Official Luthiers Forum! :: View topic - Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?

Hey Cody,
Sorry I can't give you an educated and reliable answer to your question, I hope someone else will soon. I also live in Looweezeeana (I'm from TX originally, Cowboys Fan, Boo Saints !), in Bossier City. Now that I've probably irritated you, may I ask, where are you at?

Yea I figuered you lived down south. I moved here from Abilene TX in 2003 when my new bride got so homesick I moved her back here. Now I'm homesick. gaah

Salvaged wood can be nice. I'd say go see if you can find some Q-sawn beams. Recycling is always good. And if you don't use if for guitars, use it for shop furnitures, or anything.

But, is wood really ''drying'' in Louisiana? Maybe it depends on the area that you are but, I went to New Orleans past summer, and it was always at 85-100% of RH. For sure, the wood is ''dry'' but I'd guess it would be still around 6-7% wet, even after 100 years.

By the way. Who dat?

Vive la Nouvelles-Orléans bliss

Francis

What sort of cypress? Swamp or Bald cypress is common to the SE. It really grows out of water, and the wood is water resistant, but I'm not sure it is not too spongy for guitar building. You should just go and check it yourself. I have a large number of these pretty trees in the park near me circling the lake and I asked about it on the OLF a few years ago. No encouraging response.

Ti-Roux wrote:

Francis

I think I'll check it out sometime soon. It's going cheap enough to play with, at least. I think it said there were 2x2s, 2x4s, 2x6s, and 7x7s going for $2.75 per bf.

Yea the rh here is rediculous. Is 6-7% good? I'm VERY new to all of this.

IIRC, cyprus is or has been extensively used in classical guitars.

Quote:

IIRC, cyprus is or has been extensively used in classical guitars.

It is not the same species. Bald cypress, which is the native species in the SE US, is a denser, harder wood than most of the woods that are called 'cypress'. However, I see no reason that it could not be a good wood for backs and sides.
I have some 12" wide QS boards that were salvaged from an old house in SW Florida. I do intend to build with them one day.

Thanks, Tarhead. I know Larry and Marc, Larry helped me out quite a bit getting started. Both have incredibly talented families. Who is your daughter, if you don't mind me asking?

Author:	minor_pentatonic [ Fri Jan 14, 2011 1:05 am ]
Post subject:	Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
I live in Louisiana and just found an ad for some cypress that had been salvaged from some really old houses. I was just curious as to whether or not these boards would be suitable for a guitar. Just a curiosity question.

Author:	RustySP [ Fri Jan 14, 2011 9:50 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
Hey Cody, Sorry I can't give you an educated and reliable answer to your question, I hope someone else will soon. I also live in Looweezeeana (I'm from TX originally, Cowboys Fan, Boo Saints !), in Bossier City. Now that I've probably irritated you, may I ask, where are you at?

Author:	minor_pentatonic [ Fri Jan 14, 2011 11:13 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
RustySP wrote: Hey Cody, Sorry I can't give you an educated and reliable answer to your question, I hope someone else will soon. I also live in Looweezeeana (I'm from TX originally, Cowboys Fan, Boo Saints !), in Bossier City. Now that I've probably irritated you, may I ask, where are you at? Irritated? Ha! There's always next season. I live near Hammond. (tangi parish). Actually just got back yesterday. Moved away for a while. How long have u lived in LA?

Author:	RustySP [ Fri Jan 14, 2011 1:17 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
Yea I figuered you lived down south. I moved here from Abilene TX in 2003 when my new bride got so homesick I moved her back here. Now I'm homesick.

Author:	minor_pentatonic [ Fri Jan 14, 2011 4:04 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
RustySP wrote: Yea I figuered you lived down south. I moved here from Abilene TX in 2003 when my new bride got so homesick I moved her back here. Now I'm homesick. yea we were homesick too. So are you a working luthier or just a hobbiest like me? I'd like to meet a pro in the area and see how they do it. Building is an addiction for me and I haven't even finished my first yet. Haha I thought this topic wouldve recieved a few more responses by now. Maybe salvaged wood isn't the best thing. Lol. I just thought it would be cool and since it's been drying for probably 100 years it might be ok for a guitar or uke back and side or maybe a neck.

Official Luthiers Forum! http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/

Salvaged cypress for guitar build ? http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=30711	Page 1 of 1

Author:	Ti-Roux [ Fri Jan 14, 2011 4:16 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
Salvaged wood can be nice. I'd say go see if you can find some Q-sawn beams. Recycling is always good. And if you don't use if for guitars, use it for shop furnitures, or anything. But, is wood really ''drying'' in Louisiana? Maybe it depends on the area that you are but, I went to New Orleans past summer, and it was always at 85-100% of RH. For sure, the wood is ''dry'' but I'd guess it would be still around 6-7% wet, even after 100 years. By the way. Who dat? Vive la Nouvelles-Orléans Francis

Author:	Alexandru Marian [ Fri Jan 14, 2011 4:22 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
What sort of cypress? Swamp or Bald cypress is common to the SE. It really grows out of water, and the wood is water resistant, but I'm not sure it is not too spongy for guitar building. You should just go and check it yourself. I have a large number of these pretty trees in the park near me circling the lake and I asked about it on the OLF a few years ago. No encouraging response.

Author:	Ti-Roux [ Fri Jan 14, 2011 4:42 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
minor_pentatonic wrote: Ti-Roux wrote: Salvaged wood can be nice. I'd say go see if you can find some Q-sawn beams. Recycling is always good. And if you don't use if for guitars, use it for shop furnitures, or anything. But, is wood really ''drying'' in Louisiana? Maybe it depends on the area that you are but, I went to New Orleans past summer, and it was always at 85-100% of RH. For sure, the wood is ''dry'' but I'd guess it would be still around 6-7% wet, even after 100 years. By the way. Who dat? Vive la Nouvelles-Orléans Francis I think I'll check it out sometime soon. It's going cheap enough to play with, at least. I think it said there were 2x2s, 2x4s, 2x6s, and 7x7s going for $2.75 per bf. Yea the rh here is rediculous. Is 6-7% good? I'm VERY new to all of this. Usually, in lutherie, we want the wood dry around 6-8% of humidity. It's about the lowest point that wood dries, naturally, after few years. It can go lower than this after many many many years in a dry place. After it is really dry, it can regain humidity, but not that much. Well, wood dry faster than it gains humidity. Your salvaged wood is surely dry enough for anything you want to do with it. It's just probably not as dry as 100yo wood can be, in ''normal'' climate. I was just kidding on the ridicoulus RH of louisiana, like you said.

Author:	Mike Baker [ Fri Jan 14, 2011 8:28 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
IIRC, cyprus is or has been extensively used in classical guitars. I don't see why you couldn't use it in a steel string. As far as it being reclaimed wood, if you can get it in large enough sizes, I don't think you'd have a problem. If it's old wood from old houses, I'd think it would be as stable as it's going to get. I'd use it in a heartbeat.

Author:	John Arnold [ Fri Jan 14, 2011 11:40 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
Quote: IIRC, cyprus is or has been extensively used in classical guitars. It is not the same species. Bald cypress, which is the native species in the SE US, is a denser, harder wood than most of the woods that are called 'cypress'. However, I see no reason that it could not be a good wood for backs and sides. I have some 12" wide QS boards that were salvaged from an old house in SW Florida. I do intend to build with them one day.

Author:	Darryl Young [ Sat Jan 15, 2011 11:39 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
I've handled very little cypress.......but what I have been exposed to was brittle. Is this normal or just a property of the boards I've seen?

Author:	Alexandru Marian [ Sat Jan 15, 2011 12:57 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
John, you might have some special old growth extra dense boards? I googled a bit and the specific gravity given about everywhere is 0.45 when dried, about the same as Sitka spruce. Mediterranean cypress is normally denser, somewhere around .55

Author:	minor_pentatonic [ Sat Jan 15, 2011 1:22 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
Thanks for all the help. The wood is located about an hour from me so as soon as I make time to go check it out, I'll post pics. Sounds like a good deal.

Author:	blafleur [ Mon Jan 17, 2011 12:09 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
This is my first post here but been lurking a while. I am a Cajun accordion builder, not a stringed instrument guy, but been soaking in the woodworking and finishing discussion. From my experience with the salvaged cypress, you have to check it out. There is some great stuff out there, old growth solid stuff, and there is some junk, along with some semi rotten wood. I've gotten some that was too far gone and almost cork like in texture, and some that is tight grained and hard. Don't buy sight unseen. Just a few years ago they were burning that stuff and giving it away, now people are starting to realize there is a market, and there are some out there that will take advantage. Good luck. Bryan Lafleur

Page 1 of 1	All times are UTC - 5 hours
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group http://www.phpbb.com/

Author:	RustySP [ Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:53 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
Hi Bryan, Welcome to the OLF. Have you thought about putting a guitar neck on one of your accordians? You can call it a Cajun Accordagit!

Author:	Mark Fogleman [ Mon Jan 17, 2011 6:00 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
Nice work displayed on your site Bryan! I've gotten to know some Accordion builders from the Eunice, LA area (Marc Savoy and Larry Miller) and can appreciate what goes into one. Marc's sons, Larry's grandson and my daughter play in the Cajun music scene in the Layfayette area. Coincidentally, the drummer and bass player in her band are LaFleurs from Rayne. I found some Cypress lumber when I was last there that had been harvested out of the basin near Henderson after being buried in the mud for a long time. It has very tight (~40/inch) growth rings so it probably was part of the first harvest and was left behind by the early loggers. After seeing this thread here and on Uke Underground I'm interested in trying it out on some Ukes and not using it on the other projects I had planned for it. If it works I'll need to go by there next trip and buy a big section of a log, give it a good name and watch the price go through the roof.

Author:	blafleur [ Tue Jan 18, 2011 12:10 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
That's a thought Rusty, then I could play my own rhythm and not be limited to 2 base notes. Thanks, Tarhead. I know Larry and Marc, Larry helped me out quite a bit getting started. Both have incredibly talented families. Who is your daughter, if you don't mind me asking?

Author:	Mark Fogleman [ Tue Jan 18, 2011 9:55 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
blafleur wrote: Thanks, Tarhead. I know Larry and Marc, Larry helped me out quite a bit getting started. Both have incredibly talented families. Who is your daughter, if you don't mind me asking? Beth Fogleman. Here she is playing her killer HD-28V with Kyle Huval/Dixie Club Ramblers on the main stage at this year's Festivals Acadien et Creoles in Lafayette: Here with Brandon Moreau/Pain Perdu at part of this year's Piccolo Spoleto, Charleston, SC (96 degrees in the shade ):

Author:	blafleur [ Wed Jan 19, 2011 9:34 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
Cool! I actually saw her perform with Kyle Huval for Festival Acadiens.

Author:	David Newton [ Fri Jan 21, 2011 9:50 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Salvaged cypress for guitar build ?
Hi guys, I'm just across the river, into the promised land of Texas, and I have built an L-00 of Bald Cypress, though of new stuff, not the salvaged wood. You can build a guitar of southern cypress, but it is pretty "not stable" so it moves around a lot. I built the top and neck even, of cypress, it was sort of a "local woods" project. As a top wood it is not very stiff and is pretty high in damping. It was a fun build, but not one I would repeat. I say go for it, just don't expect a tight, snappy tone if you use it for a top. As a back and side wood, it would be close to one of the softer sets of Mahogany, without the stability.