Hello,
I sent up that photo of the Western Red Cedar in this topic about with Cypress because this stem, having been harvested somewhere in Germany, reminded me more of the Cypress wood that I have worked than imported Red Cedar. This German wood was denser and harder, two related though separate qualities, and much lighter in color being more yellow than red.
This density was pretty important in how the wood reacted to being cut with the axe in particular. The sap wood being less dense was trouble and cutting it tangentially or across the grain was difficult, though in the end that didn't matter because it was all remove. The heart wood cut for the most part well though down near the bottom which was buttressed excessively to one side indicating it had grown on a hillside, was very tough and resilient especially right out at the end where the fibers were unsupported and seemed to flex with the blade. I had to think of the forces of wind and gravity that had formed that wood and the effect that was now having in resisting my axe swings and even more so when shortly after squaring up it bowed over the whole 9 meter length with a deflection of about 10 cm. More important though when making the comparison to this wood and its North American counterpart is the differences in climate.
I guess another consideration to make about the choice of the wood, that is beyond how it will work, is for what it will be applied. I cut a rain gutter with this stem so was looking more for a wood that would be somewhat durable in wet conditions. Because this is a matter of chemicals I'm guessing growing conditions wont really effect DNA so much. The tinsel and compressive qualities of the wood could also be considered and what the difference between native and exotic trees would yield there. On the face of it the sheer quantity and quality of the knotty native grown Cedar probably would give an indication.
Cypress though. A wood used more by native North Americans and Japanese in building. I don't think that it is acceptable in Japanese woodworking to work across the grain, though its only speculation on my part.
Greetings,
Don Wagstaff
