Old-Growth vs Regular Western Red Cedar: Why the Difference Matters

When people see Western Red Cedar in a product description, they often assume the wood is much the same from one piece to another. It is not.

There is a substantial difference between the old-growth cedar I mill and the younger, faster-grown cedar commonly sold today, which I will refer to here as regular cedar.

Old-growth Western Red Cedar is rare and considerably more expensive. If a maker is using it, there is every reason to say so clearly. A description that says only “Western Red Cedar” identifies the species; it does not mean the wood is old-growth.

A Difference You Can See

One of the clearest visual differences in the old-growth cedar I mill is the fine spacing of the growth-ring lines.

In the photograph below, the ruler gives a sense of scale. The lines run closely together across the face of the board, showing how slowly the tree added wood over time. Faster-grown regular cedar commonly shows much wider spacing.

Fine growth-ring spacing visible across the face of an old-growth Western Red Cedar board.

This gives buyers something they can look for in product photographs. Closely spaced grain lines are a visible sign of slow growth, while widely spaced lines usually indicate faster growth.

A photograph cannot establish everything about the history of a board, so the best confirmation is still a description that clearly states that the lumber is old-growth.

Denser and Harder Cedar

Western Red Cedar is a lightweight softwood. Old-growth cedar does not turn it into oak or maple, and it can still be dented or marked by a hard impact.

Every tree also contains juvenile wood formed during its early years near the centre of the trunk. A large old-growth log contains a far greater volume of mature wood outside that core, giving me much more material to choose from than a young tree can provide.

The tight-ring old-growth cedar I mill is denser and harder than the wide-ring regular cedar I commonly encounter.

The difference is noticeable when I handle and work with the boards. The old-growth material feels more substantial, and its surfaces and edges are firmer than those of softer, quickly grown cedar.

That matters in a finished product. Chair arms, seat slats, legs, table surfaces, chest lids, and panel edges are all touched, loaded, and used repeatedly. Beginning with denser material gives those parts a higher-quality foundation.

It does not make the finished piece indestructible. It means I am beginning with a stronger material standard rather than choosing younger, faster-grown cedar because it is less expensive.

Clear Lumber Is a Specialty Material

One of the greatest advantages of a large old-growth log is the amount of clear lumber it can provide.

Clear cedar means lumber without knots. It is a specialized and expensive grade, and furniture made entirely from clear cedar occupies a different niche from the knotty cedar products more commonly seen in the market.

Knots form where branches grew through the trunk. They can give cedar a rustic appearance, and knotty lumber can be perfectly suitable for many products. It is also more readily available and substantially less expensive.

It is not what I use for my regular products.

Western Red Cedar naturally grows with a straight grain, but a knot interrupts that grain as the wood fibres move around the branch. The knot and the surrounding area can crack, loosen, or behave differently from the rest of the board.

Large old-growth logs give me enough material to cut around those areas and produce chair parts, table components, chest panels, and other pieces from uninterrupted clear wood.

Every regular Tofino Woodshop product is made entirely from clear, knot-free lumber.

That standard is uncommon because it requires more expensive material and produces a lower usable yield. A great deal of otherwise serviceable cedar must be set aside because it does not meet the clear-lumber standard.

Natural Colour Variation in Old-Growth Cedar

Another striking characteristic of the old-growth cedar I mill is its natural colour variation.

The photographs below show two different boards from my old-growth cedar stock. Each has its own combination of pale, pink, red, brown, and darker tones, and the colour changes within each individual board.

Two clear old-growth Western Red Cedar boards, each showing its own natural colour variation.

These colours are not painted or created with stain. They are already present inside the log.

Because the boards are wide and clear, the changes in colour can continue across an uninterrupted furniture part rather than being broken up by knots. Two pieces cut from the same log may look related while still having their own colouring and character.

Cedar colour changes with time, light, finish, and exposure to weather. Untreated outdoor cedar will eventually move toward silver-grey. When the lumber is freshly milled or finished, however, the variation within the wood can be one of its most distinctive qualities.

Why I Quarter-Saw Every Board

The old-growth log gives me access to better material, but I still have to decide how to cut it.

I quarter-saw all of my lumber so the growth rings stand mostly vertical through the thickness of the board. This creates the vertical-grain appearance visible in my products and helps the boards move more evenly as moisture conditions change.

Most furniture makers buy lumber after it has already been milled. They select from the boards their supplier has available.

I begin with the log, which lets me control the orientation of the boards before the furniture parts are cut.

Quarter-sawing takes more time and does not produce the maximum possible amount of lumber from a log. Other cutting patterns are more efficient when the goal is simply to obtain the greatest number of board feet.

My goal is different. I would rather accept a lower yield and produce the board orientation I want for the finished piece.

The Difference Begins with the Wood

Old-growth cedar does not make a finished product indestructible. It gives me a higher-quality starting point: mature, denser wood, fine growth-ring spacing, wide clear boards, and natural colour that younger regular cedar cannot provide in the same way.

I then quarter-saw every board, cut around defects, and use only clear lumber in my regular products. Some of the wood I purchase, move, mill, dry, and store will never appear in a finished piece because it does not meet that standard.

That combination of rare material, lower usable yield, and control from the log through the finished product is why my cedar products cost more.

A less expensive cedar product may still be suitable for its intended market. It is simply not directly comparable to a product made entirely from old-growth, clear, quarter-sawn Western Red Cedar.