Cypress
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DESCRIPTION | Color tends to be a light, yellowish brown. Sapwood is nearly white. Some boards can have scattered pockets of darker wood that have been attacked by fungi, which is sometimes called pecky cypress. It has a straight grain and medium to coarse texture. Raw, unfinished wood surfaces have a greasy feel. Weight averages about 32lbs per cu. ft. |
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN |
North America |
BOTANICAL NAME | Taxodium distichum |
OTHER NAMES | Bald Cypress |
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES | Medium bending and crushing strength. Medium stiffness. |
WORKING PROPERTIES | Sharp cutters and light passes are recommended when working with Cypress to avoid tearout. Also, the wood has been reported by some sources to have a moderate dulling effect on cutting edges. Cypress has good gluing, nailing, finishing, and paint-holding properties. |
DURABILITY | Old-growth Cypress is rated as being durable to very durable in regards to decay resistance, while wood from younger trees is only rated as moderately durable. |
SEASONING | Dries slowly with little degradation or problems. Medium movement. |
USES | Suitable for furniture, joinery, heavy-duty flooring, dairy and laundry equipment, sporting goods, piano actions, paneling, plywood, veneering. Excellent for turning. |
COMMENTS | Bald Cypress is the state tree of Louisiana and an icon of southern swamplands. It gets its name from the fact that, unlike most conifer trees, it's deciduous and drops its needles in the winter. |