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I have built some bedside tables and a pair of book shelves with cypress. I applied a stain and a wash and am pleased with the finish but I have applied the first coat of polyurethane and it seems to be taking a while to dry. Is there something about cypress that would be delaying the drying time?

Cypress takes all finishes quite nicely. I suspect your problem may be one of two things:

The wash you made was an oil based mix (turpentine+)?? and it needs at least 30 days to dry, or
The poly you used was old or not mixed well – the hardener was all at the bottom of the can.

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