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CEDAR, SPANISH
Cedrela spp.
Generally Cedrela odorata of the family Meliaceae, the mahogany family, but also C. huberi, C. sintenisii and others as well.
This wood is not Spanish at all, nor is it a true cedar (which would put it in the pine family), it's in the mahogany family and grows in South America and the West Indies. It DOES smell something like cedar, which is probably how it got the name.
The wood is favored for cigar boxes because tobacco worms don't like it and it has moisture absorption ability that is higher than less dense wood. I personally find that a strong tendancy to fuzz up when worked make it unsatisfactory for craft use but some reports say it is favored for that use. A high durability and resistance to moisture-induced defects make it useful for outdoor construction even though it is light weight and isn't very strong.
my samples:
sample plank and end grain --- the color correction is a little off on this one; the wood is slightly less orange that what shows up here and in fact had I seen it from a distance I would have thought, based on the color, that it was mahogany (which isn't all that odd, really, since it IS a mahogany).
end grain closeup of the piece directly above
planks --- the 2nd pic has too much red
small plank sections with very accurate color
planks w/ color show just a tiny shade too red
veneer sheet and closeup --- colors are accurate
web pics
planks --- the color on the really bright ones is suspect. These are probably from the BogusColorVendor although not necessarily since they are not the only vendor to badly misrepresent wood
plank with wet and dry sections
turning stock and end grain
a pair of planks and the same planks moistened
veneer
figured veneer
pomelle veneer and closeup
4 shots of various pomelle figure veneer, all from the same vendor
quilted veneer from the same vendor as the pomelle veneer above --- clearly the vendor can't decide whether to call it quilted or pomelle --- to me it's all pomelle and not quilted but that may be a distinction without a difference.
fiddleback veneer
planks from the BogusColorVendor so the color is highly suspect