Hio folks! Hendrik B. asked:
>
>Ever used any, Peter?
>
Many times!  But all the good old (big) trees are just about gone 
here in Virginia.  I made an Italian of it thirty-something years go, 
and have used it in several spinets for the interior (above the 
soundboard) layer of the case (I have always believed that the "two- 
thickness" English construction came from the Italian false inner-
outer technique).

I also made a small (after Zenti 1637) spinet of Western Red Cedar 
(thuya plicata) which was so light you could carry it under one arm 
easily. This wood I found to be totally different from juniperus 
virgiana in that the grain is far more prominent, is much lighter in 
weight and splits very easily. The Virginia crdar on the other hand 
does not split at all easily, and when the color has faded after a 
few years looks remarkably like true cypress. Oh yes, sawdust from 
WRC landing on sweaty arms causes a burning, itching reaction. Not 
nice!

I have encountered on occasion, beautiful big pieces of VA cedar that 
were cut eons ago, which reveals that when cedar grew profically in 
the forest, it grew tall and straight without the gnarls and knots 
found in trees which grow out in the open. This latter point became 
obvious to me the first time I drove the long avenue leading to 
Chippokes Plantation (about 25 miles from here), an avenue lined with 
cedars planted two or three hundred years ago: those trees were big 
indeed, but not very tall,  enormously wide and branched everywhere.  
Not at all suitable for harpsichords! Many of those trees are long 
past their prime: indeed some are barely alive.

The most annoying feature of Virginia Cedar is the fact that right in 
the middle of the heartwood one often finds patches that are 
completely without pigment. Very strange! They are completely 
surrounded by the proper red color, so they are not sapwood. I have 
tried staining these patches, but they never look right. Some trees 
have lots of pale patches, others have none. One thing I did not 
address is that I have found juniperus Virginina to bend very nicely: 
I bent the Italian bentside cold with no difficulty; it was not very 
thick however.

One last point: Corkhill lists literally dozens of woods called 
cedar, some of which don't seem much like real cedar to me!

Best!

Peter Redstone,
Harpsichord and Spinet Maker,
http://www.redstoneharpsichords.com