Yellow cedar same as white pine??

Dan C · #1 11-06-2005, 12:26 AM

Are yellow cedar and white pine the same thing? I tried carving some red cedar and figured out the hard way that it's not the best of carving woods. I was told that yellow cedar carves well. When I went to buy some, I was told that yellow cedar is the same thing as white pine. Is this correct?

Dan C.

squbrigg · #2 11-06-2005, 07:45 AM

Dan,

Yellow Cedar and White Pine are totally different species. They have some similar carving characteristics, but finish quite differently. White Pine can be a good carving wood, depending on what kind of carving you are doing.....for flat relief carving it works easily but I don't care for the finish or texture it leaves. It works better if painted. I use it a lot for ship model hulls, it is perfect for that.

Yellow Cedar is a more open grained wood, and is used more for outdoor signs, cigar boxes/humidores , it isn't as aeromatic as Red Cedar, but it does have the weathering charactistics common to all Cedars. White Pine will rot quickly if left exposed to the weather, and Cedar will weather for years.

Hope this helps.

Bob

Dan C · #3 11-06-2005, 10:30 AM

Thanks Bob. Yeah, that didn't sound right to me, so I thought I'd ask. I think I was told that the totem poles carved by native Americans in the northwest are carved out of yellow cedar.

Do you have an opinion on whether or not yellow cedar carves better than red cedar?

I was thinking of doing a green man face for display out-of-doors, so the durability of cedar is appealing. The "open-grain" quality that you mention, however, concerns me. I'm afraid that I would have trouble getting the detail I want.

Dan C.

AlArchie · #4 11-06-2005, 12:27 PM

Can someone please tell me what "yellow cedar" is? I'm not familiar with it, and haven't been able to find anything on it in any of my reference material. Lots on eastern, southern and western red cedar, eastern white, swampcedar, post cedar, southern white cedar, all kinds of junipers and arbor vitae, but nothing on yellow cedar.

Al

AlArchie · #5 11-06-2005, 12:30 PM

Never mind, I found it! It's a cypress, not really a cedar. 'Splains why I couldn't find it.

sorry.

Al

wade clark · #6 11-06-2005, 04:50 PM

Dan,

WOOD IDENTIFICATION & USE by Terry Porter lists 3 different woods by these names.

YELLOW CEDAR: (chamaecyparis nootkatensis cupressaceae) Grows from Alaska to Oregon, 50 to 170 ft. by 1-4 ft.Heart is bright clear yellow, darkens on exposure. Sapwood nearly white. Also called yellow cypress, Sitka cypress, fine to medium texture, strait even grain. NOT a true cedar. USES: boat building, shingles, external joinery, furniture, posts, pilings. HIGH RESISTANCE TO DECAY FUNGI.

WHITE PINE: (pinus monticola pinaceae) Western white pine. Near white to yellowish...resin ducts...strait grained, rather knotty....USES:Interior joinery, windows, doors, shelving, trim, furniture, drawing boards, boat and ship building, woodware, matches, flooring, plywood. The wood is NOT DURABLE, prone to insect attack.

YELLOW PINE: (pinus strobus pinnaceae) ALSO CALLED WHITE PINE, Eastern white Pine, Spruce Pine...Yellow pine heartwood ranges in color from pale yellow to light reddish brown, sometimes marked by resin ducts, ...usually strait even grain...uniform medium texture, inconspicuous growth rings. Soft and light, classified as weak in strength...not suitable for bending...works very readily with power and hand tools, Planes easily, moulds, bores, routes, mortises, glues, CARVES, nails and screws well. Responds well to sanding, accepts stains and polishes very well. Weathers to light gray if untreated...DURABILITY: Not durable with only moderate resistance to decay. USES: Boatbuilding, furniture, drawing boards, patternmaking, quality joinery, CARVING, musical instruments, coffins, cabins, shingles, furniture, light construction.

Hope this helps!
Wade

Dan C · #7 11-06-2005, 07:33 PM

Thanks Wade! That's great! I was looking for yellow cedar because I was told by a fellow wood carver that it carves a lot better than the red cedar that I had tried with poor results. (I'm a brand new carver, so that certainly had a lot to do with it!)

Anyway, I think he said that yellow cedar was what the native Americans used in the northwest to carve their totem poles. So, based on the description you provided (grows from Alaska to Oregon) it all fits together.

If it DOES carve a lot better, it would be worth exploring as an alternative to red cedar for carvings that will be out-of-doors.

I wonder if anyone has tried carving yellow cedar and can comment? Also, is there a good source?

Dan C.

squbrigg · #8 11-07-2005, 06:59 AM

Yellow compared to Red Cedar for carving. Yellow will carve better, though both should only be used for larger carvings, not great with fine detail, as they both splinter easily. Red is slightly softer, splits easier and dints easy. While both are rot resistant, Yellow is harder, less easy to crumble on the cuts and will hold an edge better.

Good luck with it, and don't forget to take pictures. We love pictures here.
Bob