I have just taken down to sheds that were both about 20' X 16' and discovered the posts and beams to be cedar. What can I use this wood for IF I decide to cut it up? Any suggestions? Thanks.

Hmmm... a sauna, a deck, Adirondack chairs, a lot of arrows or some kindling perhaps.

Most ceder is good for exterior applications, so about anything that you would like to have outside.

Or you can make ceder chests to use for storing blankets, quilts, or anything you don't want moths to get at (or most other bugs or that matter)

I don't usually see cedar used in older timber frames. What are the dimensions of the timber and how are they configured? What make is the cedar? What part of the country are you in?

Tim

The timbers are western red I believe and are about 8X8 square. I'm not entirely sure that they are western red so any help identifying them would be appreciated. The sheds were just an hour north east of Toronto, Ontario, meaning that they must have been shipped here if they are indeed western red.

How do they smell?

Could they perhaps be Eastern Redceder? That is actually a juniper and not a true ceder, but is commonly called ceder. It is marketed as 'aromatic ceder' It is very light and straight grained with a deep reddish brown color.

From Wikipedia, about its uses:

The fine-grained, soft brittle pinkish- to brownish-red heartwood is fragrant, very light and very durable, even in contact with soil. Because of its rot resistance, the wood is used for fence posts. The aromatic wood is avoided by moths, so it is in demand as lining for clothes chests and closets, often referred to as cedar closets and cedar chests. If correctly prepared, it makes excellent English longbows, flatbows, and Native American sinew-backed bows. The wood is marketed as "eastern redcedar" or 'aromatic cedar'.

Also from Wikipedia, the natural range:


and the appearance of the wood (wikipedia again):

Hi,
I just happen to be hewing, over the last few days, a beam from a western red cedar stem - 9 meters long, cuttin' it down for a solid wood rain gutter. You'll see it if you have a look there at m' last posting under the hewing topic and the trouble it has been giving.

Greetings

Don Wagstaff

You can get western red cedar in the Netherlands? Is it introduced there, or do you have to import it?

Also, I just realized I misspelled cedar in my last post, oops.

In the event that I don't mill the beams, how should I go about preparing them for reuse? I have heard that I should pressure wash the wood and then add an insecticide. Any comments on that. Thanks again for all the previous info, I'm new at all this but am really enjoying it. As you can imagine, there isn't much timber framing happening in Toronto!

Well if it's eastern redcedar, insecticide is unnecessary.

Also, I am not a fan of treating wood with harsh chemicals, a better way in my opinion would be to kill any bugs that my be present with heat. Heat the wood up to over 140 degrees (fahrenheit) and hold it there for at least 3 hours, no bugs will survive. That is a common practice for kiln drying lumber that might be infected with insects (like powder post beetles for example) and if you have very much wood to do, it's cheaper than insecticide and far more effective.

Good luck on your venture, whatever they may be! I'm always a big fan of not letting things go to waste, must be from the Swiss or something...