How hard is it to rip 2×4 cedar boards (I think it’s a red type cedar rough cut from Lowes) on a regular table saw (not an industrial or professional table saw)? I’ve ripped and beveled pine, mdf and plywood but I’m not sure how hard of a wood cedar is. These are going to be 2x4x8 that I’d like to try and rip into (2) 2x2x8.
Also, they say that they treat their cedar with natural ingredients (maybe cedar oil). I know that cedar is suppose to be naturally resistant to weather and the like. A strange question…when I rip it will the freshly ripped faces of the boards be just as treated and protected as the other areas of the board?
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Not hard at all. I suggest using a carbide ripping blade. I prefer Pirahna. WATCH YOUR FINGERS! Cedar is naturally resistant to rot, insects, mold, etc., all the way to the core- red, yellow, white, all same.
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Thank you very much for your help. One more thing if you don’t mind. If I purchase this from a big box store (stored inside under control AC temp), take it home and store it outside (or in a hot garage out of the sun) for a week or two will it still hold it’s shape? I have to get it now but may not get to the project for a couple of weeks. Just wondering if I’ll be wasting money because the wood will warp or degrade much. I did read somewhere that there is minimal breathing (expanding/contracting) for cedar compared to other woods but I don’t want to go buy one person. Thanks again.
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In my experience, two things cause much warpage in lumber- rain and sun. If you keep it in the garage, a couple of weeks should not make a large difference. Pick out good, straight boards to start with. Those with less initial warp are less likely to warp.
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I’ve had a tablesaw for many years now and have ripped redwood several times. I haven’t ripped much if any cedar. It smells great when its cut though.
My experience with redwood is that in larger dimensions it can be straight but is under tension from all the different fibers pulling in various directions along the length of the piece. When I’ve cut a few pieces of redwood I could hear the tension releasing and in some it actually caused the the curf (the saw blade opening) to collapse and bind the blade.With redwood its really kind of unpredictable if the split piece will be straight or not. Just sharing my experience, not sure of how cedar will cut but you’ll love the smell.
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Thanks all. Ripping the 2×4 cedar went smoothly (as did the cross cuts and beveling). Haven’t noticed any warping of the wood even in this humidity. I definitely wore a mask. There was plenty of saw dust not caught by the dry-vac that I was able to sweep and save in a zip lock bag. Open the bag for a fresh cedar scented room.