Can someone tell me what "pecky" means in lumber grading?

[David Tiell]

I was looking at Cypress at an online lumber retailer. They had it listed as:

4/6 1 Common $1.80
4/4 Select $2.60
4/4 Pecky $3.25
8/4 Select $3.50

I would like the best 4/4 I can get, but I've never heard of this grade. Any help/thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dave

[Rick Dohm]

Pecky cypress is full of worm holes. I'm sure others know more about it than I do, but I know it was a popular decorative siding material years ago. It was a "look" that some went for.

[Larry Nall]

Yep, it's full of holes.
It's beautiful stuff but best used for paneling, trim, picture frames.
I wouldn't use it for anything structural.

[Darren Duchi]

Pecky cypress if it is anything like Pecky Incense cedar Is not a bug It is a natural defect that comes from older trees and it looks like the tree is full of small pockets of Punk. the lumber will show anywhere from light number of holes to severely riddled with them. Normally found in 4 common grades on the west coast.

Sorry if i confused the question.

[DAVID CASHDAN]

picture of pecky cedar :D


dave

[DAVID CASHDAN]

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue/swofidsc/clear.gif POCKET DRY ROT ("PECKY ROT")
Causal Organism: Oligoporus amarus (Hedge)
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue/swofidsc/stemdecay/peckyrotconk.jpg
conk (http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue/swofidsc/stemdecay/peckyrotconk.jpg)Identification: The fruiting bodies are formed annually in late summer or fall. They are soft, moist, and hoof-shaped, and bright yellow or buff colored when fresh. Fruiting bodies are eaten quickly by insects and rodents soon after they appear. Woodpeckers search for insects at the site of conks that have been eaten, leaving depressions in the bark that are good indicators of infection. Incipient decay appears as a brownish discoloration. Eventually, elongated pockets develop. The wood in these pockets breaks down into a dry, dark brown, crumbly residue, separated by shrinkage cracks. Although the decayed pockets may become very numerous, they usually remain distinct from one another rather than coalescing into a single column of decayed wood.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue/swofidsc/stemdecay/peckyrotdecay1.jpg
decay - cross section (http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue/swofidsc/stemdecay/peckyrotdecay1.jpg)Hosts in Southwest Oregon: Mainly incense-cedar; has also been found rarely in true firs.
Effects: The fungus causes a brown pocket rot of the heartwood. Incense-cedars less than 150 years old are usually relatively free of decay. The incidence of decay increases rapidly, however, in trees 200 years old and older. Decay is almost always present in incense-cedars larger than 100cm (40 in) in diameter at breast height, and in trees with basal wounds or old, dead limbs. Breakage is relatively uncommon, even when decay is very advanced.
Life History: Most infected trees only produce one or two fruiting bodies. http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue/swofidsc/stemdecay/peckyrotdecay.jpg
decay (http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue/swofidsc/stemdecay/peckyrotdecay.jpg)They are not produced until the decay has become extensive. They appear during late summer and fall and generally last only a few months. The spores are windborne. Fire scars, large open knots and stubs of large, broken branches are the most common means of entry for the spores. Infection is likely in trees with open wounds growing on sites where surface moisture lingers on exposed heartwood.
Conducive Habitats: Pocket dry rot is most common in trees on good quality sites and on moist microsites.
Perceived Association with Cavity Nester Use: Use by cavity nesters is high, and increases with host age.
Photos:
Pecky Rot conk (http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue/swofidsc/stemdecay/peckyrotconk.jpg)
Pecky Rot decay 1 (http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue/swofidsc/stemdecay/peckyrotdecay.jpg)
Pecky Rot decay 2 (http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue/swofidsc/stemdecay/peckyrotdecay1.jpg)
References:
Scharpf, R.F. 1993.
Diseases of Pacific Coast Conifers. USDA, Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook #521. 199 p.
Wagener, W.W., and Bega, R.V. 1958.
Heart Rots of Incense-Cedar. USDA, Forest Service, Forest Pest Leaflet #30. 7 p.
:D

dave

[David Tiell]

OK, thanks for the help everybody. Pecky is not what I'm looking for, so I guess I will order the Select.

[John Eaton]

Pecky Cypress was a favored wood during the mid-century building period in the south (Florida/Georgia across to Texas) - it's quite beautiful when used for door and cabinet fronts, for kitchens, paneling and the like. The wood actually has natural voids and color changes that makes it quite interesting. Here's a pic from a Texas house built in the 60's - the railing and room dividers are filled with this stuff.

http://www.photobucket.com/albums/v614/roberts/IMG_1358.jpg

-- John