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Here's Lookin' at Red Cedar
Question
Forum Responses
From contributor K: Like this?  From contributor D: While we are talking cedar, what is the white dust that forms on dead stacked cedar, and why does it form there? Also, does anyone have a source of cedar oil? From contributor K: The white dust is the oil that crystallizes when it dries. You will see it mostly around the knots. I have no clue how they get the oil out. I do know that if you heat the wood up, it loses its smell-um-good powers. From contributor D: If I remember right, the oil is called cedrol. I don't know how they get the oil, either. As a kid, I made some "perfume" with rubbing alcohol and cedar shavings. I'd be willing to bet Mom still has a full bottle on a shelf somewhere. I've heard there is a Texas juniper (eastern red cedar is really a juniper) that is used to get the oil from. The residue is used in some plastic decking. From contributor H: We had a mill about 75 miles from us that used to buy cedar logs and would saw the whole log into sawdust, then shoot steam into the sawdust and somehow get the oil out. From contributor C: Sawdust or shavings are mixed with water and cooked in a big tank. The steam carries the oil off through a condensation unit that cools the steam and the oil and water separate. You can get about 50 percent of the oil out this way. Kind of like making moonshine. From contributor J: Coming from the Pacific Northwest, I've heard that you can get the oil from the green leaves by boiling them and skimming the oil off and if you put this oil in with your laundry soap, the smell gets in your clothes and is a good repellant for mosquitoes. From contributor G: I work with cedar on a regular basis. The red part of the tree is considered dead and stores food. The white part on the outside is the living part of the tree (red part supports white part). I think that the white streaks in the wood are known as windshake - damage done from the wind. It is white because it is repairing itself so it will survive. Would you like to add information to this article? Interested in writing or submitting an article? Have a question about this article? Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below? 
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