Fuzzy Im unsure about that, this was my first smoker build. I was also warned about oils in the cedar and told i should "season" the wood with heat/smoke before cooking in it to seal in the oils. While there are different types of cedar and this appearing to not be the threatening red cedar, I seasoned it anyway. I took it to 350 and had no problems. The inner box isn't air tight, but doesn't have big gaps either. My dad used to burn old oily rags for his smoke, he is still alive.
Something ill mention for guys thinking about their first build.
1. Size. Really think about what you will be smoking and how often. I use this probably 3 times a month on average. Its big for the little I do in it. I had visions of lots of jerky and well I did 9 or 10 of the big summer sausage sticks and stillnl could have fit 40 more easily. You want some distance from your heat source, but you dont need this much. Ive often thought about how I could cut down on this large volume for "most" of my smoking. Something I didn't know/consider is you have to bring the house up to temp, not just the air inside. The house sucks up the heat and the bigger the surface area the longer it takes to stabilize temps initially.
2. Vents. I used the cheapest floor vents you can find at Lowe. They dont ever totally seal and their leak rate is high enough that I just leave them closed in the upper chamber. The lower I just set about 1/3 open and haven't adjusted it. I modulate heat with the burner. I caulked all my seams cause it leaked heat and smoke out around the roof. I figured if I slowed the air leak it would help with insulating.
3. Wireless temp sensor. This is a must, really helps with monitoring temps. I started with a cheap probe in the door and stared at it for hours. Now I sit on the computer or watch TV and just glance at the monitor. Trust me its worth the money.
4. Cooking times. Im shocked at how long my tank has lasted and knock on wood I haven't run out during a smoke. Cooking in the smoker can be a long time and rarely could I use it for dinner during them week. My dad said he found it easier to cook in the oven and just smoke it for flavor for 30min. I haven't done that and I might get booted from this sight for even suggesting such a practice but.....lol
5. Chips and smoking. I started with the chips and found they tend to catch fire which is great for bringing the house up to temp initially. Lol now buy the big chunks of wood sold in the bag at Walmart. Get a welding glove or similar for dumping ashes out of your pan mid smoking. Even with the glove you cant hold it but for a few seconds. Id sure like to experiment with making a wood handle or some sort of wound wire so it could be held while hot. I also dont know how long to smoke things, Im sure the answer is in this forum. I enjoy seeing the smoke so on a 4hr smoke I add wood about every 20min for the first hour or so and then just cook till I hit meat temps.
6. Stall yes you will experience this and its something new guys like me didn't know about. Its very frustrating when you have guest that are wondering how much longer before dinner. Search on the subject but basically you need to wrap what your smoking with foil when it hits the stall which seems to be close to 160.