For the recent entrants to woodworking and paddle building, boatbuilding too for that matter, this image may do little. BUT….for those who appreciate western red cedar and its many fine qualities, this picture will hopefully be appreciated. For me, this is the largest piece of western red cedar (wrc) lumber I have EVER FOUND. Ten feet long, sixteen inches wide, and 6/4ths thick.
2019 has been a lean summer for those in the market for wrc. At least here in the midwest, wrc is hard to come by anymore. For a variety of reasons, including British Columbia burning all summer long, climate change, and logging restrictions to protect endangered species, cedar is getting hard to find. For the most part as it should be.
You might then imagine my surprise and happiness when I found this piece of wood leaning against the back wall of my (top secret) wood supply shop. I don’t know how he manages to find these pieces when no one else can, but he does. Some of those pieces, his clients reject because of imperfections. In the case of this piece, it was supposed to be clear and vertical grain. While it is ‘vg’, it is not ‘c’, and so it ended up leaning against the back wall. Which is where I found it.
And bought it.
By the way, it was right next to two pieces of cypress, which can also be seen in this shot. I bought them as well. Never worked with cypress. Hope to soon.
There’s a nice big chunk of cedar beam in the middle of this picture. It too, was rejected from another project purchase. Their loss my gain.
Sometimes, years of clean living pays off. For me, beautiful pieces of rare wood like the picture shows are the payoff. The hard part is cutting them up…….
Paddle Books 