Replies

1. 
   gofigure57 | Feb 25, 2009 05:02am | #1

   Mark,  Cypress IMO is relatively soft, mills and stains well.  Great for outdoor projects.

     Tom.

1. 
   philip_r | Feb 25, 2009 05:49am | #2

   soft, like pine and has a nice almond color.  Great for outdoor furniture.

1. 
   vinworx | Feb 25, 2009 06:17am | #3

   Thanks for the info guys... I looked online for a all wood info site but came up empty. You would think living here in the south all my life and pass hundreds of Cypress trees daily i would know....  Thanks again.Mark Rhodes

   Vinworx.com

2. 
   oldusty | Feb 25, 2009 06:53am | #4

            Lee ,

                 Perhaps you could lend some experience about Cypress for the OP .

                              dusty

3. 
   mapleman | Feb 25, 2009 08:01am | #5

   Hi Mark,

   Cypress (taxodium distichum) is indeed a soft wood - actually a decidious conifer, which is unusual. The lumber machines very easily, and unlike white pine (which I would compare it to as far as hardness and workability) doesn't leave annoying pitch on your blades and bits. The wood will dent easily, however.

   The lumber has a wide range of uses, from furniture, to millwork, to outdoor projects. Left outdoors unfinished, the wood will weather to a nice silvery gray. An attribute which helps in it's outdoor use is the wood contains an oily substance called cypressine. This is a natural pest repellant and preservative.

   Cypress takes a stain nicely, however the harder portions (growth rings) take much less stain than the softer parts.

   Enjoy your acquisition!

   Lee

    

4. 
   DHAM | Feb 25, 2009 04:16pm | #6

   Sap cypress will rot pretty easily outdoors compared to the old tidewater red cypress that was old growth.  The cypress today is good stuff, but not as rot resistant as the old tidewater red.  The key is the heartwood, which is very rot resistant. 

   Here is a pic of an outdoor table that I made for my Bonsai trees.  It is stained and finished with marine spar varnish.  After 4 years, it is still in good shape.

    

    

   
5. 
   PCM | Feb 25, 2009 05:04pm | #7

   Mark,

   I  used cypress to make a trestle table, that ended up on the patio. Looks great after several years, but needs refinishing. Several people in this area (SE GA) have used it to panel rooms and offices, with stunning results. Make sure it is dried before use. There are several "tea Kettle" sawyers in this area, and getting cypress is easy and fairly cheap.

   Is any of this inheritance "pecky"(sp)? This is (I believe) a fungus that develops small tunnels throughout the wood, somewhat like carpenter bees do. This effect is very desirable, and you may be better off selling it.

   You should be able to use it in your wine racks, especially where a light colored, figured wood can be used for back panels, door panels, etc. I am going to use it for the backs of our bookcases in our "office". 

   Pete 

1. 
   vinworx | Feb 25, 2009 05:24pm | #8

   ONce again Thanks guys ! I have only been on knots for a short while and i see the benefits.. I will probably make a cellar demo with the cypress and bring it to a home show that im doing soon. I dont do a lot of out door funiture and very little furniture for the house ( the cobblers son thing) If i have any free time we spend it on the bike traveling. So 90% of shop time is spent working on wine stuff. 

    

   Thanks Mark Rhodes

   Vinworx.com

1. 
   Windwoodtrader | Feb 25, 2009 06:14pm | #9

   I decided to use cypress for a 950 square foot deck with a pergola array over about half of it. The cypress was in lieu of either redwood or cedar. I didn't want to use pressure treated because I think that stuff is basically evil and will be outlawed in the next few years except for support purposes but not anywhere it can come in contact with humans- Think toddlers crawling around your PT deck and getting splinters!. The cypress is much stronger than cedar or redwood and about the same cost of pressure treated. I applied stain/preservative primarily to assure uniform color but will probably not apply a repeat coat except on the deck itself a few years down the road.Cypress is not available many places where I live but I did find a distributor about 60 miles away that delivers to me. I plan to build Adirondack chairs, tables, benches and a screen house in the future. Great stuff!(:-)

   Windy Wood

   In the Helderberg Mountains of NY

2. 
   philip_r | Feb 25, 2009 09:04pm | #10

   Pecky Cypress, valuable?  I have a bunch of that crap that I burned as firewood.  Smells great!  I think I have a few 12 footers left.  I should go check.

6. 
   kenshep | Feb 25, 2009 10:53pm | #11

   I saw a posting in the gallery section of cypress cabinets in an office.

    

7. 
   9619 | Feb 26, 2009 01:05am | #12

   Hi,
   I have carved three bowls out of cypress. Everyone has told you it is soft and it dents. Yup. That's true. It finishes beautifully. Very smooth if that is what you are after. Attached are photos of two of my cypress bowls.
   Have fun.
   Mel

   Measure your output in smiles per board foot. 

   
1. 
   vinworx | Feb 26, 2009 01:47am | #13

   Well thanks for all the input. I received the lumber a little while ago and took a piece to the planer and table saw. It mills very well but it is sooooooo soft i cant imagine making anything out of it that would have to take any wear and tear. I guess im so used to working with maple, walnut and mahagony that i forget that there is another world out there. I think is has potential for some racks in a cellar. It seems to be a bit oily as well.Mark Rhodes

   Vinworx.com