Showing Off Sycamore

Home » Knowledge Base » Knowledge Base Article

Login | Become a Member

What's New | Site Map





	Today's Sponsors: Maine Woods Company Mann and Parker Lumber Co. MARTIN Woodworking Machines Corp. Mastercam - CNC Software Matthews Mill Maya Positioning Equipment Mereen-Johnson Machine Company Merritt Woodwork Microvellum Middle Valley Lumber Midwest Automation Midwest Sandright Mikron Woodworking Machinery Mill Outlet Minimax Mirror Reflections Mississippi Heart Pine Miter Clamp MLS Machinery USA, Inc. MLS Machinery Modern Woodworking Magazine Moldingknives.com Monarch Machinery Morbidelli Moulder Services Moulder Techniques Mountainside Wood Products Multicam, Inc. NAP Gladu NCME Hardware Resources Hardwood Council Hardwood Store of N.C. Inc. Hasko Machines Heidelberg Flooring Hendrick Her-Saf Hermance Machine Company High Point Grinding - Total Saw Solutions Historical Plus Wood Hoffmann Machine Company Holz Her U.S. Inc. Howard S. Twichell Co. HSD USA Hvalsoe Sawmill Ltd. ICA North America Icy Straits Lumber IDM Impact Search and Placement Industrial Air Solutions Industrial Maid Integra Tooling InTrading Invicta Woodworking Machines IpeDepot.com irsauctions.com Italpresse J&P Machines J. Gibson McIlvain Company JIT Hardware Supplies, Inc. JMHsoftware.com John G. Weber Co. Joos USA Inc. KCDw Kerber Farms and Mill Keystone Wood Specialties Keytrix Data Systems Kiln-direct.com Kleiberit Adhesives USA, Inc. Koch Machinery and Systems Komo Machine, Inc. Kreg Tool Company Kremlin Lacy Cypress Inc. Laguna Tools LEUCO Tool Corporation Lewis Lumber Products Lobo Machinery Corp. Loch Logging and Lumber Logosol Lumber Resources MACHINEKING.com Macoser, Inc. Mahros

WOODWEB DISCLAIMS any and all RESPONSIBILITY and LIABILITY for the accuracy and application of the information below. Readers agree to evaluate the significance and limitations of the information provided, and accept full responsibility for the application of this information. Read More ...

Would you like to add information to this article?
Interested in writing or submitting an article?
Have a question about this article?

Showing Off Sycamore

Sawing and drying pros show photos of sycamore (quartersawn, spalted, and clean-shaven). February 14, 2006

Question
Does anyone have any nice pictures of sawn sycamore? I'm trying to decide if I should try to get a few logs that recently died from the drought here and pay to have them sawn. Is sycamore easy to air dry?

Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
From contributor A:
I love sycamore; it is great to work with, especially with hand tools. It is stunning when quarter sawn.

From contributor B:
Quarter sawn sycamore:

From contributor C:
Quarter sawn sycamore:

From contributor C:
Spalted sycamore:

From contributor C:
Quarter sawn and spalted sycamore:

From the original questioner:
How easy is it to dry? My sawyer has a vacuum kiln. Should I have him run it through the kiln, or just air dry it? I can easily get it to 12 percent or maybe lower where I live by air drying in my barn.

From contributor D:
Sycamore goes nuts when drying it - you need to weight it down or clamp it.

From contributor C:
Sycamore finishes out pretty well. When sawn green it does move quite a bit. When spalted, it just lays there and takes the sawing just fine. Quarter sawing aids in making it lay flatter and adds to the looks quite a lot.

From contributor E:
I saw Doug Stowe, a nationally known Eureka Springs Arkansas wood artisan last Saturday. I took a picture of a few of his little boxes that sell for mega bucks and this one happens to be QS sycamore. The picture does not do the box justice.

From contributor F:
Here is a sycamore domino box I made with Mesquite accents. The reddish swirls are heartwood. This was from an 8" limb I sawed on my Delta bandsaw before I got my mill.

From contributor F:
Here is a better one -

From contributor G:
Here's a little box I made from sycamore.

From contributor G:
Here is the inside.

Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below?

KnowledgeBase: Knowledge Base

KnowledgeBase: Lumber and Plywood

KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing

KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing: Air Drying Lumber

KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing: General

KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing: Sawmilling

Would you like to add information to this article? ... Click Here

If you have a question regarding a Knowledge Base article, your best chance at uncovering an answer is to search the entire Knowledge Base for related articles or to post your question at the appropriate WOODWEB Forum. Before posting your message, be sure to review our Forum Guidelines.

Questions entered in the Knowledge Base Article comment form will not generate responses! A list of WOODWEB Forums can be found at WOODWEB's Site Map.

When you post your question at the Forum, be sure to include references to the Knowledge Base article that inspired your question. The more information you provide with your question, the better your chances are of receiving responses.

Return to beginning of article.

Refer a Friend || Read This Important Information || Site Map || Privacy Policy

Letters, questions or comments? E-Mail us and let us know what you think. Be sure to review our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Contact us to discuss advertising or to report problems with this site.

To report a problem, send an e-mail to our Webmaster

Copyright © 1996-2008 - WOODWEB ® Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without permission of the Editor.
Review WOODWEB's Copyright Policy.

The editors, writers, and staff at WOODWEB try to promote safe practices. What is safe for one woodworker under certain conditions may not be safe for others in different circumstances. Readers should undertake the use of materials and methods discussed at WOODWEB after considerate evaluation, and at their own risk.

WOODWEB, Inc.
RR4 Box 265A
Montrose, PA 18801

Contact WOODWEB