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Cedar - usable for food?

R

Richard Preston

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Jun 21, 2004
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I've never seen Cedar like I was given last week. It's a 14 inch diameter and a beautiful red. Although, to pun, it's green. :)

What I'd like to read are experiences with Cedar for food bowls and the types of finishes which would or would not be appropriate.

It seems to me that it is a soft wood and chips or dust would end up in your salad.

TYIA
 
My recommendation would be to seal it completely. A hard, durable film finish like lacquer or polyurethane and make it thick (but not so thick as to be too ugly). I guess I could mention epoxy too but I've never seen a good finish come from epoxy so I don't normally include it except for maybe mallets.

Why completely seal it? Because of the smell and taste it's likely to impart to the food! I know that I wouldn't enjoy eating from it. Now, having it in the closet or in a trunk is alright. But not in my nose while eating.
- Andrew
 
I've turned a number of bowls and hollow forms from cedar and consider them decorative, not utilitarian. I haven't fond a finish that completely seals, at least not at any reasonable thickness of coating. Not to say that there isn't one which would do the job. I just haven't found it yet. And cedar, although it looks great, isn't really all that appealing a flavor.

One essential thing to keep in mind is that cedar is a severe respiratory hazard. Dust collection at the site of the work, be it turning or more importantly sanding, and respiratory protection are a must. I use a dust collector right at the workpiece and an Airmaster 30 face shield/positive pressure air filter nearly all the time, but absolutely all the time when working with cedar. When working with cedar and some other woods, I also have a window-mounted box fan acting as an exhaust fan running. It's worthwhile to note that virtually all odors are particulate. If you can smell the cedar you are breathing in dust particles which are embedding in your lungs. Not good at all.

Whit
 
I'm with everyone else. You don't have to worry about the bowl being toxic with food but you can expect bad flavor to be imparted. I tend to steer away from conifers for food bowls. Too much of a chance for a nice turpentine flavor.

Also, I turn a lot of cedar and it is brutal on the lungs. Will even cause nose bleeds so watch out.

dietrich
 
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