Cyprus finishing

[John Miliunas]

This maybe should be on the Support Forum, but we get more hits here, so I'm hopeful for more results. Sorry!

Anyhow, our local Woodcraft has Cyprus as "Wood of the Month" on sale right now and I think it's a decent price. LOML wants me to make an outdoor bench/storage box for outside. I've never worked with it before. My understanding is that Cyprus is highly weather-resistant and looks decent, as well. Is there anything recommended to use as finish for it? If it retains a nice, natural color (my preference), any suggestions on added protect-ant or such? I assume that added protection may help it last longer, as well as provide as some guardian against slivers embedding themselves in one's posterior when using it as a bench? Also, how is it for cutting, milling, gluing, etc..? Any precautions would should take to protect against extensive tear-out or things like that? Muchos gracias for any info you could pass along. :cool:

[Rob Bourgeois]

Watch out that you dont get delamination of the growth rings as the wood weathers. I dont know what finish to use to stop it but if the cypress isnt quatersaw the rings seem to delaminate. around "cathedral" grain. This results in 2 to 4 inch or larger kid impaling splinters. (ask my daughter)

I didnt build it so i was still allowed to sleep inside. I have used it for a few planters and havent had any problems machining it. I used Thomsons Wood protector on them, still turned grey in about a year and half or so.

[Bob Lasley]

John,

I can tell you one I was not happy with, General Finish Outdoor Oil. I applied this to a cypress bench that I built and with in six months the seat of the bench was nearly black. Cypress will hold up well without finish, but will turn grey. Probably the best outdoor finish, besides paint, is still spar varnish.

BTW, if you haven't used cypress before, it is very nice to work!

Good luck,
Bob

[Jim Becker]

Originally posted by Rob Bourgeois
Watch out that you dont get delamination of the growth rings as the wood weathers. I dont know what finish to use to stop it but if the cypress isnt quatersaw the rings seem to delaminate. around "cathedral" grain. This results in 2 to 4 inch or larger kid impaling splinters.

I have to agree with this big-time. I love working with cypress for outdoor projects, but learned pretty quickly to avoid the cathedral grain patterns. Since I couldn't source QS locally, I purchased wider boards that I could use just the outside edges and left the remainder in the scrap bin for "incidental" use.

For finish...I don't use anything and just let it weather naturally.

[Sam Chambers]

John:

I built an outdoor patio set (table & 4 chairs) out of cypress. Cypress is easy to work with, and machines pretty well. A neighbor friend of mine is an accomplished carver, and I built a cross out of cypress to be placed at his father's grave site. He found it "stringy" and difficult to carve.

Cypress is pretty soft, which is good and bad. It sands easily, but it also dents and scratches easily. And as others have mentioned, it can de-laminate, though it hasn't happened to my project yet.

I finished my deck furniture with a product called Penofin, and it's held up well. It's made primarily of Brazilian rosewood oil. It's been almost 2 years, and the color has started to fade, so it's time to re-apply. See their web site at:

http://www.penofin.com