I’m building a small cabin, lots of exposed roughsawn framing members. A local mill quoted me a price on some cypress. I’ve never used cypress, or even seen it for that matter. Any experience/opinions on using it? How does it compare with SYP (strength, workability, and aesthetics), which is my other choice? Thanks.
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Cypress has excellent rot and decay resistance,many buildings are still upright after 200 years made of cypress.
However I have not worked with it.But if your mill gave you a good price, that's what I'd use over SPF.
Thanks, Jackplane. Anyone have any idea what cypress looks like?
It looks like driftwood, also eucalyptus. A google search will yield more than you need.
It's a great material, Steve ... extremely rot resistant, and it weathers to a beautiful silver gray if you leave it unfinished. It's a very light wood in density - I guess if I were having it milled, I'd probably choose to have it dimensioned to full 2 inch by 4 inch dimensions. This would be to add to the structural strength of the material.
We have a good bit of cypress here in South Georgia, but it's getting harder to find. I think you'll love working with it, and for a rustic look, it can't be beat.
Greg
Thanks, Greg, that's what I wanted to hear. I've checked out some photos online and it does look nice. I think I will go with it. Does a price of around $1/bf (resawn) sound reasonable?
Oh yeah, that's a bargain.
Greg
I worked with a lot of cypress when I was a carpenter in New Orleans. It was often the wood of choice for regular and Victorian house trim. Sometimes it was used for structural members.
It is a joy to work with cypress, as long as you remember it is a soft wood.
Very rot resistant -- at least the old stuff was...
Billy
often the wood of choice for regular and Victorian house trim ... remember it is a soft wood
Do you think it is good for exterior window shutters? Many pieces of thin wood, so it has to be stable.
Most of the exterior shutters in New Orleans are made of cypress, so it is a good wood for that application. Loads of sun and rain and humidity there. But remember -- my experience is with the old growth cypress, not the new stuff. As another poster mentioned, it is best to use heartwood.
Billy
the number 1 choice around here is to have the whole house made of cypress.
I find it odd that there's no history of cypress use locally. It sounds great for exterior applications. All I remember when growing up were redwood and cedar.
I am going to call around here to see if I can find a local old growth cypress supplier.
Not so rot resitant if you don't use heartwood.
Soft, light, stable, rot-resistant, split-resistant, easy to work, takes paint well. For framing, I wouldn't count on it to bear as much weight as SYP, but it doesn't sound like you need massive strength.