# sycamore wood



## bullbuck (Oct 6, 2009)

i just acquired two real nice 2x12x16'sycamore boards,i have never seen,nor heard anything about sycamore and what its good for?but i would like to maybe top my bar or island here at the house,one board is cupped real bad,i thought of maybe ripping it into trim or something like that,maybe you east coast guys could help me out with what quality or applications sycamore is best on?all info appreciated


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## 056 kid (Oct 6, 2009)

A guy can get into some really pretty "sicum-row", round my home parts, they get really big & round..


but the log mills will not take them, only good for pulp wood & thats gotta be >28''

Other than that, I dont know..


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## 2dogs (Oct 6, 2009)

Quite a bit of sycamore around here too. I don't know what use it has other than lousy fire wood. The wood is heavy when wet but dries out nicely. It can break limbs off for no reason.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Oct 6, 2009)

Hmmm..... 


I've burned a bit of it. Had a big branch (10" diameter) come down in my yard. I was not impressed with it. Okay for firewood, if it's free and delivered, but I wouldn't drive across town for it. I can't see it being great lumber, either. It's not very hard.



But then, I could be wrong. No, really! I was wrong once, so it could happen again....




Mebbe some of the millers around here can comment...


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## bullbuck (Oct 6, 2009)

2dogs said:


> Quite a bit of sycamore around here too. I don't know what use it has other than lousy fire wood. The wood is heavy when wet but dries out nicely. It can break limbs off for no reason.


hmm i guess im just gonna have to take a couple rip samples and see what the wood does and looks like?i would like to use it in the house,we dont hear or see of sycamore wood here,so im interested to see what it looks like?these are old walkplanks but if i plane or sand them,i am told they finish out nice


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## bullbuck (Oct 6, 2009)

BlueRidgeMark said:


> Hmmm.....
> 
> 
> I've burned a bit of it. Had a big branch (10" diameter) come down in my yard. I was not impressed with it. Okay for firewood, if it's free and delivered, but I wouldn't drive across town for it. I can't see it being great lumber, either. It's not very hard.
> ...


haha my boss is gonna crack up when he hears that his old walkplanks in tree form bust off for no reason!


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## BlueRidgeMark (Oct 6, 2009)

Oh, it had reason. We had a nasty bit of wind, and this branch cracked just a couple of feet out from the trunk. Didn't break off - it splintered, but held. Seemed to have been caught by a small twisting downdraft.

It was up there a bit, too, about 40 feet. Had a lot of fun getting up there and cutting it down. Nothing for a real tree guy, but I don't have all that fancy climbing gear.


Seems to be pretty strong stuff, really. I have another one I need to get down - splintered like the other, but not broken off. That ones only about 4 inches, though.


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## bullbuck (Oct 6, 2009)

BlueRidgeMark said:


> Oh, it had reason. We had a nasty bit of wind, and this branch cracked just a couple of feet out from the trunk. Didn't break off - it splintered, but held. Seemed to have been caught by a small twisting downdraft.
> 
> It was up there a bit, too, about 40 feet. Had a lot of fun getting up there and cutting it down. Nothing for a real tree guy, but I don't have all that fancy climbing gear.
> 
> ...



sounds like it has some fiber to it?splintered better than busted off


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## Ol' Brian (Oct 6, 2009)

I think it's used quite a bit in the furniture industry... I think I read that somewhere once.

Sycamore can be tough... the toughest tree I ever cut up and split was a big sycamore... that sucker was TOUGH.

It makes OK firewood, but it doesn't store uncovered well... once it's seasoned, you better burn it... because it starts rotting and getting punky...


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## 056 kid (Oct 6, 2009)

It does have strong fibers in it, they go where you want em to! full of moisture though, thats why they grow in creek n river beds & imo easy cutting.

but like I said no use besides paper wood.


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## bullbuck (Oct 6, 2009)

xlr82v2 said:


> I think it's used quite a bit in the furniture industry... I think I read that somewhere once.
> 
> Sycamore can be tough... the toughest tree I ever cut up and split was a big sycamore... that sucker was TOUGH.
> 
> It makes OK firewood, but it doesn't store uncovered well... once it's seasoned, you better burn it... because it starts rotting and getting punky...


good i was hoping someone would say it is used for furniture and such,i wanna give this stuff a try,it would be considered almost "exotic" wood here,i think it would be cool!and just to clear things up a bit more?this is a true hardwood correct?


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## 056 kid (Oct 6, 2009)

Yes it's hard,


itl bow like crazy...


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## crackajeff (Oct 7, 2009)

According to the national audubon society's tree book sycamore is used for furniture, millwork, flooring, butcher blocks, and pulp.


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## bullbuck (Oct 7, 2009)

crackajeff said:


> According to the national audubon society's tree book sycamore is used for furniture, millwork, flooring, butcher blocks, and pulp.



if its used for flooring and butcher blocks?id classify that as a hardwood.not gonna argue the audoban!


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## 056 kid (Oct 7, 2009)

crackajeff said:


> According to the national audubon society's tree book sycamore is used for furniture, millwork, flooring, butcher blocks, and pulp.



Have you _ever _ sent one to the mill?

I havent & no one I know has...


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## bullbuck (Oct 7, 2009)

056 kid said:


> Have you _ever _ sent one to the mill?
> 
> I havent & no one I know has...



it doesnt mean that a poor homeowner hasnt used a bit of it to fake for the high dollar hardoods he cannot afford though?


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## crackajeff (Oct 7, 2009)

056 kid said:


> Have you _ever _ sent one to the mill?
> 
> I havent & no one I know has...




No i've never heard of any being sent to the mill. I just quoted what the book said.


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## 056 kid (Oct 7, 2009)

bullbuck said:


> it doesnt mean that a poor homeowner hasnt used a bit of it to fake for the high dollar hardoods he cannot afford though?



They are rare for an east coast timber faller.

You have much better chances of getting ahold of some chesnut oak or red or white oak than the sicumrow so it aint no $$$ related deal.

I have been trying to tell you Bullbuck, It aint worth snot.

listen if ya wanna.......


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## bullbuck (Oct 7, 2009)

056 kid said:


> They are rare for an east coast timber faller.
> 
> You have much better chances of getting ahold of some chesnut oak or red or white oak than the sicumrow so it aint no $$$ related deal.
> 
> ...



well ya know!!!!grass is always greener on the other side!....i bet youd love to get a chance at the red fir i get to fell tomorrow...but to me im gonna utilize some sycamore,because it dont look nothing like snot to me!


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## 056 kid (Oct 7, 2009)

bullbuck said:


> well ya know!!!!grass is always greener on the other side!....i bet youd love to get a chance at the red fir i get to fell tomorrow...but to me im gonna utilize some sycamore,because it dont look nothing like snot to me!



Where you at,

I dont have class tomorrow & have been itching to put some fire in my old 2100.

Slab it up & tell me what you think of it...

You asked, im just sayin, coming from a man that worked in the "industry" for a coupla years...

just tryin to help friend!!!!


Dont wanna see you waist $$ & be


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## newsawtooth (Oct 7, 2009)

*Sycamore*

Sycamore is fine woodworking material. I don't know why someone would send decent sycamore to the pulp mill. Is it quarter-sawn or flat sawn? Tough to get out here, what are you going to do with it? The grain is striking and makes a decent veneer as well.


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## 056 kid (Oct 7, 2009)

right along with Hickory eh..






:stupid:opcorn:


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## buzz sawyer (Oct 7, 2009)

Sycamore looks and works similar to cherry. Yes, it can be a little diffcult to keep flat while drying but if stacked and weighted it should be no problem. I thought it made good firewood but it's tough to split radially. 

Quarter sawn sycamore is some really pretty wood. It has many small rays and it was used for interior trim in some of the Victorian houses here. I don't know if mills would buy it but if I came into an easy to get log, I'd have the whole thing quartersawn. It's also easier to dry without distortion this way.


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## gink595 (Oct 7, 2009)

I milled a cant at a GTG, it was actually a pretty wood in side. I know another member Stipes has built some nice looking shelving out of it.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Oct 7, 2009)

bullbuck said:


> sounds like it has some fiber to it?splintered better than busted off





Yep. Definitely fibrous.


I sure found out about it rotting soon, too.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Oct 7, 2009)

buzz sawyer said:


> I thought it made good firewood but it's tough to split radially.





Sure beats poplar, but I'm spoiled. Oak is easy to come by around here. It's not great compared to oak or locust.


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## bullbuck (Oct 7, 2009)

newsawtooth said:


> Sycamore is fine woodworking material. I don't know why someone would send decent sycamore to the pulp mill. Is it quarter-sawn or flat sawn? Tough to get out here, what are you going to do with it? The grain is striking and makes a decent veneer as well.


flat sawn i guess,and i am hoping to make a countertop or mantle of it?i will need to plane the grayback off and sand them.thats good!i am looking for a nice grain pattern


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## bullbuck (Oct 7, 2009)

BlueRidgeMark said:


> Sure beats poplar, but I'm spoiled. Oak is easy to come by around here. It's not great compared to oak or locust.



our biggest oaks here only get to be 2 foot or so,and they are not so good for milling as most lean and bow pretty heavy,but i do still plan to millout some oak it will just have to be in shorter sticks...i bet i could rummage a couple slash piles out where you guys are and be a happy man...not much hardwood here


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## bullbuck (Oct 7, 2009)

gink595 said:


> I milled a cant at a GTG, it was actually a pretty wood in side. I know another member Stipes has built some nice looking shelving out of it.



nice pics!i have shelving,and trimwork to do yet...your pics are showing me some real nice wood,im thinking i will have to treat the stuff quite a bit to replace moisture content


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## Turkeyslayer (Oct 7, 2009)

Sycamore is quite common around here. I have seen some really nice islands in kitchens that have a sycamore butcher block top.


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## Meadow Beaver (Oct 7, 2009)

There aren't any sycamores around my house, but I know farmers that have some on their property and they say it's junk. Only trees that grow where I live are pine, hemlock, red and white oak, hickory, red and sugar maple, and sassafras and witch hazel, don't forget the useless poplar.


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## 056 kid (Oct 7, 2009)

MMFaller39 said:


> There aren't any sycamores around my house, but I know farmers that have some on their property and they say it's junk. Only trees that grow where I live are pine, hemlock, red and white oak, hickory, red and sugar maple, and sassafras and witch hazel, don't forget the useless poplar.



Poplar actually has alot more use than sycamore wood.

At least back in VA..


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## Meadow Beaver (Oct 7, 2009)

056 kid said:


> Poplar actually has alot more use than sycamore wood.
> 
> At least back in VA..



Here it's junk wood, use to be used for pallets.


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## hammerlogging (Oct 7, 2009)

Should be really pretty, I'd use it. Make sure its really dry, I bet it will bow even once installed. Screw the hell out of it. 

We can sell it for peelers along with poplar (the usual), basswood, and cucumber. But, we don't come across it much, and when we do its usually in SMZs and left for shade, etc. unless it has peelers (sorry, back to the highgrading of SMZs, its part of the deal).

Cuts fast. Its a soft hardwood. But, still a hardwood.
Don't think its ever sold for lumber (markets) by us, don't mean it can't be. If it ain't a peeler, its pulp for us. 

056- go look at the cabinet section at Lowes. Hickory. Its actually doing pretty well right now, all things considered.


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## buzz sawyer (Oct 7, 2009)

hammerlogging said:


> Should be really pretty, I'd use it. Make sure its really dry, I bet it will bow even once installed. Screw the hell out of it.



Maybe that's why they had it quartersawn for the Victorian Homes.


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## fmaglin (Oct 7, 2009)

Here in Ohio Sycamore is used for both furniture and cabinetry.; however, to get a really exotic look, it should be quartersawn; kinda gives a quilted appearance.
View attachment 111243


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## bullbuck (Oct 7, 2009)

hammerlogging said:


> Should be really pretty, I'd use it. Make sure its really dry, I bet it will bow even once installed. Screw the hell out of it.
> 
> We can sell it for peelers along with poplar (the usual), basswood, and cucumber. But, we don't come across it much, and when we do its usually in SMZs and left for shade, etc. unless it has peelers (sorry, back to the highgrading of SMZs, its part of the deal).
> 
> ...


soft hardwood gotcha!i really think this 2x12 has been around for a while!wet,dry,and redried many times...i assume?but i could put my framing square on it and its within a 1/4" all the way through!real nice board....i will certainly secure it well


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## bullbuck (Oct 7, 2009)

fmaglin said:


> Here in Ohio Sycamore is used for both furniture and cabinetry.; however, to get a really exotic look, it should be quartersawn; kinda gives a quilted appearance.
> View attachment 111243


could you explain quartesawn a bit?they never let me out of the woods...


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## fmaglin (Oct 7, 2009)

bullbuck said:


> could you explain quartesawn a bit?they never let me out of the woods...


Quarter sawing places the end grain verticle in a board. It also brings out dimension in different types of wood; Oak being one of them. Flat sawn Oak has plain looking face grain where as Quarter sawn Oak reveals the "Ray Flecks" which give the wood an interesting dimensional look. In the attached link the top of the log is flat sawn and the bottom half is quarter sawn. The bottom left is rift lumber where the growth rings are 30 to 60 degrees to the face. The bottom right is quartered where the growth rings are 60 to 90 degrees to the face as compared to flat sawn where the growth rings are less than 30 degrees.View attachment 111258


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## buzz sawyer (Oct 7, 2009)

fmaglin said:


> Here in Ohio Sycamore is used for both furniture and cabinetry.; however, to get a really exotic look, it should be quartersawn; kinda gives a quilted appearance.
> View attachment 111243



What I've seen has had a lot of small rays - see photo.


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## fmaglin (Oct 7, 2009)

buzz sawyer said:


> What I've seen has had a lot of small rays - see photo.


Nice picture. Yes , it sure does bring out the rays.


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## buzz sawyer (Oct 7, 2009)

fmaglin said:


> Quarter sawing places the end grain verticle in a board. It also brings out dimension in different types of wood; Oak being one of them. Flat sawn Oak has plain looking face grain where as Quarter sawn Oak reveals the "Ray Flecks" which give the wood an interesting dimensional look. In the attached link the top of the log is flat sawn and the bottom half is quarter sawn. The *bottom left is rift lumber *where the growth rings are 30 to 60 degrees to the face. The bottom right is quartered where the growth rings are 60 to 90 degrees to the face as compared to flat sawn where the growth rings are less than 30 degrees.View attachment 111258



Aren't the cuts on the lower left are quartersawn?


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## fmaglin (Oct 7, 2009)

buzz sawyer said:


> Aren't the cuts on the lower left are quartersawn?


 No bottom left is rift.


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## bullbuck (Oct 7, 2009)

fmaglin said:


> Quarter sawing places the end grain verticle in a board. It also brings out dimension in different types of wood; Oak being one of them. Flat sawn Oak has plain looking face grain where as Quarter sawn Oak reveals the "Ray Flecks" which give the wood an interesting dimensional look. In the attached link the top of the log is flat sawn and the bottom half is quarter sawn. The bottom left is rift lumber where the growth rings are 30 to 60 degrees to the face. The bottom right is quartered where the growth rings are 60 to 90 degrees to the face as compared to flat sawn where the growth rings are less than 30 degrees.View attachment 111258


took me a minute to wrap my mind around all of that,but i do have a grasp on why,and how,that would make a big difference in exposing the best grain...i will now go into the yard and try to determine if this is indeed a quartersawn board?


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## buzz sawyer (Oct 8, 2009)

fmaglin said:


> No bottom left is rift.



Yep - I see it now.


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## newsawtooth (Oct 8, 2009)

If you can make some quartersawn boards you likely won't have to worry about twisting as much. Let us know what you decide to make.

Sycamore is a good wood for turning as well. It doesn't tear out and takes tools really well. I've seen some old carvings in Linden, anyone have any experience working with Linden?


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## buzz sawyer (Oct 8, 2009)

newsawtooth said:


> If you can make some quartersawn boards you likely won't have to worry about twisting as much. Let us know what you decide to make.
> 
> Sycamore is a good wood for turning as well. It doesn't tear out and takes tools really well. I've seen some old carvings in Linden, anyone have any experience working with Linden?



Linden, aka basswood, is very popular for carving. Has a fine grain, carves easily, takes a nice detail. I've carved a lot of it.


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## fmaglin (Oct 8, 2009)

newsawtooth said:


> If you can make some quartersawn boards you likely won't have to worry about twisting as much. Let us know what you decide to make.
> 
> Sycamore is a good wood for turning as well. It doesn't tear out and takes tools really well. I've seen some old carvings in Linden, anyone have any experience working with Linden?


I've never carved any but I have used it often times for louvers When Making Plantation Shutters. It's lightweight, very stable, and makes a great louver.View attachment 111293


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## 2dogs (Oct 8, 2009)

fmaglin said:


> Quarter sawing places the end grain verticle in a board. It also brings out dimension in different types of wood; Oak being one of them. Flat sawn Oak has plain looking face grain where as Quarter sawn Oak reveals the "Ray Flecks" which give the wood an interesting dimensional look. In the attached link the top of the log is flat sawn and the bottom half is quarter sawn. The bottom left is rift lumber where the growth rings are 30 to 60 degrees to the face. The bottom right is quartered where the growth rings are 60 to 90 degrees to the face as compared to flat sawn where the growth rings are less than 30 degrees.View attachment 111258



One nice thing about a Lucas Nill or a Woodmizer is the ease it will produce quarter sawn lumber. Either can produce some beautiful boards.


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## fmaglin (Oct 8, 2009)

2dogs said:


> One nice thing about a Lucas Nill or a Woodmizer is the ease it will produce quarter sawn lumber. Either can produce some beautiful boards.


Yeah, it'd be nice to own one. Right now I end up hauling logs to an Amish owned sawmill. They'll quarter saw if you ask them but they really don't like to.


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## oxbow (Oct 9, 2009)

*quartersawn / flatsawn*



bullbuck said:


> took me a minute to wrap my mind around all of that,but i do have a grasp on why,and how,that would make a big difference in exposing the best grain...i will now go into the yard and try to determine if this is indeed a quartersawn board?



Bullbuck:

Look at the endgrain.
If you have one, use a block plane on the end of the plank. Or, use a circular saw and make a fresh cut on the end. You will be able to see the growth rings, or grain. They may be straight, or more likely slightly curved, but you will be able to see the general orientation to the plank.

If the "lines" are approximately parallel to the wide faces of the plank, it's flatsawn. If the "lines" are approximately perpendicular to the wide faces of the plank, it's quartersawn.

BTW, I made a coffee table and two end tables from slabs crosscut out of a sycamore tree, I'll try to post some pictures.


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## oxbow (Oct 9, 2009)

*sycamore tables*



oxbow said:


> BTW, I made a coffee table and two end tables from slabs crosscut out of a sycamore tree, I'll try to post some pictures.



Pictures of tables made from sycamore slabs. These are about 26" diameter and 5" thick:

The third picture shows the ray fleck figure in the quartersawn section. Also, the fence wire that the tree had grown around (not friendly to saws).


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## buzz sawyer (Oct 9, 2009)

Nice work Oxbow. Did you do these green and seal them somehow or dry them first?


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## bullbuck (Oct 9, 2009)

oxbow said:


> Pictures of tables made from sycamore slabs. These are about 26" diameter and 5" thick:
> 
> The third picture shows the ray fleck figure in the quartersawn section. Also, the fence wire that the tree had grown around (not friendly to saws).



nice tables there ox!i also appreciate the explanation on quartersawn vs.flat,looks like i get to work here at the house tomorrow,ill expose some fresh grain and make a determination.i also am curious as to your treatments on your work there?


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## oxbow (Oct 10, 2009)

*Sycamore planks*



bullbuck said:


> nice tables there ox!i also appreciate the explanation on quartersawn vs.flat,looks like i get to work here at the house tomorrow,ill expose some fresh grain and make a determination.i also am curious as to your treatments on your work there?



I don’t want to highjack bullbuck’s thread, yammering about tables I made 30 years ago (yeah, one of my first woodworking projects, I was a lot younger then).

Those slabs actually came from a branch of a huge sycamore that was cut down to widen an intersection in a residential area in River Edge, N.J. (near Hackensack). A buddy and I tried to get slabs from the trunk, but it was too big, and full of metal.
IIRC, I stored the three slabs under my bed in a rented apartment, and once a month or so, flooded them with linseed oil and turpentine mixture. After about a year, I sanded them and sealed them with polyurethane varnish. I was surprised they didn’t split; I just had some radial cracks develop, which I filled with glue mixed with sawdust. Treating them with the oil/turpentine must have worked. Good learning experience, and working with limited tools and funds.

Bullbuck:
I’m curious to hear the results of your end grain examination. Since you said they were walkplanks, I suspect they were quartersawn for structural strength. Without getting too technical, sycamore is a “diffuse-porous” wood, like maple, cherry, and beech. It has large ray cells, which produce nice figure, especially if quartersawn.

Since your planks are 2” thick, if you have access to a jointer and thickness planer, you may be able to flatten the cupped plank and still have it be ¾” – 1” thick. You may have to rip the planks if the jointer/planer can’t accept the 12” width. Run the cupped plank through the jointer with the concave side down, making light passes until the entire surface is flat. Then run the plank through the planer, flat side down until the upper surface is flat. Thickness plane the other plank to the same thickness.

I think you’ll be surprised at how nice they look, even before you finish sand them.
Good luck, and we really need to see some pictures!


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## bullbuck (Oct 11, 2009)

no worries on the hijacking bit,i am probably one of the worst hijackers on the site,oops,but i made it to the yard and cut a couple inches off the board and it appears to be flatsawnbut no big deal i think it will still clean up real nice!i am gonna attempt posting a pic i hav uploaded some on photobucket but am still in the process of getting them from there to here...electronics and i dont get along real well,but i am determined


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