Hi JD, A few coats of lacquer will result in a high gloss finish. Yes
the end grain will soak up the lacquer but after a few coats it will
be ok. If you don't have spray equipment Deft makes lacquer in spray
cans. I usually spray lacquer with the lathe turning slow.
Cedar is a beautiful wood for about 2 weeks then it turns to an ugly
rust red looking color and the sapwood is a pale yellowish color.
Looks like the 10 million little boxes sold in every gift shop in the
northeast. If you have a lot of it saw it up into boards and line your
closets. If it were mine I would cut it into turning blanks, wax the
ends and sell it on ebay.
With the profits I would buy a few pieces of bloodwood that will
easily take most any finish and stay red for years. I actually turned
a piece of cedar a few weeks back and now it is that ugly gift shop
color. Kinda makes me wonder why I bothered. :-) Bobhttp://www.outofcontrol-woodturning.com

I hadn't consider selling the blanks on ebay, good idea. The problem
is, every piece I've ever turned out of the blasted stuff
sells....quickly. Whether, we as craftsmen like the material or not,
the customers do. The problem I've had is putting a good finish on
that doesn't take an extremely long time to apply and finish (thus
eating up my profit margin). I agree with you about the wood looking
like a million other cedar trinket stores. I live 5 minutes from
Mammoth Cave National Park, I'll take the tourist dollar as fast as
anyone else will (yep, I'm making those 1 in a million pieces of crap
we all buy while on vacation and take home). Honestly, I hate cedar,
but I've got a bunch of it and no wood stove in the shop, so.... gonna
make some money from it somehow. Ebay might be the easier way to go.
I'll have to consider that.... or if someone would like to make some
trades.............


Thanks,
JD