Thread: Cypress

I used 4inch think slabs in my kitchen, came up a treat. I'd suggest keeping some aside as slabs for later use, I'd gang nail the ends tho, and weight the stacked timber well to avoid the bends. after 5 years since the tree came down I was still seeing a fair bit of warping and splitting. painting the end grain didn't cut it so the gang nails came into play.

nice timber Cypress.. had a few wins turning it but again I had to go slow to avoid cracking the timber by heating it up with the scraper... fickle timber but sexy when it works.

I'd be interested in a quantity if I could get up close and be picky but I'm most likely not going to make the slightest dent in 200tons:eek:

You can be as picky as you like man. Cut a few slabs and you're right, the stuff looks pretty sexy - pink and yellow with amazing red grain lines!
Give me a call if you'd like to smell the gear - 0438 792164. Cheers.
"Slow and steady wins the race".

We saw heaps of the stuff here in NZ.
Cut the better stuff for furniture and panelling work, as the others say it finishes really nicely. Cut some wide slabs for benchtops, coffee tables etc. The wood is pretty stable and can be dried as a 2" thick slab. Rougher stuff you can cut into 6x2s for outdoor furniture or 6x1s for fence boards. Also heavier 'sleepers' for garden edges and retaining walls.
This is my breakfat bar made out of a slab of Mac.


Cheers

Ian

G'day Hornwood,

If being somewhat picky isn't a problem, I'd like to pick up , say 40m of 125 x 35 - however that might be arranged. Give me a PM if that might be possible.

Cheers!

Some of the local portable millers down this way cut them into sleeper slabs
200 x 50 and 200 x 75 all 2.4 M long and seem to get rid of them pretty fast with a small ad in the local paper for a few weeks.

The last ones I saw a few weeks ago were $8 and $11 each

Originally Posted by hornwood

You can be as picky as you like man. Cut a few slabs and you're right, the stuff looks pretty sexy - pink and yellow with amazing red grain lines!
Give me a call if you'd like to smell the gear - 0438 792164. Cheers.
"Slow and steady wins the race".

I think I have to swing by melbourne this weekend.. I'll give you a bell when I know when.. thanks mate

Been flat out milling this stuff all week and have arms 3"longer which look rather strangr hanging off my compressed torso, so sorry it took so long getting back to yawl.
Pics look great Ian- definately incorporate some gear like that in my place (it will happen!!!).
Auld Bassoon, you can check it out any time, just give me a call to arrange time - got a bit of other stuff I reckon you'd find tasty also.

Thanks for the tip Echidna, but this stuff looks pretty special, and would make most gardens just look ugly. I'm having a bit of trouble obtaining any literature on macrocarpa however, and was wondering if any of you knowlegable chaps out there could give me any specific info on it's true name(s), or a reference point, so I can hunt down some specs? Thanks.

Slow6, weekends are pretty good but lately been flat out like a lizard but aint had time for the drinkin bit if you know what I mean. Be great to hear from you though, and maybe we can arrange some time to check out my home brew on tap?
Cheers All, andavagoodweekend!

Scientific name is Cupressus macrocarpa, common name in the US where it's native is Monterey Cypress.

You probably wont find much about it online, it's not a commercial timber in the US and is considered rare. It's common here in NZ, and also grows in the UK, South Africa and Southern parts of Aussie. Most of research into the timber has been done in NZ and there are some publications available here about it.

Dont try and kiln dry it from green, either air dry it to under 30% then use low temp kiln, or just air dry. It air dries easy enough, 1" boards dry down to around 15% in 3 summer months.

Shrinkage while drying is low, 3.3% tangentially and 1.6% radially, so the wood tends to be pretty stable.

Strength and hardness wise it's slightly less than radiata pine, but it's approved here for building because of it's natural durability.

Any other Q's let me know, I can look most of the specs up for you.

Cheers

Ian

Thanks for that info Ian, it is just what I was looking for. I would like to build a post and beam house out of the stuff-I have so much, and live in King Lake, Victoria which is hidden in the clouds for a couple of months of the year, and is then exposed to the full power of the Melbourne sun over summer (man, it's getting tropical down here I swear!), and was wondering about the durability factor, and shrinkage %, as I've heard you can use it straight off the mill so to speak without any problems. What do you reckon about this stuff for building purposes ? Any info you might have on it's durability when inserted in the ground would be great, as well as any info on flexure ratings etc... Of course you could just point me in general direction of an Australian standards on the stuff if this is within your powers, and this too would be greatly appreciated. Thanks heaps.

I'll post some more stuff when I get home and can check my books.
Chances are you wont find much official recognician of Macrocarpa outside of NZ. But I'll see if I can get you some reference figures.
I dont think Mac is approved for ground contact in buildings here, it's pretty durable if it's clear of the ground though.
Shrinkage values are very low, and I think it would be OK used in American style post/beam construction. You may need to up the size of the timbers as it's not as strong as most hardwoods.
Anyway I'll post you some actual numbers later on.

Cheers

Ian

http://www.scionresearch.com/other+publications.aspx

Properties and Utilisation of Exotic Specialty Timbers Grown in New Zealand - Part III: Cypresses Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A. Murr.) Parl X Cupressocyparis leylandii (Jacks. et Dall.) Dall. Cupressus lusitanica Mill. Cupressus macrocarpa Hartw, [B119/03], $24.75

I think that is the bible on Macrocarpa cypress timber. I dont have a copy of it, but all my other books cite it as their main reference. I dont know of any research in any other part of the world though. At least if you got a copy of that it will give you something to show the engineer / building inspector.
Realistically the wood can probably be used anywhere you would use plantation grown Douglas Fir

Sorry I cant find more info online, just the US Forest Service which usually knows everything about wood doesn't seem to know the tree exists.

Cheers

Ian

Originally Posted by Ianab

the US Forest Service which usually knows everything about wood doesn't seem to know the tree exists.

Cheers

Ian

The NZ reference is possibly all you will ever find.
The yanks don't use it as timber.
Probably because there are less than 9000 trees left in its native forest habitat which is under threat from developers in the Monterey Peninsula in California.

In spite of the remaining natural forest being under threat the tree is not regarded as a threatened species only because there are so many scattered all around the world in parks and gardens and on farms as windbreaks etc.

From memory it is a lower strength category than oregon or radiata so to meet F7 or F8 stress grade it would need fewer defects than pine and oregon.

From memory it is a lower strength category than oregon or radiata so to meet F7 or F8 stress grade it would need fewer defects than pine and oregon.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

Think you are right.

My book shows Modulus of rupture for Mac is 74.3 (MPa) while radiata pine is 89.9.
Modulus of Elasticity Mac = 7.9 Pine = 9.0
But Compression parallel to grain ,Mac = 40.3 while pine is 36.7

Cheers

Ian

Just to throw one in here because I got confused and thought you were talking about Cypress Pine I found out this

re Radiata
Property

Units Green Dry

Modulus of Rupture

MPa 42 81

Modulus of Elasticity

MPa

8100 10000

Max Crushing Strength

MPa 19 42

Hardness

KN 2.1 3.3

and for Cypress

Property

Units Green Dry

Modulus of Rupture

MPa 71 79

Modulus of Elasticity

MPa 7700 9000

Max Crushing Strength

MPa 40 53

Hardness

KN 5.6 6.5

Looking further I found out this about Cuppresses Macrocarpa hope that is the right one

Common Name(s) : Macrocarpa, Macro The species originates in California. In New Zealand, the species is grown throughout the country, primarily as shelter belts on farms. There are no specific forests of Macrocarpa, and there have not been any commercial plantings. In New Zealand, the timber is graded into Clears grade, Dressing grade, and a Utility grade. The timber machines and sands well and is suitable for end use applications requiring a high quality finish. Macrocarpa performs well in furniture manufacture, joinery manufacture, panelling, and flooring. The Utility grade is a general purpose grade suitable for a diverse range of low grade applications. 485 kg/m3
Durablity Heartwood Moderately durable above ground Sapwood Non durable Prone to shrinkage and distortion Stable
AVAILABILITYSupply is limited, and sizes larger than 150x50 are very difficult to source.


I couldn't find any more than this. Hope it is a bit of help

Studley