History And Use Of Cedar Shake Roofing

2009-05-14 Word Count: 863 Category: Reference & Education

Cedar, known for its durable, decay-resistant qualities as well as its wonderful scent, has been utilized in construction as far back as King Solomon's temple. During 1000 BC, King Hiram, or Ahiram, of Tyre, Lebanon in Jerusalem used the wood during construction of the temple.

Cedar was utilized by aboriginal people to build shelters or coffins, canoes and totem poles. Because of its importance and versatility, the Aboriginal people called these cedars "trees of life."

Cedar wood and cedar oil is known to be a natural repellent to moths; hence cedar is a popular lining for modern-day closets in which woolens are stored. This specific use of cedar is mentioned in The Iliad (Book 24), referring to the cedar-roofed or lined storage chamber where Priam goes to fetch treasures to be used as ransom. Cedar is also commonly used to make shoetrees as it can absorb moisture and de-odorize. Solid cedar guitar soundboards are also prized for their warm tone as the wood sounds as if it has already been "aged", as some tone woods, specifically spruce need years to "age" or "open up".

Captain Cook and Alexander Mackenzie marveled at the size and beauty of cedar. Early pioneers relied on western red cedar's durability and unique cutting characteristics to make their homes.

Due to the woods popularity and weather resistance, it didn't take long for people to realize it made great roofing - thus the invention of shakes or shingles from cedar came into being. By the time America was settled, the most popular type of cedar was the Western red cedar (thuja plicata). Because trees were plentiful from the earliest settlement days, the use of wood for all aspects of construction was quite common. But cedar, being lightweight, made great roofing material. Along with the use of cedar shingles came custom tools to install the shingles. Wooden shingle roofs became quite prevalent in the Colonies.

Distinctive roofing patterns still exist in various regions of the United States where the English, Dutch, Germans, and Scandinavians settled. These patterns and features include the size, shape and exposure length of shingles, special treatments such as swept valleys, combed ridges, and decorative butt end or long side-lapped beveled handsplit shingles. Such features impart a special character to each building.

Historically wooden shingles were usually thin (3/8"3/4"), relatively narrow (3"8"), of varying length (14"36"), and almost always smooth. The traditional method for making wooden shingles in the 17th and 18th centuries was to hand split them from log sections known as bolts. These bolts were quartered or split into wedges. A mallet and froe (or ax) were used to split or rive out thin planks of wood along the grain. If a tapered shingle was desired, the bolt was flipped after each successive strike with the froe and mallet.

The type of wood species varied according to available local woods, but only the heartwood, or inner section, of the log was usually used. The softer sapwood generally was not used because it deteriorated quickly. Because hand split shingles were somewhat irregular along the split surface, it was necessary to dress or plane the shingles with a drawknife or drawshave to make them fit evenly on the roof. This reworking was necessary to provide a tight-fitting roof over typically open shingle lath or sheathing boards. Dressing, or smoothing of shingles, was almost universal, no matter what wood was used or in what part of the country the building was located, except in those cases where a temporary or very utilitarian roof was needed.

As time went by, shingle fabrication was revolutionized. In the early 19th century steam-powered sawmills created shingles. Shingle mills made possible the production of uniform shingles in mass quantities. The sawn shingle of uniform taper and smooth surface eliminated the need to hand dress. The supply of wooden shingles was therefore no longer limited by local factors. These changes coincided with (and in turn increased) the popularity of architectural styles such as Carpenter Gothic and Queen Anne that used shingles to great effect.

There were, of course, other popular roofing materials, and some regions rich in slate had fewer examples of wooden shingle roofs. Some western "boom" towns used sheet metal because it was light and easily shipped. Slate, terneplate, and clay tile were used on ornate buildings and in cities that limited the use of flammable wooden shingles. Wooden shingles, however, were never abandoned. Even in the 20th century, architectural styles such as the Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival, used wooden shingles.

Modern wooden shingles, both sawn and split, continue to be made. Modern commercially available shakes are generally thicker than the historic hand split counterpart and are usually left "undressed" with a rough, corrugated surface. The rough surface shake is often promoted as suitable for historic preservation projects because of its rustic appearance.

In today's era of machine-made synthetics, cedar's natural warmth and visually satisfying richness, harkening back to an older, more relaxed time: a timeless quality that continues to make Western Red Cedar shingles and shakes popular with discriminating architects, builders and homeowners.

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About The Author At Cedar Renew we provide a means to preserve the life and beauty of your cedar shakes in a way that is safe for the environment. To learn more about cedar staining and associated products and information, visit online at www.cedarrenew.com/ today.