About the wood
Deodar Cedar
Cedrus deodara
A true Himalayan cedar that came to America as an ornamental before 1850. In North Carolina it is a yard and campus tree, so every deodar slab started as somebody's tree that came down: salvaged, not harvested.
- Density
- 34.0 lb/ft³
- Origin
- Western Himalaya (Afghanistan to Nepal); planted ornamental in the United States
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern
Working & finishing
No deodar-specific workability data is published in the sources consulted. The related Cedar of Lebanon is easy to work with hand and machine tools and turns, glues and finishes well, and the shop treats deodar the same way: wipe the oily surface with mineral spirits before glue-up and before the first coat, keep fresh paper on the sander because pitch clogs it, and use a clear oil or hardwax on the pale wood. Cedar of Lebanon is reported to cause skin and respiratory irritation; assume the same.
Care
Wipe spills and clean with a damp cloth. Hardness is unpublished, so treat it as a soft top and use boards and trivets. Heartwood is rated very durable; sapwood is attacked by insects and fungi, so a slab with sapwood stays indoors or is finished and inspected.