I've been offered a bunch of Monterey Cypress logs that are about a year or two old. The have dried out enough that the bark has Started to fall off them.

If they were fresh then they would certainly be easier to work but would they be too far gone for hewing? They certainly are not for milling but that is a different ball game.

Hi Stuart;

If no one else replies, I say try it and see.

I was not familiar with this wood so here is a link to some info about this species. Sounds interesting.

http://www.pointlobos.org/nature/plant-communities/monterey-cypress-evolution

Jim

Which is quite funny. I know the USA is a big country and that Maine is a long way from California but I thought that an american site would have stacks of people familiar with this species.

Apparently in its native range it is not an impressive timber species.

Hello,

Just wanting to know a bit more about exactly what it is you have, a name is good but doesn't really give much information for a response. And what do you mean , that sort of thing.

It's come up here a bit recently, by which I mean this confusion. The Douglas Fir that grows here in Central Europe may be called Douglas Fir but there the similarities between it and the North American counterpart end. Douglas Fir of Europe will have much more widely spaced growth rings and be full of big knots compared to the North American version.
Last year I hewed down some Western Red Cedar - not so far removed from your Cypress - which had been cut out there in Germany. This wood bears no resemblance to Western Red Cedar imported from its native growth range apart from a similar smell when cut into.

In general Cypress can be a real good wood to work with hand tools though like a lot of these soft woods, brittle and splintery. Being 2 years cut means you will probably get a lot more crushed fibers as you hew across grain than had it been fresh wood. But unless the stems are real bent or knot ridden it could be good wood and come out looking something like this

Because it would be even more critical to maintain truly sharp edges, being less than green, this will increase the work for you. Make use of Richard Cassleman's technique there at the bottom edge to prevent splitting that corner out.

Greetings,

Don Wagstaff

What I meant by "not for milling" was that if I was milling these logs then it doesn't matter that they have been down for two years. I probably would have milled them about 18 months, 6 months ago or now. Ie not in summer. There is sum barrel checking so if I was milling there would be more sub grade boards if milled now rather than 6 months agom or longer ago.

I agree these logs would come up very like the photo and if it is just a matter of more sharpening well I've got to get better at that anyway.

I'll have to do a search for Richard Cassleman's technique.

At least I've now got the tools:

http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd481/Weaverofduart/2012-04-20175400.jpg

Hello,

I sent up that photo of the Western Red Cedar in this topic about with Cypress because this stem, having been harvested somewhere in Germany, reminded me more of the Cypress wood that I have worked than imported Red Cedar. This German wood was denser and harder, two related though separate qualities, and much lighter in color being more yellow than red.

This density was pretty important in how the wood reacted to being cut with the axe in particular. The sap wood being less dense was trouble and cutting it tangentially or across the grain was difficult, though in the end that didn't matter because it was all remove. The heart wood cut for the most part well though down near the bottom which was buttressed excessively to one side indicating it had grown on a hillside, was very tough and resilient especially right out at the end where the fibers were unsupported and seemed to flex with the blade. I had to think of the forces of wind and gravity that had formed that wood and the effect that was now having in resisting my axe swings and even more so when shortly after squaring up it bowed over the whole 9 meter length with a deflection of about 10 cm. More important though when making the comparison to this wood and its North American counterpart is the differences in climate.

I guess another consideration to make about the choice of the wood, that is beyond how it will work, is for what it will be applied. I cut a rain gutter with this stem so was looking more for a wood that would be somewhat durable in wet conditions. Because this is a matter of chemicals I'm guessing growing conditions wont really effect DNA so much. The tinsel and compressive qualities of the wood could also be considered and what the difference between native and exotic trees would yield there. On the face of it the sheer quantity and quality of the knotty native grown Cedar probably would give an indication.

Cypress though. A wood used more by native North Americans and Japanese in building. I don't think that it is acceptable in Japanese woodworking to work across the grain, though its only speculation on my part.

Greetings,

Don Wagstaff

Actually it could make a big difference. I've got quite a bit of experience with Australian grown Californian Redwood. A lot of it does not seem to have the same level of rot resistance and insect resistance that the american grown wood has. Mind you this could be because the wood is from relatively young trees (~70 years).

As you have mentioned the growing conditions of the tree would really effect way the finished timber would behave. From my experience with milling timber I would not try and mill a log as you have described into straight timber. The reaction wood that the tree has laid down to support itself against the external forces of wind or gravity seriously effect how the timber is going to react once the tension in the log is relieved by being worked. 10cm over 9m may seem like a lot but in Australian hardwoods you can get much greater reactions even in straight timber with balanced growth around the heart.

Thats one of the reasons I want to start with exotic species like Monterey cypress because from all I've heard and seen it is easier to work with than some of the other timber available to me. Also I can get a fair bit of it.

The other species that is relatively available is Pinus Radiata but many of the logs I can get come from windrows and while they may be straight they are full of knots.

Today though I'm going to pick up a douglass fir log which I've been tolled is 500mm diameter. Its from a tree that died standing so I'm not sure what condition it is in.

Stuart

Well I've hewn my first beam:

http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd481/Weaverofduart/2012-04-28162511.jpg

http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd481/Weaverofduart/2012-04-28162454.jpg

I was surprised that it was cutting the notches that was the most work. I can see why people use chainsaws. Obviously I've got a lot to learn but for a first attempt its ok. There are a few spots where I notched a bit too enthusiastically which is a result of so many utube videos saying that people don't notch deep enough. Even though I was careful my axes hit the ground way too much.

I also found it hard to secure the log. The dog I'm using is actually a boot scraper but it has two pointy ends and is about the right length. The other dog is just a piece of wood with two tech screws. The log tended to move in the direction of my axe blows so I tried angling the dogs to counter this but it didn't seem to work. It was ok when I stood on the log but the handles on my axes are a bit short for that and it was much more comfortable when I was standing on the ground with the log on 4" bearers.

As always when using a new set of tools I have blisters in all sorts of surprising places. The most painful of which is on the BACK of my right thumb.

Stuart,

I don't secure my logs at all. I find it a wasted effort.

Instead, I have two large logs on the ground with saddle-notches cut into them, kind of like you would use for a round log cabin. I then roll the log to be hewn into these notches, and it will set there securely if it has any size.

My procedure is then to hew down one side, and flip that side to the bottom and move it around until this face sits level (or rather, square to plumb). The flat surface will be sturdy, even more so if it is made to straddle the notches giving it 4 points of contact instead of 2.

Where are you located? If you would be willing to come out here to Indiana, I could help you out. Or I could send you some info on the use of these tools. There are a lot of particulars that are hard to figure out on your own.

I'd love to come to Indiana but it would be a long swim. I'm in Australia so I won't be visiting any time soon.

I'd really appreciate any information that you could send my way. I've just ordered Roy Underhill series of books and I've got one other that I can't find just at the second that talk about hewing but has really bad pictures.

Other than that I've googled lots.

The cypress that log that I've already done moved around a lot. So I think it needs something to hold hit in place. What might be needed for the light stuff is something toothed to go on the bearer like you have on sawmill beds.