> I have stripped up about 6 inches on my Guillemot L and I am bound and
> determined to use some cedar I have cut off my own place. It is
> predominately whiteish so I purchased some red to suppliment. My question
> is how much trouble am I getting into if I use some cedar with knots? The
> knots have survived sawing, resawing, cove and bead routing and are still
> tight, sound and hard. If I manage to get them sanded without them
> becoming "proud" will I run into other surprises later? I'm not
> lazy, I have removed a lot of them, but some are just pretty and look
> good. Thanks

Ray, Three things to consider would be:

1) How long has that wood with the knots been sawn and/or left to dry?? If it isn't kiln/dried, then there's a possibility that those knots can become "proud" for up to six months. I've seen lumber in the lumber yards for many months and the knots are still growing. ??? Under the glass doesn't make any difference, as the moisture is IN the wood already.

2) The knots are usually very closed grained/end grained and will resist the epoxy. Depending on how big they are, it will or won't be a problem. They don't absorb stain and usually have a different appearance with the finish on furniture. That's something I'd experiment with before I tried it on a boat.

3) Also, they will not bend, so the only strength you will have in that spot is with the surrounding wood. Anything larger that 1/5 the width of the strip will most likely cause a problem. Even if it doesn't snap, it won't bend the same as surrounding strips.

If they are small enough, just use them on the deck, where there isn't much bending. I've been considering some knotty pine on the deck of my first boat as well. Hope it works out, and I hope all this helps.

Rehd