Questions about outdoor project/sealing drawers

First things first… is this potting bench under some sort of roof or overhang? If the bench is being hit by precipitation, then you might want to reconsider or consíder some sort of design to keep this out.

1) you have just to make sure the wood has somewhere between 12 and 16 percent… leave it in the garage or outside (covered away from rain hitting it) and it should be fine.

2/3) You can try all you want, but short of dipping the wood in wax, you are not going to keep the moisture out… its in the air. And thats the beauty of cedar, it does not need any sort of sealant, its naturally resistant to rot. There are roofs that are over a hundred years old, shingled with natural cedar. thats pretty impressive if you ask me. You can try to make so the cedar does not turn gray with time and weathering, but that is a process you have to do every year or every other year…. in my opinion, its cedar, its wood, it turns gray thats that. As to drawers or cabinet, well, as I said before, if you are getting direct rain on it, you might want to consider a different location, or simply design so that rain does not get in (to the drawers, or behind the doors), or build a roof over it.

4) cedar decking should work, as long as its good quality wood, why not? cedar is cedar…. Just make sure you buy wood that is FSC certified, this means that trees are planted when cut down and that they controll that the logging is done properly and not just clear cut and move on to the next section of forest. This is a good thing.

Just a last thought although after seeing your signature thing at the end of your post, (and at the risk of being branded a hippie or something) the answer to John Adams question is quite easy… Nature! With out it we die. Nature without us, lives on. And thats just the way it is and why FSC wood is good to use.

-- Nicholas, Journeyman Cabinetmaker, Partenkirchen, Germany

I’ve found that attempting to seal the moisture out seals the moisture in. Cedar may swell seasonally and bind a drawer, so leave plenty of clearance. I’ll be making us a set of camping chairs and plan on using good old Thompson’s Water Seal (they sponsor the woodworking shows I watch). The only issue with using decking cedar that I can think of is that you’re limited on dimensions. Good luck & keep us posted.

-- You can't control the wind, but you can trim your sails