 
Baldcypress (Taxodium distichium)
Family: Taxodiaceae
Common names: Ahuehuete, Ahuehuetl, Bald cypress, Baldcypress, Black cypress, Buck cypress, Cipres de Montezuma, Cipreso, Common bald cypress, Cow cypress, Cypress, Faux satine, Florida cypress, Gulf cypress, Inland cypress, Louisiana cypress, Louisiana red cypress, Pentamon, Pentamu, Pond cypress, Red cypress, Sabino, Southern cypress, Swamp cypress, Tidewater red cypress, Tnuyuca, White cypress, Xina, Yaga-chichilino, Yaga-guichi, Yellow cypress, Yuca-ndatura
Distributed in: United States (North America)
Distribution overview: Baldcypress is distributed in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, New York, Oklahoma, Illinois, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Indiana. The tree prefers very wet, swampy soils of riverbanks and floodplain lakes that are sometimes submerged. It is often found in pure stands, but may also grow alongside hardwoods
Common uses: Agricultural implements, Baskets, Bent Parts, Boat building (general), Boat building, Boat building: decking, Boxes and crates, Bridge construction, Building materials, Cabinetmaking, Canoes, Chairs, Chests, Coffins, Cooperages, Core Stock, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Drawer sides, Excelsior, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Flooring, Food containers, Framing, Fuelwood, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Furniture, Hatracks, Heavy construction, Interior construction, Interior trim, Joinery (external): ground contact, Joinery, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Light construction, Living-room suites, Marine construction, Millwork, Mine timbers, Moldings, Office furniture, Pallets, Paneling , Paneling, Parquet flooring, Piling, Plain veneer, Posts, Railroad ties, Shingles, Tables , Vats, Vehicle parts, Veneer, Veneer: decorative, Woodenware
Environment profile: May be rare in some parts of its range
Tree size: Trunk diameter is 200-250 cm
Colors: the heart isYellow, Yellow to golden-yellow to orangeand the sapwoodWhite to yellow, Yellow.The grain isStraight, the textureMedium coarse to coarseand the lusterLow
Natural durability: Susceptible to insect attack, Very durable
Odor: Has an odor
Kiln Schedules: UK=K US=T13C4S/T11D3S
Kiln Drying Rate: Rapid
Drying Defects: Moderate surface checking, No twisting or warping
Ease of Drying: Moderate
Tree Identification: Bole/stem form is unknown
Comments: General finishing qualities are rated as good General finishing qualities are rated as satisfactory Some cypress logs are reported to be susceptible to attack by a fungus which forms pockets or localized areas in the wood. The result is Pecky cypress which is reported to be attractive in appearance when cut. Although Pecky cypress is reported to be considered as an actual grade, supplies are very small compared to other grades.
Blunting Effect: Moderate
Boring: Fairly easy to very easy
Carving: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Cutting Resistance: Moderate to saw
Gluing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Mortising: Moderately easy to mortise
Moulding: Moulding ease is moderate
Movement in Service: Moulding ease is moderate
Nailing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy, Holds nails well
Planing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Resistance to Impregnation: Resistant sapwood
Response to hand tools: Responds Readily
Routing recessing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Veneering qualities: Veneers easily, Veneers moderately easy
Steam bending: Moderate
Screwing: Easy to screw, Screwing yields good results; Turning: Very Good to Excellent Results
Painting: Takes paint very well ; Polishing: Fair to Good; Staining: Fair to Good;
- Numerical data Metric
- Numerical data English
- Strength properties
- References
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 |
 |
 |
Item |
Green |
Dry |
Metric |
Specific Gravity |
0,41 |
0,48 |
|
Density |
|
464 |
kg/m3 |
Bending Strength |
418 |
659 |
kg/cm2 |
Crushing Strength |
27 |
50 |
kg/cm2 |
Hardness |
|
189 |
kg |
Impact Strength |
63 |
65 |
cm |
Shearing Strength |
|
66 |
kg/cm2 |
Stiffness |
77 |
89 |
1000 kg/cm2 |
Tangential Shrinkage |
6 |
|
% |
Radial Shrinkage |
3 |
|
% |
Weight |
480 |
400 |
kg/m3 |
Maximum Load |
0,42 |
0,49 |
cm-kg/cm3 |
Toughness |
|
|
cm-kg |
Static Bending |
|
|
kg/cm2 |
|
 |  |  |  | Item | Green | Dry | English | Bending Strength | 5958 | 9381 | psi | Crushing Strength | 392 | 715 | psi | Density | | 29 | lbs/ft3 | Hardness | | 417 | lbs | Impact Strength | 25 | 26 | inches | Maximum Crushing Strength | 3561 | 6127 | psi | Shearing Strength | | 950 | psi | Stiffness | 1109 | 1279 | 1000 psi | Work to Maximum Load | 6 | 7 | inch-lbs/in3 | Specific Gravity | 0.41 | 0.48 | | Weight | 30 | 25 | lbs/ft3 | Radial Shrinkage | 3 | | % | Tangential Shrinkage | 6 | | % | Volumetric Shrinkage | 11 | | % | |
Density (dry weight) = 31-37 lbs/cu. ft. Density (dry weight) = 23-30 lbs/cu. ft. Work to Maximum Load = very low Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = very low Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = very low Max. crushing strength = medium Hardness (side grain) = very soft Bending strength (MOR) = low Toughness-Hammer drop (Impact Strength) = low Shrinkage, Tangential = small Shrinkage, Radial = small Max. crushing strength = low Hardness = medium Crushing strength = medium Bending strength (MOR) = very low
Bending strength in the air-dry condition is medium. It also has moderate crushing strength parallel to grain. The wood is moderately heavy, moderately hard, strong and moderately stiff.
Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois and E.M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Woods: Temperate and Tropical. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Madison, Wisconsin.Brown, H.P. and Panshin, A.J.,1940,Commercial Timbers of the United States Their structure, identification,,properties and uses,McGraw-Hill, LondonBrown, W.H.,1978,Timbers of the World: - No.7 North America,TRADAClifford, N.,1957,Timber Identification for the Builder and Architect,Leonard Hill (Books) LTD. LondonDallimore, W. and Jackson, A. Bruce,1966,A Handbook of Coniferae and Ginkgoaceae Fourth Ed. Revised by S.G.,Harrison,Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd. LondonForest Products Research Laboratory U.K.,1957,A Handbook of Softwoods,Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Forest Products Research,HMSOHoward, A.L.,1948,A Manual of Timbers of the World.,Macmillan & Co. Ltd. London 3rd ed.I.U.F.R.O.,1973,Veneer Species of the World,Assembled at F.P.L. Madison on behalf of I.U.F.R.O. Working Party on,Slicing and Veneer CuttingKaiser, J. 1993. Wood of the Month - Cypress: The Hardwood-like Softwood.Wood and Wood Products, May 1993. Page 36.Kennedy, H.E.,1972,American Woods - Bald Cypress,USDA, Forest Service American Woods FS-218Little, E.L.1980.The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Eastern Region.Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York.Markwardt, L.J., Wilson, T.R.C.,1935,Strength and related properties of woods grown in the United States,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture Technical Bulletin,No.479Panshin, A.J. and C. deZeeuw. 1980. Textbook of Wood Technology, 4th Edition. McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.Patterson, D.,1988,Commercial Timbers of the World, 5th Edition,Gower Technical PressRecord, S.J., Hess, R.W.,1943,Timbers of the New World,Yale University PressRendle, B.J.,1969,World Timbers (3 Vols.,Ernest Benn Ltd. LondonTimber Development Association Ltd.,1955,World Timbers (3 Vols.,Timber Development Association Ltd.Titmuss, F.H.,1965,Commercial Timbers of the World,Technical Press Ltd., London, 3rd editionU.S.D.A. Forest Service,1974,Wood Handbook,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Handbook,72USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook - Wood as an Engineering Material, Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook No. 72, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.USDA. 1988. Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.Wolcott, G.N.,1950,An Index to the Termite Resistance of Woods,Agricultural Experimental Station, University of Puerto Rico Bulletin,No.85
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