Cypruss for canoes
Cypruss for canoes
Has anyone used cypruss for building a canoe? How is it compared with ceder for weight?
I used some cypress under the side decks of my sailing canoe to stiffen them for sitting on. These were pieces about 7' long by 3/4" wide and 1/2" thick. I ended up with cypress because the local woodworkers' shop had it on sale and it was virtually knot free. The boards they had in stock varied quite a bit in weight but I was able to pick out a couple that were the lightest of the bunch. I don't know if the difference was due to moisture content or what, but the ones I got were very light--at least as light as the white cedar strips I used for planking.
This was my first experience with cypress and it struck me as being very similar to white cedar (NWC) except for its lack of color and figure. I didn't do any planing with it so I don't know how it responds to sharp tools. I also don't know if the boards I bought were typical since there seemed to be quite a variation in the stock I saw.
This was my first experience with cypress and it struck me as being very similar to white cedar (NWC) except for its lack of color and figure. I didn't do any planing with it so I don't know how it responds to sharp tools. I also don't know if the boards I bought were typical since there seemed to be quite a variation in the stock I saw.
Charles Campbell
Check this reference.
http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/TechSheets/co ... twood.html
According to this, cypress is about half again as heavy as northern white cedar so the boards I was able to pick up were not typical of the weight.
http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/TechSheets/co ... twood.html
According to this, cypress is about half again as heavy as northern white cedar so the boards I was able to pick up were not typical of the weight.
Charles Campbell
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I built a Great Auk using cypress a couple years ago. I liked the color of the wood. It was a bit heavier than WRC. I thought that it also splintered much more than WRC. For that reason alone, I would not use it again. It was a pain, figuratively and literally, to use.
The wood sanded fine and stripped well.
If you do use cypress, be mindful of the splinters.
The wood sanded fine and stripped well.
If you do use cypress, be mindful of the splinters.
- Pete in the Deep South
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I just finished building a Huron using cypress....I think it's a great wood to use for strippers. Being in the "Sunny South" I can find it locally. Rough sawed the price is less than $2.00 BF.
I made no effort to keep weight down and my Huron only weighted about 2 pounds heavier than the Bob Special I made using Juniper. The Huron weighted in at 55 pounds.
See post "Building the Huron" for link to pic of Huron made of cypress.
I made no effort to keep weight down and my Huron only weighted about 2 pounds heavier than the Bob Special I made using Juniper. The Huron weighted in at 55 pounds.
See post "Building the Huron" for link to pic of Huron made of cypress.
KG4YOL