Common Names: American sycamore, American planetree, buttonwood, buttonball tree
Short Description: Live edge sycamore wood has a unique complexion with a mottled appearance. It has an interlocking grain with a diffuse-porous end grain. It is a light hardwood with intermediate ability in turning and boring, although quite hard in planing and shaping.
Country of Origin: Eastern United States
Color: Predominant sapwood with whitish to light yellow or pink color; heartwood is dark to reddish brown but not demarcated from sapwood. It comes with distinct ray flecks that give it a freckled appearance.
Janka Hardness Scale: 770 lbf (3,430 N)
Dried Average Weight: 34 lbs/ft³ (545 kg/m³)
Common Uses: flooring, interior trim, tonewood, pulpwood, pallets and crates, decorative and turned objects, veneer, plywood
What Is Sycamore Wood?
Sycamore or American planetree is a popular wood used in butcher’s block and for expert carving. It is hard, tough, and highly resistant to cracking and splitting. It is also ideal for furniture and tabletops owing to its beautiful tan and distinctive and visible rays.
Sycamore is an enormous tree. Thus, its lumber and timber also come in substantial sizes. It has interlocking grain that poses a bit of difficulty in cutting. That is why some sawmills may refuse to quarter-saw it.
Where Is Live Edge Sycamore Sourced From?
Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.) is a wood sourced from the giant Sycamore tree common in eastern America’s hardwood forests. Sycamore establishes itself in an open area; thus, it can grow to a towering height of about 100 ft and 3 to 8 ft in diameter. American sycamore is considered the largest of all the American hardwoods.
Sycamore wood is abundantly available and has nearly unlimited uses, making it inexpensive. It only becomes costly after quartersawing, which keeps the wood stable and converts sycamore into a domestic-exotic wood.
Is Sycamore a Hardwood or Softwood?
Sycamore is a domestic hardwood with extreme hardness and toughness. It has a Janka scale rating of 770 pounds-force durable enough to withstand denting and wear and tear. Aside from turning objects and butcher’s blocks, it is also ideal for high-end weight-bearing furniture pieces.
What Makes Sycamore Wood Unique?
Sycamore wood is easily recognizable by its flecked figure. When turned into a finished project, its light tan or reddish-brown color is visually striking. A polished live edge sycamore slab produces a subtle sheen and smoothness. It makes sycamore an attractive choice for carving works, although it is not one of its most practical uses.
Since sycamore is very dense and hard, it is not the best option for carving, especially for beginners. Sycamore is poorly workable and easily dulls the tools because of its interlocking structure. It has a poor steam bending capacity but glues, turns, and finishes quite well.
The sycamore tree itself is a unique figure in the forest. They may have massive trunks, but sometimes these trunks can be hollow. In earlier days, hollow sycamore bases served as temporary stables and shelters for the horsemen.
Can Sycamore Furniture Go Outside?
Sycamore is not the best wood for outdoor applications as it is prone to rot. Its most common use is in furniture, paneling, many interior works, and even flooring.
What to Look for When Purchasing Sycamore
Sycamore is bad at drying; if improperly seasoned, it can twist and warp. When choosing sycamore, opt for dry slabs, preferably kiln-dried. Quarter-sawn and rift-sawn slabs are better if you want to capture its distinctive ray flecks.
Choose a live edge sycamore slab with uniform colors and figures for your woodworking project to match them well. After buying, store it in a low-humidity place to prevent it from reabsorbing any moisture.
FAQs
Is sycamore rot-resistant?
Unfortunately, sycamore is one of those woods that has a low decay resistance and easily attracts insects because of its moisture content. Occasionally, it can become damaged with beetles and fungus if not properly preserved. Drying the wood and applying a good sealer may make a live edge sycamore slab last a little longer.
Is sycamore easy to stain?
The fine texture and tight grain structure of sycamore make it difficult for the wood to absorb stains. The pigments may not be able to penetrate the surface and result in a blotchy appearance. They are better left to their novel state and simply bring out their luster with a good wood varnish as a finish.
How to care for sycamore wood?
The delicate coloring of sycamore is unforgiving to acids. To clean away grimes and dust, clean it with a damp cloth soaked in lukewarm soapy water. Rinse it thoroughly, then wipe it with a dry cloth and allow the sycamore furniture or object to dry in the shade.
Where to Buy Live Edge Sycamore
Sycamore is an underrated wood. Only a few lumber stores choose to stock it since many prefer other commercial species like oak. However, some online lumber dealers do and sell it in varying sizes and cuts.
Alderfer Lumber Company Inc is a specialty wood supplier that may have the right sycamore slab that you need. We have a list of kiln-dried slabs, planed on both sides, with no less than 2-inches thick and ready to take on any project. Our sycamore slabs have varying width that is perfect for many woodworking uses.
If you can’t find the sycamore slab size you need, don’t hesitate to call or send us an email. We can sort through our inventory to find the perfect sycamore custom cut that you need. And if you can’t come to us, we also schedule delivery all over the east coast for your convenience.
