The ancient wood thread got me to thinking about cypress for box calls. I haven't seen it offered by custom call makers. I looked it up and its specific gravity would seem to put its density comparable to claro walnut and honduran mahogany. Seasoned material should be readily available from reclaimed timbers and cross ties, or sinker logs raised from rivers and oxbows. Not talking about the ancient stuff, but the reclaimed stuff that is only a few decades old. Most I have seen is good even, tight grain. Just curious if anyone had any thoughts why it isn't used more for box calls or how you think it would perform as a box call?
If I'm not mistaken Bob Harwell,Lamar Williams and Albert Paul all make calls with cypress. I'm sure there are a few others as well.
I've made a number of box calls and pots from cypress. I like it.
here's one that I made from a log in which I counted almost 400 growth rings before I stopped counting. Considering the log was cut in 1860 to build a barn I'd say that made it pretty old. Look at the growth rings in this one.
(http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj414/woodnutz_2009/cypress.jpg)
Somewhere in the house I have a cypress box call made by a gentleman by the name of Chad Griep. It was the first custom box call I acquired and sounds great. I haven't been able to put my hands on it the past year or so... need to do some more intense searching.
It makes a great sounding call in the hands of a good craftsman. Mine has a walnut lid.
I make bald cypress calls, it's not the kindest wood to work with, but, it makes a good sounding call.
Most cypress is rather soft, this I have is hard & was cut from the Ocala (Fla) National Forest in 1960.
It was brought to the Low-country of S.C. & was kept under a shed for 5 yrs. & a club house was built on a big hunt club.
Call maker friendly,,,,,it is not.
Bob
I might add this,,,,,, all cypress trees are female & are going through minapause when they're cut.
Bob
I have made several out of cypress. The problem I run into is, there is very little of the tree I care to use. I want a wood with a very tight grain pattern, and this tends to be the heart of the tree. Most cypress I have seen tends to be a more open grain
Lee, I've known a few sissies that couldn't make a cypress call from open grain wood. ;)
Bob
Quote from: BOB_HARWELL on May 10, 2012, 03:54:53 PM
Lee, I've known a few sissies that couldn't make a cypress call from open grain wood. ;)
Bob
Thats true, but I am still learning :TooFunny:
I was talking to Albert Paul this spring about him making me a box call out of Bald Cypress. Even though he has made a few from Bald Cypress, he said the problem with Bald Cypress is the high oil content in the wood and he said there are better woods out there. I ended up with a Butternut box and a Black Walnut paddle.
Quote from: BOB_HARWELL on May 10, 2012, 10:49:36 AM
I make bald cypress calls, it's not the kindest wood to work with, but, it makes a good sounding call.
Most cypress is rather soft, this I have is hard & was cut from the Ocala (Fla) National Forest in 1960.
It was brought to the Low-country of S.C. & was kept under a shed for 5 yrs. & a club house was built on a big hunt club.
Call maker friendly,,,,,it is not.
Bob
Im glad Im on the list. Just hope you keep healing that Back and quit chasing gals.
I have made several boxes out of Cypress and I have to agree that it is not call-maker friendly. I agree with Lee that the tighter the grain pattern the better. The boxes that I make out of pecky cypress have been very popular here in Florida and sound great!!
I have made several from the same pile of wood that Smurf had, the grain was tighter then a preacher's billfold, they all sounded good, but they threw me a fit in shaving cause just the least bit too much one way and you had to start all over again trying to get the rest of the side to match up.