Timber suitability for bird boxes? / Timber i.d. (again!)

[Kalimna]

Greetings folks,
Just a quick query - is cedar (Scottish grown) a suitable timber for constructing bird and bat boxes? My only concern is its resinous nature and odour. And the reason I ask is that I have a fair amount of it, offcuts, that I have no other use for.

Many thanks,
Adam S

 

[Penny]

Greetings folks,
Just a quick query - is cedar (Scottish grown) a suitable timber for constructing bird and bat boxes? My only concern is its resinous nature and odour. And the reason I ask is that I have a fair amount of it, offcuts, that I have no other use for.

Many thanks,
Adam S

I'll take it off your hands :wink: I'm only a short drive away in Livingston!

 

[RobinBHM]

Ive got a gardenature birdbox which is western red cedar.

http://www.gardenature.co.uk/black-whit ... bird-boxes

So I would think it would be ok -what type of cedar do you have?

 

[custard]

I should think that would be ideal. The only stipulation I've heard about is to avoid tantalised timber or wood with any other preservative treatment applied.

 

[Kalimna]

Ok, that seems fine, I'll give it a shot - afraid I'm not sure which subspecies it is, but fairly light and pungent when cut with wide-ish growth rings. It is also seems to be of low density, though I haven't measured it.

Penny - thanks for the offer, but I'm not done yet

Cheers,
Adam

 

[John15]

I f you are uncertain you could contact The RSPB for advice.

John

 

[blackrodd]

I believe that you will have Cedar of Lebanon, which tends to have large knots.
My FIL, had one years ago, that was storm damaged, planked up and made all sorts of things including bird boxes.
There are members of the RSBP on here whom will tell us for certain on the suitability of western red cedar,
or cedar of lebanon for birdboxes.
Regards rodders

 

[whiskywill]

I believe that you will have Cedar of Lebanon,

Why not Thuja plicata/Western Red Cedar which, I believe, is more common in the UK?

 

[blackrodd]

I believe that you will have Cedar of Lebanon,

Why not Thuja plicata/Western Red Cedar which, I believe, is more common in the UK?

But apparently not in scotland Whisky Will.
The title on the following article suggests that Cedar of Lebanon is more common that Western Red Cedar,
And also I have found Cedar Of Lebanon Tends to be knotty, and resinous, more so than Western Red.
The OP mentioned that his Cedar was quite resinous, so until he returns,...................

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forestry_i ... ed_Kingdom
Regards Rodders

 

[dc_ni]

The RSPB says the following:

Any plank or sheet of about 15 mm thick weatherproof timber is suitable. However, do not use CCA pressure-treated timber, since the leachates may harm birds.

You can see the guide here: http://www.rspb.org.uk/makeahomeforwildlife/advice/helpingbirds/nestboxes/smallbirds/making.aspx

 

[Kalimna]

Thanks for the continued responses, they are appreciated.
On the timber I.d. Front, I'm going to stick my neck out and go with the Cedar of Lebanon, based on a quick google and above comments. It is paler than I would expect wrc to be, but I can post a photo later on.

Cheers again,
Adam S

 

[RobinBHM]

From your description of 'widish growth rings', I was thinking cedar of lebanon. It is very aromatic and historically was used for drawers / wardrobes due to its moth repellant qualities. Itll be like a glade plug-in for birds!

 

[mouppe]

Here in Canada, we use cedar, pine, redwood. But we are advised not to paint or varnish it.

 

[skippy75]

I have a cedar bird box on the wall. I always thought it was the preferred wood for bird boxes.

 

[dickm]

I believe that you will have Cedar of Lebanon,

Why not Thuja plicata/Western Red Cedar which, I believe, is more common in the UK?

But apparently not in scotland Whisky Will.
The title on the following article suggests that Cedar of Lebanon is more common that Western Red Cedar,
And also I have found Cedar Of Lebanon Tends to be knotty, and resinous, more so than Western Red.
The OP mentioned that his Cedar was quite resinous, so until he returns,...................

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forestry_i ... ed_Kingdom
Regards Rodders

Not clear where that article says Cedar of Lebanon is more common in Scotland. Neither is particularly common from my experience, but the Lebanon version is almost exclusively a parkland tree. It's also notorious for dropping branches unexpectedly - there were two in the grounds where I used to work, and they were practically like trussed chickens with all the wires holding the branches up.

 

[Kalimna]

Ok, here are a few photos of the timber in question. The colour is not far from reality, though perhaps a little darker than it should be. The resinous exudate should be obvious in the shiny spots, and they are present in most of the boards I have left over. They sand easily away, however. I dont have a decent photo of the end grain unfortunately.

Cheers,
Adam

 

[blackrodd]

That'll be Cedar of Lebanon. many uses including drawer bottoms, as the scent helped keep the moths away.
excellent for many outdoor uses, and I believe has the same properties as Western Red Cedar.
It resists burning as in fire doors and will spit hot embers all over you're fireside rug, if you have one.
Really nice to use especially if you have just had a good old sharpen up
Regards Rodders

 

[wills-mill]

There are 3 true Old World Cedars, your boards are one of-

Atlas (Morocco and North Africa)
Lebanon (Lebanon and the Levant)
Deodar (out across to Northern India I believe)

I've probably milled bits from all of them, but never been able to tell them apart from the sawn timber.

There is a lovely way to identify them when growing, just look at the habit of the shoots and branches:

Atlas Ascends
Lebanon is Level
Deodar Droops

When you get into the New World temperate climate 'Cedars' there are absolutely loads- from the Thuja, Chamaecyparis, Juniperus genera. Westerns, Easterns, Reds, Whites, Pencil, Port Orford. Loads of them!

 

[blackrodd]

I'm only familiar with 3 species of cedar.
I've cut a fair bit of Cedar of Lebanon in the past,
The national trust requested yellow cedar, AKA Joinery pine, so loads of that and rarely a hint of a knot!
And of course Western Red Cedar, mainly for greenhouses and summer houses etc, and again, rarely see a knot.
Joinery pine, Western red cedar and, "clearer and better Douglas fir" and hemlock, were the finest and most expensive in our yard. I think this was all from Canada
Western red, yellow cedar and c&b Douglas fir came in at 4" thick, 16"wide and up to 30' long
Made a few windows and doors out of that lot. Rodders

 

[custard]

Don't know if this helps,

The two wide boards are Cedar Of Lebanon that I use for drawer bottoms, they're about 24" wide, near enough quarter sawn. The narrow board in the middle is Western Red Cedar. Cedar Of Lebanon is very aromatic (the workshop smells wonderful when it's being planed). Western Red Cedar...not so much!

Here's a close up,