Thread: What about Macrocarpa?

We quite often use Macrocarpa for furniture at the Community shed & have a log with a local timber miller awaiting milling at the moment. Its a beautiful timber to work with & comes up really nice. We've made some beautiful tables etc from it.
You won't regret milling the log into timber. Enjoy!

The name monterey pine gave me a shock as that is normally radiata pine. I think the macrocarpa is also known as monterey cypress.
Cheers,
Jim

Yep. I buy it rough sawn from the mill and air dry it. It's nice to work with.

Great for guitars!

Cupressus macrocarpa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Must have something going for it.....there are plantations of Macrocarpa here in NZ.

And it looks nice as a furniture wood.

Where I am the quality can be patchy as some of the trees are from farm hedgerows and after 50 years as a windbreak the trees get a bit 'shakey'.


Edit, In fact if you want to search Trademe here in NZ (don't everybody pretend like you haven't ) and search for" Macrocarpa Kitchen Furniture", there's a company here in Christchurch that makes benches etc from Cypress. Should give you a good idea of how it comes up as furniture.

Originally Posted by Glider

Has anyone made furniture from Macrocarpa? It's also known as Monterey Pine

No. it is not .
It is a cypress , the Monterey Cypress.
It is excellent for furniture .

Originally Posted by seanz

Cupressus macrocarpa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Must have something going for it.....there are plantations of Macrocarpa here in NZ.

And it looks nice as a furniture wood.

Where I am the quality can be patchy as some of the trees are from farm hedgerows and after 50 years as a windbreak the trees get a bit 'shakey'.


Edit, In fact if you want to search Trademe here in NZ (don't everybody pretend like you haven't ) and search for" Macrocarpa Kitchen Furniture", there's a company here in Christchurch that makes benches etc from Cypress. Should give you a good idea of how it comes up as furniture.

Poor Man's Kauri eh Sean
Its' great boat building timber too

Originally Posted by jimbur

The name monterey pine gave me a shock as that is normally radiata pine. I think the macrocarpa is also known as monterey cypress.
Cheers,
Jim

Thanks Jim. Mea culpa. They also call it macrocarpa pine up here around Oberon even though it's a cypress.

I am heartened by the positive replies about this timber, especially as I am getting it at the right price. We have a fair bit of Tassie Blackwood growing around here but no dead ones on my place.

Has anyone worked with She-oak? Casuarina cunninghamia, I believe.

Mick

Originally Posted by Glider

Thanks Jim. Mea culpa. They also call it macrocarpa pine up here around Oberon even though it's a cypress.

I am heartened by the positive replies about this timber, especially as I am getting it at the right price.

I have seen macrocarpa used for decking, flooring , lining boards and furniture both inside & out.

Originally Posted by Glider

We have a fair bit of Tassie Blackwood growing around here but no dead ones on my place.

That would have to be NSW blackwood, surely.

I've used a bit of it for smaller stuff than furniture, and it's quite nice to work and comes up pretty well on the lathe too. I enjoy working it with hand tools- carving gouges, spokeshaves and files- as it keeps a fairly crisp edge.
Here's something I made a while back from macrocarpa, with rose mahogany and metal. Again, not big stuff, but you can get an idea of colour and grain.

Cheers,

Over here in termite free country , macrocarpa does ok outside , without any type of treatment at all. It even lasts in the ground for quite a few years in reasonable dry ground , in most situations , about the same as H3 treated pine.
The dust does throw up an allergy with some folk tho .

The timber is a low to medium density softwood (485 kg/m³ at 12% moisture content) and has a large amount of heartwood which is a golden brown honey colour. Macrocarpa is a moderately stiff, strong timber similar to NZ grown Douglas Fir, it is a difficult timber to kiln dry with cell collapse and internal checking the main problems.
Macrocarpa clears are very similar to Kauri in character, and machines and turns well owing to its fine texture.
Macrocarpa is one of the most naturally durable exotic softwoods grown in New Zealand, and is resistant to insect and borer attack in its sawn form.
Its heartwood is rated moderately durable which means a 50x50 stake will last 10-15 years in the ground. Larger sections will last considerably longer. Outside and above the ground macrocarpa is equivalent to H3 pine in durability. Inside where the timber is not subject to the elements, it will last virtually indefinitely.
Macrocarpa, when dry, will accept a variety of paints, oils, two pot resins, and varnishes

That piece is quite unusual & very striking Andy, i love it.

Originally Posted by KevM

That would have to be NSW blackwood, surely.

I thought you blokes had the naming rights, Kev.

Mick

I love the smell of Macrocarpa. Have worked with it in the past, comes up real nice either stained or clear finished. Real easy to work with, similiar working properties to rimu but slightly softer than rimu and harder than pine. It is a pinky brown grain and knots move alot so best to use clear macrocarpa.

Great for sleepers in the garden as its durable outside. Alot of outdoor furniture (chunky style) is made from it.