Pecky Cypress

[TxLogger]

Would one of ya'll explain what "pecky cypress" is?  Sounds (& smells)  like rotten wood to me.  

Tom

[Don P]

It is...kinda :D
There are spots or streaks of rot or void. The wood is fine as the majority of the wood is very decay resistant. It normally is used as a rustic panelling in my experience.
Wood HandBook:
Frequently the wood of certain cypress trees contains pockets or localized areas that have been attacked by fungus. Such wood is known as pecky cypress. The decay caused by this fungus is arrested when the wood is cut into lumber and dried. Pecky cypress is therefore useful and durable where watertightness is not necessary, and where appearance is not important or a novel effect is desired. Examples of such usage are as panelling in restaurants, stores, and other buildings.

I've built 1 log home from cypress (my back never recovered :, this stuff is brutally heavy) The company sent a few logs that had some heart rot (dote or doze are other words you'll hear). Not wanting to run afoul of the authorities I culled it in that structural application.  When a tree starts heartwood formation the lowest quantity of extractives is deposited the first few years it then hits a level and pretty much maintains from then on. That explains heart rot but not the random peck that I've seen throughout pecky cypress :-/, guessing  that spots in cypress get lower or no deposits during growth.

If you have a Dress Barn store nearby, the chain panels in pecky cypress, Dad did a number of their interiors during the Jimmuh years.

[Bud Man]

Used to be considered cull or trash--Brings a premium now because of nostalgic use in restraurants and because few cypress trees reach the age of decay necessary for it to occur.  My bedroom was panelled pecky cypress as a child, all mom could afford!

[timberbeast]

Remember "wormy chestnut"?  That was big in the 60's.  I got some "wormy Balsam"!  (You can hear those critters chewing from 20 feet away on a calm day) :D

[L. Wakefield]

   The problem with us all being sucha buncha cut-ups on this ng (which I love!) is it's a bit hard to tell when someone is (at least half) serious..

   So I gotta ask- seriously :- wormy balsam- is this live balsam- like balsam fir? We had balsam 'down back'- about where you run out of pasture and get into the 'serious' woods..about 15-19 years ago people liked it for wreaths and etc- that was when my mom had this place- so then about say 7-15 years ago the balsam got to looking bad and is not much to speak of in that area- but a few acres away there's more coming that looks good.

   It wasn't trees dying of old age :D- and I wondered about this worm thing. I wasn't standing around listening for worms..

   I've heard OF spruce budworm, and wooly adelgid on hemlocks, and I've HEARD pine borer in downed logs (need an ear icon here)- but is there a balsam worm?   lw

[Tom]

This a picture of a small piece of moderately pecky cypress.  It is about typical for paneling.  Some will be less and some is so pecky that the board barely stays together. I'll try to get pictures later to show the various stages.  All of them are marketable.


Used for paneling and ornamental beams, small pieces also make good center pieces for displays.

[ARKANSAWYER]

  I have been trying to maket pecky ERC with not good results.  It looks like pecky cypress just red.  Maybe I could stain it tan and pass it off as cypress. ;D  I have a good supply of pecky cedar but no market.  The next house I build I am going to put it in the living room and see how it goes.
ARKANSAYWER

[Bro. Noble]

Arky,

Seems like about 30 years ago there was a demand for 'worried Cedar'.

You might try that.

Noble

[woodmills1]

pecky, wormy, spalty  can you spell niche?  here is a shot of the coffee table I made from wormy pine.  gets more comments than anything I have in oak, and yes those are albums stored below.  this was built expressly to hold them.

[CHARLIE]

Very nice Woodmills!  Most children today wouldn't know what an ablum is ....much less a record player. :D

It's interesting that some people won't buy wood with a "defect" or that is spalted or pecky or wormy. But when someone makes something using that kind of wood, those same people will pay more for it.  I know in woodturning, stuff turned with spalted wood commands a higher price and if you build a box and inlay a piece of spalted wood on the top, you can charge more.  8)