Recommendation for hardening sinker cypress

Ken Martin

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Hi guys, me again!

I recently bought some extraordinary sinker cypress in New Orleans that I would like to make long serving / charcuterie boards for a catering company. They are about 4’ to 5’ in length. The features of the live edges are quite unique. My problem is that the wood is very soft (and expensive). I would like to toughen it up a bit due to the wear and tear they will endure.

What finish / epoxy / resin / coating do y’all recommend and should I use sanding sealer first?
 

2feathers Creative Making

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Hi guys, me again!

I recently bought some extraordinary sinker cypress in New Orleans that I would like to make long serving / charcuterie boards for a catering company. They are about 4’ to 5’ in length. The features of the live edges are quite unique. My problem is that the wood is very soft (and expensive). I would like to toughen it up a bit due to the wear and tear they will endure.

What finish / epoxy / resin / coating do y’all recommend and should I use sanding sealer first?
A couple questions first, how dry is it? Are you infilling the holes or trying to keep the holes? Are you trying to keep the exact shape or you wanting to pour epoxy around it?

If you are dry and trying to keep the holes and live edges, you might try a sample with wood hardener that you paint on and allow to soak in. Or you might get the @Barb hardener formula and apply it to the boards. Then clear seal it.
 

trc65

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Here's the thread where Barb mentioned her use of epoxy and acetone for a quick, less expensive hardener/stabilizer. https://woodbarter.com/threads/birch-bowls.43361/#post-598651

I've used it a few times on small projects and it works well. You will have to use a surface finish with this, oils won't penetrate the cured resin.

As always, try first on a piece of scrap to make sure it does what you want and to make sure of a finishing schedule once it is applied.
 

FLQuacker

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No help here...but you have a challenge using that for that application. I have some old cypress, both sinkered and flitched. Can't imagine using it for that except as a solid encapsulation of some sort! I've seen it literally turn into powder over time.
 
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rob3232

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I think that a bar top finish should work for durability?
I've seen a lot of charcuterie boards made from soft woods, nice and light weight. I am assuming that is not pecky/wormy but just sinker wood?
 

Ken Martin

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  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
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First, to address @2feathers Creative Making :The wood is very dry and is solid where milled and planed. The only holes are in the live edge areas. I tried to take a couple of pics, but it’s hard to capture the beauty that the texture of the live edge gives it. Also, this piece is not nearly the most visually striking. I’d like to keep this texture, but harden it.

@trc65 , thanks! I’ll check out Barb’s formula.

@FLQuacker , I’ve seen this sort of board used in food presentation at wedding receptions. This would present about 5 feet of food for the guests. Now, to harden it so it’s not destroyed after only a couple of uses.

@rob3232 , do you have a name of a bar top resin that has worked well?

im including a couple of pics, but they don’t capture this wood well, at all. Also, i was a bit cautious and did a little CA stabilization that will be cleaned up before application of any hardener.

2F00769B-5A31-4A2C-9044-B20F51A3A61A.jpeg

2B72F5DA-9045-4763-B178-3C024D7FD878.jpeg

E8AE8FAD-606F-4B31-B0A3-6028C3CF30A6.jpeg
 

2feathers Creative Making

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Not what I was expecting when you said pecky. I was thinking the cypress with large empty pockets throughout the planks.
I would definitely apply a simple hardener like @Barb uses to that edge then sand the drips and seal everything with a food grade spray on finish if possible.
 

2feathers Creative Making

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Thank you @2feathers Creative Making. But I didn’t say “picky” I said “sinker”. I don’t think I’d use Pecky cypress for something like this.
I see that reading back through. My mistake. Definitely handsome pieces and should be very serviceable. I cut a sinker maple in similar condition. Understand about the soft edge
 
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