sycamore wood

[newsawtooth]

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.

 

[056kid]

right along with Hickory eh..






:stupid:opcorn:

 

[buzz sawyer]

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.

 

[gink595]

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.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

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.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

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.

 

[bullbuck]

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

 

[bullbuck]

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

 

[bullbuck]

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

 

[Turkeyslayer]

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

 

[Meadow Beaver]

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.

 

[056kid]

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..

 

[Meadow Beaver]

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.

 

[hammerlogging]

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.

 

[buzz sawyer]

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.

 

[fmaglin]

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

 

[bullbuck]

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.

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

 

[bullbuck]

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...

 

[fmaglin]

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

 

[buzz sawyer]

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.