aromatic cedar no smell?

[toolmiser]

I was picking up my shop today and found a couple pieces of what I thought were aromatic red cedar.  I think they were salvaged from our city's yard waste disposal site.  (don't tell I wasn't supposed to take wood from there).  I had sliced it into a couple 2 x4" shaped three feet long.  They have dried for at least a year maybe more.  I took a plane to one face wanting a positive identification, knowing the scent would tell me, but there is hardly any smell.  

I or my family doesn't have Corona Virus and none of us could really smell anything.  Suppose I got the wood type wrong, or does some not have much scent?

I was always told if you wanted to bring back the scent in a cedar chest to give it a light sanding.  I thought a hand plane would really bring it around.  Not.

[Bill_de]

I was picking up my shop today and found a couple pieces of what I thought were aromatic red cedar.  I think they were salvaged from our city's yard waste disposal site.  (don't tell I wasn't supposed to take wood from there).  I had sliced it into a couple 2 x4" shaped three feet long.  They have dried for at least a year maybe more.  I took a plane to one face wanting a positive identification, knowing the scent would tell me, but there is hardly any smell.  

I or my family doesn't have Corona Virus and none of us could really smell anything.  Suppose I got the wood type wrong, or does some not have much scent?

I was always told if you wanted to bring back the scent in a cedar chest to give it a light sanding.  I thought a hand plane would really bring it around.  Not.

Why not try doing what you were always told? 

The more important thing is that your family is staying healthy.


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[WoodworkerTom]

I think it can lose some of its smell over time. I restored an antique cedar chest that somebody put at the curb. I lightly sanded the inside the get rid of some scuffs and marks. It did not really have a cedar smell. I actually wiped on some pure cedar oil and it made the inside grain really pop, restored the red color and it brought back the smell but did take a few days to mellow out and now smells great and look fantastic.

Same thing with red cedar mulch, smells great for a few weeks but fades away after a month or so. Maybe the boards were outside too long before you found them.

[Cooler]

Aromatic cedar will seal itself when exposed to air.  Lightly sand the cedar and see if the smell comes back. 

In a closed environment like a cedar chest or a small closet, it will retain the smell for a long time.  But even there, an occasional sanding will increase the aroma.

[FrankAtl]

I've never used any but I've heard that western red cedar doesn't have as strong of a smell as aromatic cedar. Could it be that it's not aromatic?