I am an artist, have a laser, live in the Tongass National Forest, filled with fallen old red cedar left by commercial logging to be salvaged. What better combination to create wonderful lovely things?
June 1, 2016 will be the 9th anniversary of being a one woman operation and my own boss. I worked for Alaska Lasercraft until my boss wanted to retire and sold me his shop full of wonderful machines and supplies and tools to do cool things with in May 2007. It's like a dream I never thought could happen, come true! I bought a used wide belt sander which also included a roomful of 16" long cedar boards, which are planed and sanded to 1/8 inch (about 5mm)thickness. A coat of lacquer is brushed on one side and then they are ready to cut. I use Corel Draw to create the patterns, design or add artwork and send it to the CO2 laser for cutting and engraving. Then the wood is cleaned of smoky residue with denatured wood grain alcohol or a damp cloth and then given a coat of lacquer or wood oil and is ready to be assembled or whatever it is to become.
I can do all sorts of things with my laser, so expect to see other items besides those made with wood, as well as cards and prints of my original watercolor paintings.
Here's some information about the Western Red Cedar used for most of my wood products. Enjoy!
Western red cedar grows best in moist to wet soils, with lots of nutrients. It is tolerant of shade and long-lived, sometimes over 1,000 years.
Western red cedar frequently grows with western hemlock and Douglas-fir. On the north coast, it also grows with amabilis fir and spruces. These forests usually have a lush layer of ferns, huckleberries, and Devil's club, with a thick carpet of mosses on the forest floor
The red cedar is naturally aromatic, and have an warm reddish tone color especially treated with linseed oil. Due to its oil content and wood would not warp as easy as most of other soft wood, make them one of the sought after wood for outdoor furniture and structures.
The western red cedar has been called "the cornerstone of Northwest Coast aboriginal culture," and has great spiritual significance. Coastal people used all parts of the tree. They used the wood for dugout canoes, house planks, bentwood boxes, clothing, and many tools such as arrow shafts, masks, and paddles. The inner bark made rope, clothing, and baskets. The long arching branches were twisted into rope and baskets. It was also used for many medicines. Four Sacred plants used for ceremonial and healing purposes are: Tobacco (East), Sage (South), Sweetgrass (West), Cedar (North)
The cedar has been used for healing, purification and for spiritual protection. Its spiritual properties are supposed to promote peaceful thoughts and help interpret messages from the inner self.
The wood is naturally durable and light in weight. It is used for house siding and interior paneling as well as outdoor furniture, decking and fencing. Because of its resistance to decay and insect damage, the wood of large, fallen trees remains sound for over 100 years. Even after 100 years, the wood can be salvaged and cut into shakes for roofs. Here are some links I found:
Unfortunately the only other wood on that list I have is spruce. http://www.touchwoodrings.com/qualitiesofwood.html
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