sycamore

[obscured by clouds]

I have just taken into possession two sycamore butts, cut from a tree that was hollow at the base, which some vandals had put a match to. getting a tree down that is still smouldering is a bit of an ask, especially when you have to climb it to de-limb the thing. But that was the way it needed doing, because of where it was and the urgency of the work.

Anyways once it was down and the warm bits doused the guys started cross cutting it. Around 20' up there was a nice clean piece which we cut out to check. It was Ok, so we put another cut in where there was a hole and got two pieces - around 7' x 18" diameter with next to no taper, loaded it up and got them down to the local college sawmill.

So I want to put it through the mill whilst it's still green and I'm wonder what dimensions would be best - not necessarily for boat building.

I'll try and convince the guys to quartersaw it if possible, bearing in mind that any resawing will need to be done on my tablesaw unless I can persuade my local crew to put it through the bandsaw again [I'm running out of favours there!]

some suggestions would be appreciated.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

BIG WARNING: Sycamore in the UK is a different genus to Sycamore in the USA - Brit "Sycamore" is Acer Pseudoplantanus a sort of maple usually about 38lb/cu ft.

This is The Classic Violin timber.

Figure?
Spalting?

[Jim Ledger]

Think this one through, carefully.

That could be an expensive piece of wood. Look for a quilted figure. There are few woods with a "whiter" coloring.

[John Meachen]

Be careful with the boards when it has been sawn.It stains blue very easily unless kept totally dry.

[obscured by clouds]

No figuring or spalting evident at the moment. Central portion say 6" diameter is stained a mid brown, possibly from the fungal decay that caused the lower hollow.

There is a shake running straight through this bit, my intention was to run my first cut down this shake and take it from there.

Essentially thre's no value to this wood, it was due to be cross cut for firewood until I 'rescued' it, and we are remote from anywhere central so no one would make a special trip for it.

We get small parcels like this cropping up from time to time, but not often enough for a decent load - which is why I have some cherry, some elm and some chestnut and now some sycamore, but not enough for a big project.

[SMARTINSEN]

Sycamore is one of those woods that is difficult to dry without checking. Like beech, it is usually used for railroad ties or pallets.

Plain-sawn, the figure is unremarkable, however, quartersawn it exhibits a lacy

figure that is very bold.

It machines very well, but might be slightly prone to chipping in the planer. Nowhere as hard as oak, more like the hardness of soft maple, but very brittle. I liked working with it.

quartersawn sycamore:





taken from some work in progress:

The risers are quartersawn sycamore, stained slightly red to match the dark wood of the treads.

I did not want to post this on the wood working thread, for one, I am not done yet, and second, my work pales to some others, and I did not want to drag it down and make it sink.