Replies

1. 
   ChasStanford | Dec 06, 2003 03:36am | #1

   Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean.

2. 
   george_1000 | Dec 06, 2003 03:44am | #2

   I think you mean the wood cypress. I don't believe that it is used too much in furniture.

1. 
   DonStephan | Dec 06, 2003 04:17am | #3

   I've considered it for shutters - supposed to be rot resistant. Looks however like the latewood edges might stay pronounced on flat cut boards.

3. 
   66wood | Dec 06, 2003 05:47am | #4

   I think I saw Norm use it one time. If I remember correctly he made something that would be left outdoors.

4. 
   jonsherryl | Dec 06, 2003 07:11am | #5

   Ed, baldcypress is similar in appearance to Douglas-fir. With a specific gravity of 0.42, it is slightly softer than Douglas-fir (0.45), but actually a bit denser than yellow poplar (0.40)...so, it's borderline strong enough for furniture applications. If you are able to get old-growth heartwood, it has a nice warm tan color....and because of Its outstanding decay resistance, it has been traditionally used for making typical, bulked up patio furniture...but it's never been a popular cabinetwood.

   ...As for using it for finer interior pieces, it has a rather coarse, "softwood" look, as does Douglas-fir and the wide difference in porosity between its soft earlywood and very hard latewood makes it a difficult wood to stain without getting excessive contast in the figure. But as with Douglas-fir, if you use vertical grain (quartersawn) stock, it's figure yields a sort of pinstriped look than can be attractive.  

5. 
   john_m100 | Dec 06, 2003 07:39am | #6

   Ed

   I just finished an Armoire made from old growth river recoverd cypress.  Old growth lumber is absolutly incredible as result of it's rich color and tight growth rings....almost all the lumber used on this project had growth rings of 30-35 per inch.

   The finish used was a mix of 1/3 Pratt & Lambert #38 Varnish, 1/3 tung oil & 1/3 gum turpentine.

   Cypress is easy to work with but is really to soft for any item that will receive alot of use.

   John

1. 
   EPB | Dec 06, 2003 08:11am | #7

   maybe this isn't cypress at all because it's hard as a brick, I could hardly get my moisture meter to puncture it. It's reddish  brown center with very light late wood. It's extremely heavy,and was recovered from an old barn as siding in central Florida , a friend sent it up to me in ohio and I've never seen it before. Does this not sound like cypress? It does have a look similar to douglas fir in the center.

   ps Thanks for the spelling- geography lesson.always willing to learn something.

1. 
   john_m100 | Dec 06, 2003 09:07am | #9

   Ed

   What you have is not cypress...this is a long shot, but the way you are describing the wood you have, it may well be hickory.  Small world, I live in central Florida.

   John

2. 
   Dale | Dec 06, 2003 10:00am | #10

   Ed,

   Cut into the red part of your wood and see if it smells like turpentine.  My hunch it's "heart pine" one of the Southern Yellow Pines, coming from FL probably longleaf.  If that what it is, I would not build furniture out of it unless you heat it up to set the pitch.  I personal don't like to work it because of the mess it makes out of my saws, the pitch sticks to everything.  Although, using Pam (the cooking spray) on your tool's surface prior to cutting helps ....Dale

1. 
   jonsherryl | Dec 06, 2003 04:27pm | #11

   I think you're on the right track, Dale. Given Ed's second post...the extreme density and the central Florida location...it sure does sound likes it's probably longleaf (heart pine.)  Longleaf is the densest of the pines and almost as hard and heavy as sugar maple...so, if it also smells like turpentine, it's probably longleaf pine.

2. 
   UncleDunc | Dec 06, 2003 10:07pm | #13

   >> I would not build furniture out of it unless you heat it up to set the pitch.

   That's a good point if you're dealing with new lumber. I'm not sure how I'd go about heating furniture size boards, though.

   In ed's case, if it's been on the side of a barn in the Florida sunshine for 80 years or so, I imagine the pitch is well set by now.

3. 
   creekwood | Dec 06, 2003 04:43pm | #12

   ed, I'm in Florida and it does sound like heart pine. I've never worked with it, but know some contractors that say you must drill all nail holes. Cypress, on the other hand, is a pleasure to work with. I built 10 reproduction church pews out of it to match 125 year-old originals. It has the grain pattern of pine in some cases, but like Jon said, the quartersawn has another look. Also, there is a wood here in Florida called litered pine. That IS hard! From what I hear, this is created when lightening hits a pine, and does something to the sap content to harden it. It was used for fence posts whenever it could be found. Would last for years and years.

   Just a thought

4. 
   larryg | Dec 07, 2003 04:47am | #14

   could be hackberry, good for making hockey sticks

5. 
   Sphere | Dec 07, 2003 06:02pm | #15

   We just completed a huge log lodge..it was all Cypress...logs and t&g panneling...some boards of the t&g were oddballs..all heart, heavy, dark brown..other observations...flatsawn fast growth..had noticeable separation of early.late wood..long slivers like wind shake..kind of waxey wood..hate the smell..we used shellac sealer and lacquer it does take a nice finish..

1. 
   JD99Fraser | Apr 30, 2011 02:22am | #16

   REZ?

   Is that REZ as in the Resurrection Band out of Chicago?

6. 
   JeffKurtz | Dec 06, 2003 08:23am | #8

   I'm a bit far north to have anything but hearsay to pass on, but I do remember reading a couple articles about using recycled cypress in furniture.  One used it in "country" style kitchen pieces such as step-back cupboards, dry sinks, etc.  Another chap was using it for Cajun reproductions.  All looked quite nice.  If I find the articles, I'll post the info here.

   Jeff