I was wondering what wood was used in our basement. It has tunnel-like holes in it and smells really nice, like pipe tobacco. I don’t know if the scent is from the wood, or from years of using the fireplace.
So, I removed one of the door and brought it to the local lumberyard to see if they could identify it. Although they don’t carry that wood and haven’t seen anything like it in years, he thinks it is “wormy cypress.” His first guess was “pecky cypress,” but then he said, “no, it’s wormy cypress” and seemed very sure of it.
What is the difference between pecky and wormy? And is cypress a fragrant wood?
Janet
Replies
Fragrant ;-)
Cypress is definately a fragrant lumber with a smell all to itself. How to explain the smell? sweet pungent musky? Not offensive at all.
We had some coal bins in our basement made out of what was called tidewater cypress.
The smell was of the marshes near the ocean... very pleasant... salty/cypressy.
termites wouldn't touch it.
Alas, we converted to gas and the boards were removed for space.
CZ.
CZ.. I remember a Coal bin in the basement!
And I remember water dripping into our basement, through a hole, into the basement! I would, as a small child, spend hours watching the 'drips' from our Ice-Box through the hole... No TV then.. And the radio was only on when we children were sent to bed? I know not what wood was used but I do remember that my grandfather only used 'Hard Coal'... Whatever that was...
I also remember that my Mother dressed up when the Ice-Man came to the house..
Hard coal= Anthracite, Bituminous= Soft Coal, Cannel coal= very fine grained coal that was formed from ploant pollen. Lignite= very soft brown coal nearly peat, Peat.
Your Grandfather prefered hard coal because is is pretty clean and not dusty at all and burns with a very hot blue flame, and has the highest BTU content of all coals. But tough to ignite.
I retired from a coal fired power plant.
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