Incense cedar

[mikekeswick]

I've just been to my local woodyard and they have some incense cedar in. I've never used it but seem to remember reading somewhere about it being used for bows.
Have any of you ever used it? If so for what sort of bows?
Many thanks

[nativenoobowyer86]

Wow, your local woodyard is open at 3am???   

[DarkSoul]

What we call "Incense cedar" here, is actually Juniperus viginiana, also known as Eastern red cedar. So, the incense cedar is in fact a true juniper. It should therefore be good in bows - provided you can find a knotfree piece, which was impossible in the stock I've seen here. Maybe you have more luck in finding a clear piece...

[loefflerchuck]

No, incense cedar is calocedrus decurrens. The only Calocedrus that grows in the Americas. It is not a juniper and is not like the other true cedars that grow in the US. It grows from Oregon through California to north Baja. It is very light and also used for pencils. It is ranks above juniper in my opinion for sinew bows but is not much good as a self bow

[UserNameTaken]

I would think that incense cedar would be a really good candidate for a combed flax backing, if the wood is light & good in compression. Flax is lighter than wood, so the bow would end up ultra light. Could be interesting.

I'll have to try to find some of that.

[DarkSoul]

Really? Calocedrus decurrens? That's interesting. I've never seen that wood for trade in my country. Juniperus procera or J. virginiana  would be called "incense cedar" here, if I were to translate the name into English. Shows once again the trouble with these local names..neither Juniperus nor Calocedrus are true cedars...

I tend to dislike wood in the Cupressaceae family, to which Calocedrus decurrens belongs. The wood is usually extremely lightweight and soft. How does this wood compare to Western red cedar? If it's so lightweight, why do you rank it above juniper for sinew backed bows?
My pencils break easily and snap clean in half...I suspect it wouldn't make a good bow, but I might be wrong?

[mikekeswick]

I'm in England so I guess time difference would explain the 3am bit
I was thinking sinew backed as well and as (any)juniper is very difficult to get hold off in stave or board form it would be good to have an alternative that I can just go and buy a piece of.
All the boards I saw were straight grained and clear of any knots. Similar colour to lemonwood - just a bit darker.
When I go back i'll see if they know the latin name.

[vinemaplebows]

I thought incense cedar grew back east, NOT out west? I also thout it was a true juniper, NOT a cedar. Maybe I read that wrong?

[UserNameTaken]

Easter red cedar and incense cedar don't appear to be the same thing.

[randman]

It's all just a confusion in the names. Kind of like "ironwood" is different types of wood in different regions. Where I live "ironwood" is Ocean Spray. And incense cedar is Calocedrus like Loefflerchuck says. Eastern Red Cedar may be also called incense cedar in the Eastern US because of it's smell and then we have Western Red cedar which is a different wood (not a true cedar either). I'm guessing the "incense cedar" that Mikekeswick is talking about is probably ERC or what I call "cedar chest wood" because that's what most cedar chests and closet lining wood is. Very nice smell but also a very different smell than the "incense cedar" or Calocedrus we have on the West coast US. Calocedrus has an almost exotic perfume smell. I've seen lots of ERC (starts out purpley when fresh - aging to carmely brown) in board form but have never seen Calocedrus in board form.

[vinemaplebows]

The latter is what I have used....Eastern

[blackpanem]

i had the same question a few weeks ago, so it would make a decent bow?

[loefflerchuck]

These are incense cedar/ sinew bows i made. The 2nd bow returns to a huge reflex after being unstrung. 44" long 48# @ 23.5" draw. The first bow is 39" n to n and pulls 54# @ 24" and shot a oak foreshafted cane arrow 210 yards. Both made of branches not the trunk.

[UserNameTaken]

loefflerchuck, what sort of terrain does this stuff grow in?

[mikekeswick]

loefflerchuck - those are SWEET bows. I really like making things like that. The boards are very similar colour to your bows.