Just curious!

[Bandaid]

I saw a great calendar photo of a cypress swamp in South Carolina that showed a whole mess of knees growing around the base of the larger trees. Since these trees don't grow here in Alberta, (our swamps only grow mosquitos ) I was wondering if someone can enlighten me on a couple of questions?
- Are the knees part of a mother tree?
- Are they harvested green?
- Are they dried prior to carving?
- Is cypress wood from the larger trees any good for carving?
Thx. in advance for any input.

Just a curious Canadian.

Bandaid,

I am new to carving, but I do live in florida. The knees you are refering to are part of the main tree ( Mother ). They are used to breath in the swamp. I would think they are harvested when swamp areas are cut down. An unfortunate thing here in florida. You just know we need more buildings.
As for the rest of the questions I am not sure. Someone else will be of more help to you on those parts.

Brad

I have not carved any large pieces of Cypress, but have made a few cuts on some small sticks... just for fun. My neighbor used to do crafts and furniture from Cypress and I seem to remember that it was not very good for carving, but good for machine work. It dulled my knives quickly and it does smell bad when cut. :P I suppose it may not be so bad if people carve the knees - which should carve similar to the remainder of the tree.

[Captain_Bandaid]

Cypress knees are carved after seasoning. I have never noticed any offensive odor in the dried knees. They are very stringy and you need a VERY sharp knife to carve them as they tend to burr and fuzz. Cypress is better than redwood as far as resistance to rot and shredded cypress mulch is used extensively for flowerbed cover. A large carving from a cypress log would probably outlast the carver by several centuries. However, I did not really enjoy carving it.

[lorax]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but arent Cypress trees a softwood? I couldnt remember, I have power carved two cypress knees, and it wasn't so bad.

[Bandaid]

Thx for the input guys! I've noticed the knees are quite popular for Santa and Wood Spirit carvings. The shape is certainly a natural for that type of character.

I've never carved a cypress knee, but I used to paint Santas on them before I started carving. I do understand the grain goes in many directions at once, making it difficult to carve.

The guy that I used to get them from would harvest them from the swamp and send them to me. I then had to boil them for awhile, which makes the bark strip off easier, then leave them to dry - which, as I recall, didn't take more than a couple days.

Teri

NANCY!!!! LOL....Did I see you say your santas 'aren't the best'? LOL There are many of us who strive to get to where you are, my friend!

Teri

oops - posted that to the wrong thread, but anyway, I mean it!

I just finished a 1400 lb. 9 ft. black bear out of a Cypress log and it is not my first choice in wood (second or third either).
I helped a buddy of mine build a log cabin for some folks on the lake and we built it out of cypress. I was given a large log to carve a bear that would serve as a beam support in the den and it was difficult to carve. I roughed it out with a 4 in. Makita grinder fitted with a Kutszit (sp.?) wheel and the log was still retaining water which had me constantly wire brushing my wheel. The grain was layered and splintery and would not sand very smooth. Maybe , if it were dried more it would be a different story but I'm not looking forward to any more Cypress carvings for a while.