Red Cedar Rustic Furniture

Unlike most of the rustic furniture available, red cedar rustic furniture is made exclusively from western red cedar. The dictionary defines rustic furniture as, �furniture made from the natural materials that are available in the surrounding area.� So a bench made from logs or boulders qualify as rustic furniture as long as the material has been worked to modify it for some useful purpose. In this case if the top has been leveled to serve as a seat.

Rustic furniture can be made from twigs, braches, standing dead trees or materials recycled from other structures such as making a table from old floorboards from a torn down house. Normally, rustic furniture is hand made. Of course in today�s world that usually means with hand held power tools or home workshop quality wood working tools.

However, red cedar rustic furniture is exclusively from western red cedar.
Red cedar is actually a member of the Cyprus tree family and grows throughout most of North America but is more abundant in the Pacific Northwest. True or white cedar only grows in on the Eurasian continent.

Western red cedar is one of the most resilient tress in the world. It compares to teak for it ability to resist rotting and boring insects. Like teak, its natural oils also protect it from water damage. As a result, wood from the tree was often used for fence posts to enclose cattle ranges. Western American Indian tribes used the bark of the Western Red Cedar to make sandals and cribs because of it strength. They used the smaller branches and twigs to make torches to drive off insects. Larger branches were used to built canoes and lodges. On their famous expedition, Louis and Clark used Western Red Cedar to build their own canoes.

The natural oil from the wood in red cedar rustic furniture gives the wood it characteristic pleasant fragrance and serves as a natural protection from rot and boring insects.

One of the most commonly purchased red cedar rustic furniture is the bridal �hope chest� because of its unique ability to resist moths and other harmful insects.