Thread: Cypress knee carving.

Pretty cute

Very good SC. I've seen a lot of these in mags and books but yours is as good if not better than any of them. Santas aren't quite so popular here in Oz but they are around. You just have to look harder for them.

Cypress knees intrest me though... I can guess what the 'raw' shape must be but I've never seen a cypress 'knee', even though I've used cypress for years. Do you have a photo of one in situ so I can learn to recognise them if I see one? Maybe they don't grow here in Oz>

Originally Posted by Whittling

Cypress knees intrest me though... I can guess what the 'raw' shape must be but I've never seen a cypress 'knee', even though I've used cypress for years. Do you have a photo of one in situ so I can learn to recognise them if I see one? Maybe they don't grow here in Oz>

As you can see they come in many different sizes, the tall one is 36 inches high. I have seen some as much as 60 inches. They can also have multiple points. The second picture has 2 points I have seen them with 4.

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Excellent CV.

Poor bugger looks a bit haggard. Must have just finished his run, or had a run in with the elves!

Wonderful stuff CV3, I agree he does look a little drawn out, maybe he's the skinny chimney Santa, beautiful red coat too I assume "knees" are from the root ball as I've found what you call knees on the root ball of Coastal Banksia and Coastal Tea Tree.

Originally Posted by springwater

I assume "knees" are from the root ball as I've found what you call knees on the root ball of Coastal Banksia and Coastal Tea Tree.

They really do not know the function of the cypress knee. The knees grow up from the root system of the trees. One theory is that because these trees grow in wet swampy areas the knees help the root system get oxygen and help in stabilization of the tree in the softer soils.