After tearing down the false ceiling in my living room, I've ended up with some quite nice straight grained cedar (white cedar I think) 2X2s.
I was thinking that I could use one for the gaff and one for the jib boom on my Weekender.
Would cedar be a good choice, it held up the ceiling for 40 years but that's a different use than a spar that's getting flogged.
I have a spruce 2X4 to use for the boom that I have to get working on.
That would depend on the board. Some cedar is fairly soft and could snap, especially if it's got knots in it. The red cedar we have in the south is harder than white but after it's good and dry it kind of brittle. Now if you were to laminate the wood it will become stronger and less likely to break.
Keith
Spanish cedar is okay for small spars, most all the others (available in this country) aren't very well suited for sticks. Its light weight is a plus and its good compressive strength too, but it's generally just not strong enough and doesn't hold heavily loaded fasteners worth a hoot.
I wouldn't try to use it for the reasons already mentioned. But primary is that it is brittle, splits easily and under load can shatter at any point that it is penetrated by a fastener of any kind. Bedding them in epoxy doesn't seem to make much difference in that respect. Stick with the Spruce if you can or even with straight grain, quarter sawn stock in Doug Fir, Southern Yellow Pine, mahogany or if you can get it elm or locust.
In Canada you should be able to find white pine, Sitka spruce and Douglas fur. These would make fine spars, though Doug. fur can be difficult to finish bright. Other woods may be a bit heavy for the task, such as yellow pine, or some of the hardwoods, which typically aren't used in spars.
But they're such pretty sticks ..... Sigh.
Oh well, they'll make a nice cockpit grating. Time to go through the pile and see what else I might have.
They make great grating. But I would soak them in hot boiled linseed oil after you get them fabricated. Keep it hot and soak them until they won't absorb any more oil. Then let them dry for a month or so and go ahead and finish them off. That will keep the pores sealed up and it will harden the cedar some and that helps. They also look really pretty then too. :wink: