. I've made a few that way and they are very durable, nice looking pieces.