Replies

1. 
   Lataxe | Mar 04, 2007 02:01pm | #1

   Steve,

   I've used London Plane or lacewood, as its known in Britain, for panels and other elements of cabinets or boxes, for its decorative effect.  When it's quartersawn the ray flecks exhibit some very handsome figures.  It compliments furniture made largely of other organgey timber such as old pitch pine (slash, loblolly. shortleaf & longleaf pine) or even Douglas fir (which is apprently not a fir at all, or so I read).

   London Plane is a 1600s import from the Americas and otherwise known as American Sycamore.  There are many large specimens in the streets of London, where it has survived the pollution of both the 19th century smokes and the 20th century smogs & car pollutants.  Apparently it sheds its bark when the pores become clogged with soot.

   The timber is easy to work - a bit like soft maple with a fairly even texture and no obvious open grain.  For some reason it (and native sycamore) cut very smoothly on the TS - it is the easiest wood I know to get direct from the TS to the glue brush with no blade marks on the cut.  It can also be polished to a very fine sheen.

   As a sycamore, it is not at all durable.  If left outside in the damp, it is likely to spalt - various fungii send their tendrils into the wood which exhibits fine colours of yellow, red, orange, purple and black.  The border between early and late wood in the rings is often threaded by fine and very distinct black lines, which emphasises the cathedral shape of the rings in the sawn timber.

   I have made a couple of items from spalted sycamore (not London plane, which I believe will spalt but I haven't personally seen any).  A dining table top with a large central section of spalted sycamore, edged and breadboarded with ripple sycamore, looks particularly fine.  (No photos unfortunately and the piece now resides in the depths of Scotland somewhere).

   My wood book says that sycamores, including London Plane, are also enjoyed by the furniture beetles.  In short - it's not durable.

   I can post pictures of a cabinet with London Plane in it; also of a piece of spalted sycamore, if this is of any interest.

   Lataxe

    

1. 
   roughasguts1 | Mar 05, 2007 12:06pm | #4

   I would like to see your photos if it is not too much of a headache. You may see on my message to the other member that I have recently purchased some on the strength of some fine results in sycamore. An instrument maker friend here in NZ called Sycamore, Mountain Maple. I'm greatful for the information I expect to find a good deal of spalting if not decay in the heap if have purchased. hopefully there will be plenty of good stuff amongst it.Thanks
   Steve

1. 
   Lataxe | Mar 05, 2007 08:43pm | #6

   Steve,<!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!---->

   <!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!---->I've taken some pics but can't get the d*$£!ed Prospero file uploader to work at the moment.  It is a tiresome piece of software, Taunton!

   Lataxe

2. 
   mufti | Mar 04, 2007 04:55pm | #2

              Beware of names. Sycamore, Plane tree in Scotland, Great Maple or Sycamore Plane is Acer pseudopatanus, family Aceraceae. Dying this wood produced the grey "Harewood". Colour creamy white to yellow white.

   Plane also London Plane or when quartersawn Lacewood is Platanus acerfolia, family Platanaceae. Colour pale yellow sapwood to light red or dark brown. This is the decorative one.

   Western Plane also American plane, Buttonwood or Sycamore in America is Platanus occidentalis. Quoted as being very similar timber to London Plane.  

   These references are gleaned from The Timber Development Association of London. I hope this helps with the Sycamore/Plane confusion. 

1. 
   roughasguts1 | Mar 05, 2007 11:58am | #3

   Thanks for this.> I have used sycamore in the past for two heavy coffee tables made with three flat members dovetailed togehter. The timer was magnificent,very pale and figured. The first was a gift to a relative and even with young children and it has survived very well. The more recent was a commission for a friend. He polished to the nth degree and it has come up like a mirror.When I saw a substantial amount of London Plane, which I knew to be similar to some extent, for sale at a particularly good price, I bought it. It will arrive in the next while and I look forward to seeing how it behaves. I had wondered about builing some outdoor furniture with it but another member suggests that might not be so good.
   Thanks very much
   Steve

1. 
   mufti | Mar 05, 2007 07:35pm | #5

              Cheers Steve, now this is one of the advantages of the profile information, I had assumed you were in America and therefore alerting you to the name differences applying between that country and the centre of the universe, (here). I do hope you are pleased with your purchase and it turns out to indeed be London Plane.