Milling / drying cedar for sauna

[Hallrdave]

Been milling and milling eastern red cedar for what feels like days upon days in hopes of making a wood fired sauna in my back shed. Needless to say, say it’s awkward trying to mill an 8” log with a 36” bar....

Has anyone had good luck drying wood in foam boxes with fans and a dehumidifier? Have a few more logs to get through but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel assuming I can calculate how many board feet I’ve gotten through when I’m done with the pile and hopefully have enough.

Would you try to dry it or put it in a homebrew kiln?

Is it worth it to use any sap wood or cut it all off? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[SeMoTony]

Been milling and milling eastern red cedar for what feels like days upon days in hopes of making a wood fired sauna in my back shed. Needless to say, say it’s awkward trying to mill an 8” log with a 36” bar....

Has anyone had good luck drying wood in foam boxes with fans and a dehumidifier? Have a few more logs to get through but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel assuming I can calculate how many board feet I’ve gotten through when I’m done with the pile and hopefully have enough.

Would you try to dry it or put it in a homebrew kiln?

Is it worth it to use any sap wood or cut it all off? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

In the reading I've done on the subject; red cedar is one of the most stable woods to air dry. In other words it usually is the same when dry as while it was green. The sap wood has a lack of the chemicals in the heart wood. Other words sap wood deteriorates in not too long. Minimize the sap wood in the boards you have after edging. There may be a treatment or 3 out in the web to prevent that rotting. That hasn't been researched by me. With the wavy aspect of the core to the sap wood it can be an agravation.
If I was making the structure you want the logs wood be bigger diameter. The amount of work to end up with a 1x4 or 1x5 1/2 is about the same as getting 1x9.
On small logs I've used a tm-56 that clamps the bar on ms-170, that travels down 1x3 rectangular aluminum tube. There is an array from 18" to 72" bars that match Ms-460 and 661c. Be careful of CAD or MAD ( milling acquisition disorder or cs acquisition disorder) they get expensive. Those are used with Alaskan riding a ladder guide up to 18 feet long so far. Heck of a hobby.
Please send pictures as you progress.
Stay safe

 

[Hallrdave]

CAD in full swing... I have my ms290 for felling and firewood, a 395xp for milling, a Ms201tc (non m tronic) for limbing and screwing around in the yard and a 201tc mtronic (in pieces in a box I haven’t had time to clean and reassemble)...

Anyways, eastern red cedars are hard to come by where I am. I’ve had a post on Craigslist for 3-4 years looking for them with zero action. I agree it’s a lot of work and not much wood but at the end of the day it’s the satisfaction of knowing I milled and made 100% of it.

As much as it bums me out to lose the sap wood for the extra inch or two per board that was my plan anyways.... think I’m 1/2 - 2/3 the way done milling. Once sap wood trimmed I’ll post a pic. Thanks for responding!

 

[SeMoTony]

CAD in full swing... I have my ms290 for felling and firewood, a 395xp for milling, a Ms201tc (non m tronic) for limbing and screwing around in the yard and a 201tc mtronic (in pieces in a box I haven’t had time to clean and reassemble)...

Anyways, eastern red cedars are hard to come by where I am. I’ve had a post on Craigslist for 3-4 years looking for them with zero action. I agree it’s a lot of work and not much wood but at the end of the day it’s the satisfaction of knowing I milled and made 100% of it.

As much as it bums me out to lose the sap wood for the extra inch or two per board that was my plan anyways.... think I’m 1/2 - 2/3 the way done milling. Once sap wood trimmed I’ll post a pic. Thanks for responding!

Sorry to hear that. I was gifted a few 17-18" diameter red cedar a few years ago. Have not done anything with them. The sap wood may start coming off.
Someone dropped a 11" red cedar at the yard waste dump in springtime. Was warm enough to let it keep the back open on the mini van.
May you do well