Spanish Cedar
Other Common Names: Cedro
Botanical Name: Cedrela spp.
Family: Maliaceae
Mature Tree Height, Diameter: 100 ft , 3-6 ft
Weight @ 12% M/C: 23-47 lbs./ft.3
Working Properties: Easy to work with hand and machine tools, may be difficult to bore cleanly, good nailing and gluing properties, stains and finishes well.
Growing Regions: Mexico to Argentina
General Characteristics: Heartwood red to dark reddish brown, grain usually straight, texture medium, luster medium to high, distinctive cedary odor.
Uses: Millwork, fine furniture and cabinetry, musical instruments, boat building, decorative and utility plywood, cigar wrappers and cigar boxes.
Acceptable Substitutes: Mahogany, Andiroba
References: "Tropical Timbers of the World", USDA Handbook #607, Sept. 1984, p. 47
Discussion: Spanish Cedar is the traditional wood for cigar humidor linings. The odor, and moisture-retention properties are thought to have the ability to keep cigars at their best, and also to improve them. Much Cedar has a moderate to severe tendency to bleed pitch, or resin.
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