Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Apr 12, 2011 11:51am | #1

   Sealing the cedar defeats the purpose of having it, which is to provide moth repelling odor it provides.  And, in particular, you do not want to use any oil based product inside a chest because it's smells could linger. 

   Sure you can sand the cedar to eliminate rough areas.  However, I'd avoid having knots that are loose and splitting--leave them in the scrap bin.  Small tight knots are OK.  If the cedar shows signs of bleeding that means it wasn't properly kiln dried to set the resins.  If you see that, I'd find a different source for aromatic cedar to line the chest.  Big boxes aren't very good places to buy lumber. 

1. 
   shopchallenged | Apr 12, 2011 03:10pm | #2

   I'm going to use a water-base stain, can I use that inside the chest?  Should I seal the whole inside of the chest then put the cedar in??    I was just going to put it on the bottom of the chest.  (Shellac is my finish of choice).  The chest wood is Pine.    This is my first project of anything this size and I didn't want to  wreck any real expensive lumber.

   Big box was pretty much my only option, we don't have any real "lumber yards" around here.    I suppose I could have bought it on-line, didn't think of that.

1. 
   Ray | Apr 13, 2011 11:55am | #3

   chest finishing

   Steve is right, you don't want to seal the cedar.  However, you should seal the interior of the chest before installing the cedar.  The pine from the big box stores has a nasty habit of bleeding.  You don't want to get pitch on your wife's favorite antique quilt.  Personally, I'd go with a couple coats of shellac to seal the pine and prevent bleeding.

2. 
   Brentpmed | Apr 14, 2011 09:11am | #4

   Box store cedar

   I made a blanket chest a couple of years ago using the big box store cedar here is how I used that material: I unbundled the cedar and let it acclimate in my shop for two weeks; as thin as it is it reached equilibrium easily in that time. The pieces that had splits were used for the short sides so I cut cut around loose knots and splits, and work around any significant tongue and groove damage. The better long pieces were designated for the longer front and back. I used very small Brads in my brad gun to attach the cedar inside the chest. I ended up getting two bundles of the cedar to have enough good pieces. Paying attention to orient the tongue and grooves, I sanded the face all of the pieces to 150 prior to installation and left the backs rough. After installation, I hand sanded them to 220. Cedar is a respiratory irritant when sanding, so wear a dust mask if power sanding and shop vac to capture as much of the dust as possible. As to finishing the inside of the chest: don't seal the cedar; as mentioned in other replies, that will seal in the cedar smell and defeat the purpose. The volatile oils in the cedar which produce the desired cedar smell can soften many finishes over time. There is no reason to stain or seal the parts of the chest which will be covered by the cedar. If you choose to try a seal coat of shellac on the underside of the lid, do that while the cedar is acclimating in the shop. That period of time will allow the shellac to fully cure. (shellac dries very quickly, but fully cures over several days). While I haven't used shellac on a project which included cedar, it may be a better choice than other finishes which would be dissolved or softened by turpentine (cedar fumes). As far as protecting objects which could be stained by the cedar, wrap them loosely in plastic where they would be touching the wood; that will protect them. ( I use dry cleaning bags over our antique quilts and my wife's wedding dress is in a box.). One more thought about fastening the cedar inside the chest: The thin cedar is brittle enough to split even using a brad nailer. If you look closely at brads, they are consistent in thickness, but slightly wedge shaped across their width like old style cut nails on a smaller scale. To prevent that wedge shape from splitting the cedar, orient the brad nailer with the grain when nailing, especially near the ends of the planks. Good luck with your project!

1. 
   shopchallenged | Apr 14, 2011 08:33pm | #5

   Can I glue the cedar down instead of tacking it?   

1. 
   fussy | Apr 26, 2011 02:43am | #6

   By all ,eams, glue the cedar down-lightly; it's not stressed.  Sand first to 180-220, and dust.  Do not finish the INSIDE at all.  The oils vapors given off by the cedar will blacken any finish and turn it to sticky goo.  I have seen this when as a kid I worked in my FAther's furniture store when he got a load of cedar chests made as a cottage industry in Tennesasee. Someone sprayed the laquer meant for the outside into the inside for good measure, and it was quite a mess.  Cedar lining actually NEEDS TO BE SANDED periodicly when a film covering envelops it..  Knock it off quickly, and the scent and effectiveness is restored.

   Steve

1. 
   shopchallenged | Apr 26, 2011 02:38pm | #7

   Hi fussy

   Thanks for the tip.   Is using shellac inside considered a finish?   As I said earlier I'm only putting the cedar on the bottom.