Replies

1. 
   Midnight | Nov 23, 2006 11:04pm | #1

   If your American sycamore behaves anything like European sycamore, it's lovely stuff to hand plane. It has interlocking grain, very few knots and is reasonably well behaved once it has had time to acclimatize to your shop conditions.

   I can't comment on how it'll react to wood-munchers (planers and thicknessers et al) but when routing or power sawing, its high sugar content gives it a tendency to scorch if your set up isn't spot on.

   My personal preference for finish is to let the natural colour and figure of the wood speak for itself; if you're lucky enough to have boards with fiddle back grain the last thing you'll want to do is obliterate that with heavy pigmentation.

   The only probs I've experienced is with checking, and then only in boards that were closest to the pith of the tree; the pith should be avoided whenever possible.

   Mike Wallace

   Stay safe....Have fun

2. 
   mapleman | Nov 24, 2006 12:37am | #2

   Dave,

    American sycamore is notoriously unstable, especially when used in something as large as a table top. Best to stick with quartersawn material if you must use it for anything. It is also a bit soft, not the best choice for a tabletop. European sycamore, which is probably not what you are speaking of, is a close relative to our maple here in the U.S., and it would behave much better in the tabletop form, however it is usually pricey in the U.S. because it is imported from europe. Hope this helps. My $.02 - I would use something else.

   Lee

3. 
   DHAM | Nov 24, 2006 03:11am | #3

   I glued up some sycamoe panels 30" wide for use as pantry shelves. Sycamore is bad to cup and twist, and these panels did just that. I got cup and twist, and some of them were wavy. I ripped them apart and re-glued them. Twice. After the second time, I ripped the panels into two 15" pieces and used battens under the panels screwed to the underside with slots so the sub-panels could move freely. That worked better. Since they were only pantry shelves, that was OK. If I was going to make a table top, I would definitely use quartersawn if possible. Also, once glued and clamped, I would leave the top in the clamps until you were ready to attach the top to the piece to retard cup and twist. As a forester, I wondered why there was so little demand for sycamore logs at the hardwood sawmills. The wood is gorgeous. After having sawn some on my portable sawmill, dried it, and used it in several projects, I know why there is no big demand, it is tough to dry straight and it moves a lot with changes in humidity. It is so beautiful though!

1. 
   DaveinPa | Nov 25, 2006 03:49am | #4

   Thank you everyone, this has changed my way of thinking for the top of a rather large chest of drawers.

2. 
   kenshep | Dec 30, 2006 09:43am | #5

   Is it worth trying to use it as veneer?  Especially if you get some very nice grain.  Might be useful on a small project.  This of course presumes one has a bandsaw to resaw it. 

   Regards,

   Ken

   "Do as you would be done by." C.S. Lewis

1. 
   KelsoChris | Dec 30, 2006 10:32am | #6

   If you get 1/4 sawn veneer it (sycamore ) is quite striking and stable but plainsawn sycamore is not vey stable and is prone to ring shake.

2. 
   DHAM | Dec 31, 2006 12:47am | #7

   I don't have any experience with it as venner. Heeding what ChrisKelso said, it would probably work nice quartersawn. I think it would be worth a try.