# Cypress knees



## jordan (Nov 5, 2009)

To tell you the truth, I don't know what a cypress knee is but this is an email I just received. Some of you may be interested

.Hi;
We are a Louisiana based company specializing in cleaned, kiln dried cypress knees.

We will have a website up and running by Friday. 
Let me know what you think.

Cypress Knee Pricing :
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10 ".......$ 8.00
11 ".......$ 8.00
12 ".......$ 9.00
13 ".......$ 9.00
14 ".......$10.00
15 ".......$10.00
16 ".......$11.00
17 ".......$11.00
18 ".......$12.00
19 ".......$12.00
20 ".......$13.00
21 ".......$14.00
22 ".......$14.00
23 ".......$15.00
24 ".......$15.00
25 ".......$16.00
26 ".......$17.00
27 ".......$18.00
28 ".......$20.00
29 ".......$20.00
30 ".......$24.00
31 ".......$26.00
32 ".......$28.00
33 ".......$30.00
34 ".......$32.00
35 ".......$32.00

36 " and over….....$ 1.25/ inch

Double knees are determined by adding the cost of the 2 points.
( We can work a better price on multiple knees if needed)

Call for pricing on multiple point knees and hollow knees.

We have a large selection of knees and can accommodate any size order and can custom cut any request you may have.
louisianna swamp products


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

in boats knees are the corner connectors
(could be any angle needed)
from ribs to deck framing
ideally from branches with the curve already formed
or at least the grain going diagonal

for fire place and stand alone shelves
(also known as corbels)
they are the brackets that hold the mantle or shelf up


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## jordan (Nov 5, 2009)

Ohhhh. Well I guess I won't be needing any then. Thanks David


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

oh well

you could buy a bunch
and carve them
sell them on the net

get rich
get fat
go bald


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## jordan (Nov 5, 2009)

One out of three ain't bad - and it isn't fat or rich.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Ha Ha 
These are cypress knees,the cone shape objects that stick out of the swamp.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Some folks carve them.


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## jordan (Nov 5, 2009)

Boy I learn a lot here.


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## LittlePaw (Dec 21, 2009)

How hard are they to carve o, as compared to basswood or maple?


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## Kryptic (Nov 8, 2013)

it appears you bought a lot of them


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

Jordan…you can send me the contact info for the people with the knees…
I have been around cypress knees all my life. Love them. We have 8 cypress trees by the entrance to out driveway. The small one on the shelf is one I got out by our fishing camp when I was a young kid. 








The one on the table I have had since sometime in the 1960's

















and the one with the bark standing next to my friend is about 5 or 6 years that I have had it.


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## HerbC (Jul 28, 2010)

During 50s - 70s, there was a thriving trade in lamps which use cypress knees as the lamp base.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Kryptic
I never saw one in person,the photos off the net.


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## EPJartisan (Nov 4, 2009)

They are quite soft. I think. My grandparents had quite a few when I was growing up. Cypress knees are really the lungs of Mangroves right? Anybody read that the Mangroves of Florida are moving northward due to climate change.


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## HerbC (Jul 28, 2010)

No, cypress knees are extensions of the root systems of cypress trees. Mangroves are an unrelated species.

The scientific community has not conclusively determined what function is performed by the "knee" structure.

Herb


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

Jordan,

I'm sure you could do WONDERS with them!

... whatever you decided to carve, you would do a great job of it…

You might try one & see how you like it… I think I'd ask for some Pictures, so you could see what you were buying.

Just my 2 bits…


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

jordan, i think you should buy a few and let your inspiration go to work, you can carve anything


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## revieck (Dec 29, 2009)

When I was a kid, we could harvest cypress knees in southern Knox county Indiana. Most cypress has been logged out in the late 1800's and early 1900's. there are still a few groves of cypress left due to the fact that the ground is to low to farm. Cypress trees that grow by themselves at the at the edge of fields without standing water, don't grow the knees.


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## jordan (Nov 5, 2009)

Oh I'm not buying any, I just wondered what they were and if anyone here might need some.


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

Being from south Louisiana, I always heard that the cypress knees were to gather air for the root system since the roots are often submerged. I did find this link which suggests that the knees serve no purpose whatsoever and that they are more like tumors or burl. Who knew?

Anyway, they are pretty easy to find locally. Like Greg the Cajun Box Sculptor, I have several knees in my home, as well as a cypress knee lamp that needs a little work.


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## Porchfish (Jun 20, 2011)

Some have said that "Scientists were unsure" of the functions of Cypress knees ! I don't know THOSE scientists but the biologists (marine and swamp) ecologists (U of Fla, FSU, and U of South Fl.) warn of cutting and /or damaging Cypress knees. Damage any portion of a trees root system and see how it effects the health of the tree. cut enough and even the Florida Bald Cypress (very hardy specie) will be a "dead" cypress if too many "knees" are harvested. The knees provide an additional means for gas exchange (carbon dioxide/oxygen cycle) , they provide additional foundational support for the Cypress tree in the marshy/swampy areas in which they are often found. If you see them offered for sale DON'T buy…the rape of Cypress forests for creating doodads for maroons to sell to tasteless tourists seems to run in cycles . Lets not contribute to another deadly round of onslaughts on our Cypree preserves ! I have a swamp and stream on my property and swear the next time I see some cracker hanging over the side of a jon boat with chainsaw in hand , I will first blow a hole in his boat and then in the cheek of his butt. If you think you must have a cypress knee , stay the hell out of Florida at least ! Thanks friends !


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## Toolz (Feb 26, 2008)

They are about as soft as basswood when fully dried. Easy to carve. Can produce lots of "fuzzies" when power carved. My very first attempts at carving were cypress knees circa early '90's .
















At the time I knew absolutely nothing about finishing or staining so I finished these with shoe polish and buffed the heck out of them.


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## Bearpie (Feb 19, 2010)

In my opinion, they are harder than basswood, not as easy to carve. Holds good details. Not one of my favorite wood to carve! In the swamp at dusk they make it seem spookier than it really is. A great tripping and stabbing hazard for the unwary and clumsy person! Worth a try if you should get some!


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## MrFid (Mar 9, 2013)

Isn't the knee just below the crotch? If they are selling crotch and knees in combo, you might as well buy the whole leg


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## reggiek (Jun 12, 2009)

A great thing about Cypress knees is that they are sustainable, in other words, harvesting them does not harm the tree as it just grows more. As long as the are not over-harvested, you could remove knees for the life of the tree without causing it any harm.

Not being a carver even near the quality of Jordan's work (which is amazing), I have carved several of these and used them for table legs and other decorative features (they are excellent for yard art carvings)...they are a bit different from the very fine grain of Basswood, but they do hold good detail and are about the same hardness (or just a bit harder).


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## nailbanger2 (Oct 17, 2009)

Cypress knees are quite abundant here in S. Fl. There are conflicting statements above as to how much damage is done to the tree when they are harvested. I'm not a carver, so don't plan on harvesting any, but please do your own research before you harvest any.

There is a local woman that carves little villages into these. Her name is Donna Stresman, and her work is amazing. IF I can put the pics I have up, they will do very little justice to her.


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## nailbanger2 (Oct 17, 2009)




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## nailbanger2 (Oct 17, 2009)




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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

Most cypress knees are fairly small but I have seen some that are 6'+ tall. When I was a young boy my Dad and one of his friends made a floor lamp out of one that was almost as tall as my Dad…and he was 6'3".
I have had many over they years and removing the bark is best done after boiling them for several hours…done it many times.


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## Knothead62 (Apr 17, 2010)

Is it legal to harvest cypress? I lived in LA for several years. There was a newspaper article about a guy who cut some cypress trees so he could get to his boat dock. The state socked him with real heavy fines. Just curious.


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## alohafromberkeley (Oct 26, 2011)

I've seen drums made from the knees. Native Americans and early settlers would hollow them and attach skins….I was also told by a Cajun that his grandfather would thump them when out hunting/gathering as a signaling method in the swamps….never knew that folks carved them. I need to find 1 or 2 of them to try my hand at carving. Does anyone know a source where I could get a couple of small ones?......Wes


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## MikeinSC (Dec 15, 2012)

Cypress knees around here in the rice fields were used as part of the flood gates. On the river where I grew up, parts of the flood gates are still under water, visible and no rot over the centuries.

Studies suggest they provide no known function while others say they do. I've read a study that placed a knee in an air tight box and no measurable amount of gas exchange took place suggesting that they do not provide oxygen for the plant. I can confirm one thing without a doubt and that is they hurt like hell if you fall on then ******************** hunting.


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## KristyN (May 18, 2020)

I know this is an old post but I'm trying to contact Louisiana swamp products ….. does anyone have contact info?


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## John Smith_inFL (Dec 15, 2017)

contact Todd Terrell on FaceBook

Disney World in Orlando drained thousands of acres of pristine cypress swamps just for
their stupid amusement parks. as a young teenager, I would ride my bicycle into the 
local cypress swamp for small game hunting where the Magic Kingdom now sits. (yeah, I lived that close)
yes, I hate Disney - I have never and will never step foot inside their stupid gates.

.

.


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