# Cedar Wood For Slingshots ?



## NCLeadSlinger (Sep 18, 2012)

So i have been wondering if Cedar wood would be good to make some slingshots with? I have alot of it rough cut from my land and want to make a pretty Catty out of it.
Has anyone tried this? Is the wood weak when stressed laterally? any advices or direction from you guys would be most welcome. I would hate to have a fork break off and smack me in the face!
Thanks

Paul


----------



## LVO (Sep 25, 2011)

I have made some out of cedar here in NM. I was amazed at how strong and tight the grain is on the natural forks. I don't know if you have the same type of cedar, but the ones I have are incredibly strong. A friend of mine cut them for me. I'm glad he did because I would not have done so myself, thinking it would have been too fragile. 
I have one set up with Double TBG for rock chucking and it handles it a lot easier than I do!


----------



## All Buns Glazing (Apr 22, 2012)

Hey mate,
As far as I know - cedar is like pine and is really soft. If you do make one, ensure the grain is running vertically, and not horizontally so it's strong as possible.

This is a good resource if you want to check the hardness ratings of wood - cedar doesn't really fare very well








http://en.wikipedia....a_hardness_test

edit: I'm talking board cuts, had my head up my cooloo and didn't notice you were talking naturals. Naturals are a different kettle of fish and I don't know what I'm talking about in this department!


----------



## LVO (Sep 25, 2011)

Set one in a vice and abuse the tar out of it. Hang heavy weights, smack it with a hammer. Do whatever it takes to prove to yourself that it is safe.


----------



## NCLeadSlinger (Sep 18, 2012)

Nice Link Sam,

LVO i may do just that...

So i was perusing google and came across this Video from PawPawSailor





It looks like he used some and made it work, Maybe i should PM him and ask his thoughts. Still very open to all you fellows out there with your experience. Thanks.

Paul


----------



## BootMuck (Sep 11, 2012)

I've built part of a bed frame from cedar and pine board cuts. The pine was noticeably harder in my experience. .

That being said, I have gathered a lot of natural cedar as it's pretty abundant on the lands I roam. In my experience it's much, much more solid than the board cuts I worked with. I've got a few dead fall pieces now that I used to make handles for a fire steel and they were pretty ridiculous to cut through with a hand saw.

Just my limited experience. Next time I'm out I'll grab some and experiment as I wish to know the answer as well.


----------



## Pawpawsailor (Jun 8, 2012)

Paul,

My experience is with Eastern Red Cedar most often used in making cedar chests and as an aromatic liner for drawers and closets due to its natural ability to repel insects. ERC has some marvelous qualities. Considering that it comes from the conifer family it has extremely hard heartwood. It is because of this hardness that it can take such a fine and glossy finish. While it is exceptionally hard, it is relatively light in weight and density. It is also very brittle. Vertical grain or quarter sawn cedar is highly sought after for furniture, but will not stand the stresses of a powerful slingshot. It will split long the grain very easily. Cross grained planks, however, can make for reasonably strong frames if you don't overpower them. The strongest combination would be to take two thin outer log cut planks and face the exposed grain toward the opposite and laminate them together. The slingshots I made were purposely banded with very light tubes. Even so, when drawing back the bands the vibration of the wood could be felt in my hand. If you use a strong plywood or metal core you could successfully apply cedar as outside laminates with good results.

I hope this is helpful.

Perry


----------



## NCLeadSlinger (Sep 18, 2012)

Perry,

Great write up and Thank you for this wealth of info. I will def have to use a core of some sort if i intend to make anything for hunting or so it seems. Maybe bamboo or another stronger wood like ebony or some such.
I do have a question concerning the outside cuts you were saying to laminate together for added strength. so are you meaning to cut from the log the outside edges and then laminate them back to back? or to cross grain them horizontally and perpendicularly in respect to the grain path?

I really enjoy the Sap wood in them and hope to be able to use them in whatever I decide to make.

Paul


----------



## Pawpawsailor (Jun 8, 2012)

Here is what I had in mind...


----------



## NCLeadSlinger (Sep 18, 2012)

LOL...PERFECT!

Thanks for the pic's, thats exactly what I needed to see. Thanks PawPaw...


----------



## Pawpawsailor (Jun 8, 2012)

Picture is worth 1,000 words... lol


----------



## LVO (Sep 25, 2011)

I must say that the cedar I have used is in the natural fork, not board cuts. Pawpaw has good info and a wealth of knowledge.
I am working on a ERC board cut but it will have an aluminum core. 
Look forward to your pics NC!


----------



## Sean (Nov 17, 2011)

Honestly if you have a good supply of cedar on your land and your planning on cutting limbs and forks from
the trees, I think you'll get some fine catty's out of them. I've harvested a bit of natural forks from
our forest and some of it grows nice and thick, dries fast, and I've found it to be a very non-checking 
type of wood (non-cracking).
I have yet to finish them yet, my .02 cents.


----------



## Pawpawsailor (Jun 8, 2012)

Sean said:


> Honestly if you have a good supply of cedar on your land and your planning on cutting limbs and forks from
> the trees, I think you'll get some fine catty's out of them. I've harvested a bit of natural forks from
> our forest and some of it grows nice and thick, dries fast, and I've found it to be a very non-checking
> type of wood (non-cracking).
> I have yet to finish them yet, my .02 cents.


Sean,

I agree with about natural forks, my comment related to board cut frames.

Perry


----------



## rosco (Jan 10, 2012)

I've just used some cedar - not sure which variety, but a very close grained type for a palmswell. The core was jarrah. In this regard it came up a treat. Has a warmth and texture that brings to mind leather. Easy to work too.

Cedar is an awfully generic term here in Oz. Covers a lot of species. Is it the same in the US?


----------



## BootMuck (Sep 11, 2012)

http://www.ehow.com/about_5432718_cedar-trees.html

See that link.

Seems in the US it's a pretty generic term as well.

I guess I have been calling a Juniper a cedar my entire life. .

Go figure.

I don't have a natural fork to test but I did shoot a thumb sized stick of this juniper w/ 3/8" steel yesterday. Left a nice ding but survived just fine w/o structural compromise.


----------



## rosco (Jan 10, 2012)

My experience with I-dunno-what-kind-of-cedar for making furniture is it's beautiful in every regard, but super dingable and snapable. I wouldn't be using what I got for a slingshot unless it was laminated as Pawpaw sailor recommends. As a natural - spose you got to give it a cautious go. Good luck with it Bootmuck.

Got this from Wikipedia -

Cupressaceae family
Atlantic White Cedar or _Chamaecyparis thyoides_
Bermuda cedar, _Juniperus bermudiana_, a species of juniper endemic to Bermuda
Chilean cedar, _Austrocedrus chilensis_
Clanwilliam Cedar, _Widdringtonia cedarbergensis_, a species of cypress endemic to the Cederberg mountains of South Africa
Eastern Red Cedar, _Juniperus virginiana_, a species of juniper native to eastern North America
Eastern White Cedar, Northern White Cedar or _Thuja occidentalis_
Incense-cedar, _Calocedrus_
Iranian cedar, _Cupressus sempervirens_
Japanese Cedar, _Cryptomeria_, Sugi
Mexican White Cedar, _Cupressus lusitanica_, a species of cypress native to Mexico and Central America
Mountain Cedar, _Juniperus ashei_, an evergreen shrub native to northeastern Mexico and the south-central United States
New Zealand Cedar, _Libocedrus bidwillii_
Persian cedar, _Cupressus sempervirens_
Port Orford-cedar, _Chamaecyparis lawsoniana_
Prickly Cedar, _Juniperus oxycedrus_, native across the Mediterranean region
Sharp Cedar, _Juniperus oxycedrus_, native across the Mediterranean region
Western Redcedar, _Thuja plicata_, a cypress of the Pacific northwest
Yellow-cedar, Alaska-cedar or _Callitropsis nootkatensis_


----------



## The Gopher (Aug 25, 2010)

Cedar and pine naturals are more than strong enough, be wary of boardcuts.


----------



## bunnybuster (Dec 26, 2009)

I know that eastern red cedar is not very hard wood.
Because it is so beautiful, I made this new Hammermil today.
The center though, is double, hard maple, and the frame is very strong.
In the past, I have used the red cedar for solid board cuts, and they worked fine unless you get a fork hit.
Now I use the wood for laminate sides, and handles.


----------



## rockslinger (Nov 16, 2010)

The Gopher said:


> Cedar and pine naturals are more than strong enough, be wary of boardcuts.


----------



## AnTrAxX (Jul 18, 2012)

Well, i don´t really have a problem with breaking, since i always use metal-middleparts, but i made two Slingshots with Rec-Cedar and i can say that the wood is very comfortable to work with.
Very soft, nice smell, awesome colors...piece of cake...but since it´s so soft you have to be careful handling the finished Slingshot!


----------



## Adirondack Kyle (Aug 20, 2012)

Cedar is naturally resisstant to rotting, bug infestation, and is very strong if cut the right way, most contractors use it for outdoor furniture and decks. Its not that cheap either.


----------

