working with cedar - ugh!!

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  • rickd
    Established Member
    • Jan 2004
    • 422
    • Cowichan Bay, 30 mi. north of Victoria, B.C., Canada.
    • Ryobi BT3100
    #1

    working with cedar - ugh!!

    i've been working for a few days now on a garden bench made from cedar. i haven't worked with cedar for a few years - i guess the last time was prior to when i had my workshop. i'm thinking now that cedar is an 'outside' job - even if i do have a workshop.

    even with my grizzly 2hp dust collector going full blast i still seem to get fine cedar dust everywhere! i've got both a 4" duct off of my sharkguard and another 4" duct off the back of the bt3100 - but i'm ripping and cross-cutting 3" boards, so the shark-guard lifts up and cedar dust shoots out everywhere. this hasn't happened with any other kind of wood i've used.

    so, it's cut, sweep, vacuum, cut sweep, vacuum - cough, cough, cough! i hate this stuff - but, it should look good when it's done and finished - i hope anyway!!

    for my next cedar project, if ever, - it's going to be outside my shop!
    rick doyle

    Rick's Woodworking Website
    Tags: None
    • Russianwolf
      Veteran Member
      • Jan 2004
      • 3152
      • Martinsburg, WV, USA.
      • One of them there Toy saws
      #2
      Are you sure one of your hoses isn't clogged?

      I'm using alot of cedar right now and no problems as long as I turn the DC on.
      Mike
      Lakota's Dad

      If at first you don't succeed, deny you were trying in the first place.

        Comment

        • MilDoc
          #3
          Can't say I had the same problems working with East Tx red cedar. Shop smelled nice and the dust wasn't bad. Maybe you have some from the wrong state???

            Comment

            • LCHIEN
              Super Moderator
              • Dec 2002
              • 21978
              • Katy, TX, USA.
              • BT3000 vintage 1999
              #4
              Low quality Western red cedar I use (sold as dog-eared picket fence boards) isn't particularly any worse dust-wise than any other wood.
              Smells nice.
              Loring in Katy, TX USA
              If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
              BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

                Comment

                • JTimmons
                  Senior Member
                  • Feb 2005
                  • 690
                  • Denver, CO.
                  • Grizzly 1023SLX, Ryobi BT3100
                  #5
                  We get Eastern red here, my only suggestion is wear some sort of mask when working with it. I didn't have a problem at first, but developed an alergy after working with it recently.
                  I have noticed the same fine dust that you're talking about too.
                  "Happiness is your dentist telling you it won't hurt and then having him catch his hand in the drill."
                  -- Johnny Carson

                    Comment

                    • Ken Weaver
                      Veteran Member
                      • Feb 2004
                      • 2417
                      • Clemson, SC, USA
                      • Rigid TS3650
                      #6
                      When I did my parson's bench in cedar I could smell it in the shop but no more or less dust than anything else. If you're using a ZCTP with the BT, I put some 3/8" holes in the front area and it helped the shark get the dust, I use a shop-vac setup.
                      Ken Weaver
                      Clemson, SC

                      "A mistake is absolute proof that someone tried to do something!

                        Comment

                        • jziegler
                          Veteran Member
                          • Aug 2005
                          • 1149
                          • Salem, NJ, USA.
                          • Ryobi BT3100
                          #7
                          Rick,

                          I had a lot of fine dust when I was working with cedar as well, although I was mostly using eastern white cedar. Of course, I am still using a shop vac and no shark guard, but I got dust everywhere in my basement. Just one reason that I want to get out of the basement soon... But the basement did smell great for a while.

                          Jim

                            Comment

                            • LarryG
                              The Full Monte
                              • May 2004
                              • 6693
                              • Off The Back
                              • Powermatic PM2000, BT3100-1
                              #8
                              I too have always considered cedar to be messy stuff, but it may be a matter of perception. All the cedar I've ever worked with has been extremely light in weight, so I think the sawdust tends to be fluffier and spreads out farther and thinner than that of other, denser woods.

                              I do like the smell, although I tend to sneeze more when working with cedar.
                              Larry

                                Comment

                                • rickd
                                  Established Member
                                  • Jan 2004
                                  • 422
                                  • Cowichan Bay, 30 mi. north of Victoria, B.C., Canada.
                                  • Ryobi BT3100
                                  #9
                                  Originally posted by Russianwolf
                                  Are you sure one of your hoses isn't clogged?

                                  I'm using alot of cedar right now and no problems as long as I turn the DC on.
                                  hi,

                                  thanks to your comments and feedback i think i have the problem fixed - i take it all back, 'i love cedar' and it does smell great in the morning!

                                  as suggested, i decided to check for clogs in my ductwork - again. i didn't find any jam-ups but i did find something else i hadn't noticed before - a pretty good 'bend' in the 4" flex hose that drops from the ceiling down to the sharkguard port on my bt3100. i installed this clear flexhose several months ago and recently i noticed that it had stretched quite a bit - i have been meaning to shorten it but never got around to it.

                                  it wasn't really a problem as i have been working mostly with 3/4" stock. however with the cedar i have been using a lot of laminated boards 3" thick. this was just enough that when the sharkguard raised with the blade, it subsequently caused the flex-hose to bend at a pretty severe angle - i must have been looking down at the setup and the blade all the time and never even noticed it.

                                  anyway, i shortened the flex-hose to the proper length(took about 6-8 inches off of it) turned on my dc, cut a few cedar boards - and voila!! no dust! amazing!! and very stupid of me! it reminded me of what phil mickelson said at 'winged foot' - "how could i be so stupid"? the big consolation was i wasn't on network tv .

                                  so, thanks again for pointing me in the right direction. the more woodworking i do, the more humbling experiences i seem to find!
                                  rick doyle

                                  Rick's Woodworking Website

                                    Comment

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