Stained pine strips? Or a souce of cedar in NY state?

[jsantell]

I'm having a tough time finding clear cedar for my strips here in western NY, I've been considering pine and was wondering if I could stain the strips to give them a more pleasing look before assembly. Then again, if anyone has a good source for clear cedar in the Rochester area I'm listening. :big grin

[Rick]

Staining the strips before assembly will not work because the sanding afterwards will remove the thin stained layer on the surface. Staining after the sanding's finished is risky because the wood might not take up the stain uniformly, and if there are any areas where there's some glue soaked in, those will not take stain either. it's especially difficult to stain the interior, so if you do decide to take the chance and stain, stain the outside.

White pine is a nice light wood and I'd build a hull with it... it's slightly heavier than cedar but 3/16 strips can be cut. With time the varnish will darken and change the overall tone. I'd also paint the outside to contrast with the pine interior, this can result in a very attractive color scheme, maybe you've seen some of the traditional cedar-and-canvas canoes. To my eye, they are the most attractive canoes of all, and there's no reason why a stripper couldn't be painted on the outside to match the look.

Sounds like heresy, I know... Ted Moores suggests using paint in his first book on Canoecraft and I can say that the wood interior in my Huron looks great!

[AlanWS]

If you want to stain, here's a document describing it: http://www.greenval.com/FAQstaining.html
I've not tried staining. A mostly light colored canoe of pine with a few darker cedar accents could look great. Staining could be tricky to restrict to specific regions.

You don't need clear cedar: buying stuff with knots can cost less than 1/3 the price, and can have some long clear sections. Joining strips with butt or scarf joints also works fine: http://www.michneboat.com/Working%20Wit ... Strips.htm

I like to scarf them first because I think it makes bending the strip to make a fair curve simpler. Others find joining them with a butt joint at a station works very well.

[Bryan Hansel]

Pine doesn't look too bad. It's on the bottom of my kayak shown in this picture.


But, you should be able to find not so clear cedar. Then sort through the boards until you find some good ones. It'll save on cash. Also, many lumber retailers will special order you clear cedar.

[jsantell]

The cedar I looked at was pretty knotty, i doubt I would get more than 40 % full strips out of it. I do have to admit that I did my looking at Lowes and Home Depot. I do have a couple of dedicated lumber yards that I need to check out yet. I'm sure their quality is much better. If not, I will probably go with 3/16 pine strips. I can get that in 14 foot lengths and will still need to scarf the strips but at least it's knot free and there won't be as much waste. I guess I'll pass on the staining idea although I really like the dark cedar color. Thanks for the imput and web links.

[Bryan Hansel]

No need to scarf. Butt joints on the station forms work great, are very easy, and done right are almost invisible. Good luck at the lumberyards.

Did you check out the cedar decking at Lowe's. Usually good.

[jsantell]

[quote="Bryan Hansel"]No need to scarf. Butt joints on the station forms work great, are very easy, and done right are almost invisible. Good luck at the lumberyards.

Did you check out the cedar decking at Lowe's. Usually good.[/quote
I didn't check out the decking, just the wood in the hardwood sections, next time I head that way I'll check it out.

[DrPepper]

Most of the builders I have talked with in the Rochester area get their cedar from Pittsford Lumber.
http://www.northfieldcommon.com/pittsford%20lumber.htm