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CYPRESS

Taxodium spp, Cupressus spp. and Chamaecyparis spp.



NOTE: The family Cupressaceae, the cypress family consists of several genera for which the various species have various flavors of the word "cypress" in their common names. Most, but by no means all, of these are in the three genera mention above. There are numerous other genera in the family that either do not produce wood, or for which the name cypess does not occur in the common names. Previous classifications put the genera Taxodium in the family Taxodiaceae but that has changed. The fact sheet has a more extensive discussion of species and names.

my samples:


one section and a closeup of a 12-foot long plank


another section, and closeup, of the same plank as directly above


set of small pieces


two views of the same piece. The bowl at the bottom of this page was made from the same large block that this sample came from.


end grain closeup of the piece directly above


I bought a good-sized plank of very clean cypress and then cleverly forgot to take any pictures of it, so here are some pics, including a end-grain closeup, of a couple of small planks cut from the bigger one and now ready to be used in my laminated bowls.


small plank and end grain


end grain closeup of the piece directly above


bald cypress sample plank and end grain


end grain closeup of the piece directly above


plank and closeup


finished piece of cypress in the side of a box --- the top and bottom are side grain pieces; the bottom piece must be quartersawn since the side grain looks like what is normally face grain


plank


NOTE: the following flooring samples of "Bermuda" cypress and "Australian" cypress were all obtained from the same flooring vendor and flooring vendors are notoriously unrealiable about properly identifying woods. This one, for example, calls goncalo alves "Patagonian rosewood", an utterly meaningless designation, although I must admit that as a marketing term it beats the hell of out "goncalo alves" which to American ears does sound particularly euphonious. But I ramble. My point is that I have NO idea whether any of these woods have ever seen either Australia OR Bermuda, and I notice that they are strikingly similar so while they may be one or the other, I doubt that they are both. I have reported them here as they were sold to me, but I'm dubious about their designations.




NOT a raw wood color
flooring sample of Australian cypress that has been finished with a hard, shiny finishing agent that clearly has deepened and enriched the color.


the piece directly above, after I sanded off the finish --- this was a thin plywood layer, so I could not get an end grain pic

NOT a raw wood color
flooring sample of Australian cypress that has been finished with a hard, shiny finishing agent that clearly has deepened and enriched the color.


the piece directly above, after I sanded off the finish


end grain of the piece directly above


end grain closeups from both ends of the plank directly above

NOT a raw wood color
NOT a raw wood color
two flooring samples of Bermuda cypress both of which have been finished with a hard, shiny finishing agent that clearly has deepened and enriched the color.


the pieces directly above, after I sanded off the finish --- these were both thin plywood layers, so I could not get a end grain pic. Although it's not totally obvious, because of the pic croping, these two pieces were cut from adjacent sections of the same larger plank --- I'm sure you can see it now that I've pointed it out.


flooring sample and end grain of Australian cypress


two end grain closeups of the flooring sample directly above


sample plank of port orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) and end grain


end grain closeup of the piece directly above


veneer sheet and closeup


web pics


log cross section


planks specifically listed as Cupressus sempervirens


plank listed as Arizona cypress (Cupressus arizonica)


turning stock listed as Arizona cypress, but not saying which species but it's probably Cupressus arizonica (see fact sheet for discussion of cypress names)


Australian cypress planks


cypress pine (not a pine, acutally --- see fact sheet for discussion of cypress names)


Australian cypress flooring


Chinese cypress


Lawson cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), plank and turning stock


port orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) planks


both sides and a closeup of a port orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) plank


waxed turning block of port orford cedar


what appears to be end grain of a piece listed as Monterey cypress (Cupresus macrocarpa)


carving/turning blocks listed as Monterey Cypress


burl


veneer just listed as "cypress"


planks with no designation other than just "cypress"


two views of the same pair of planks


bald cypress plank


"pecky" cypress planks


table --- top is pecky cypress


"red" cypress


a rough board


Arizona cypress pen blanks, moistened for the pic which was provided by Dave Cumming, whom I thank.


Southern Cypress veneer


Fitzroy cypress and end grain


fitzroy cypress (Fitzroya cupressoides) planks


various bowls just labled as "cypress"


natural edge bowls


bowl that was turned green and then cracked when drying


two views of the same bowl


platter


bowl of Arizona cypress


cypress vase and a grinding mill of Australian cypress


part of an entire house (lodge?) made of cypress. Although it didn't say which kind, the flooring, paneling, beams, etc. are all cypress.



a cypress bowl, fresh off the lathe; no finish as yet but sanded to 320-grit. Personally, I really don't like this bowl. To me it looks like one piece of a cheap salad bowl set. Still, you never know how these things will turn out 'til you do them and this was an easy turn since cypress is very soft and light. The sharply delineated early wood / late wood grain pattern is at least interesting.


same thing with a few coats of polyurethane; notice how the finish blurs the previously sharp demarcation between early and late growth.