American Sycamore Woodworking

American sycamore buttonwood american planetree buttonball water beech ghost wood height weight average height is 120 feet but trees can be as tall as 175 feet.

American sycamore woodworking. American sycamore is something of a sleeper as far as native hardwoods go. Late to leaf in the spring their majestic gnarly branches and patchy ash gray bark have. Common cabinet woods and a side article by alex waters of fine woodworking discusses uses and finishes. He offers charts comparing stability of sycamore vs.

And diameters in excess of 10 ft. Back when the united states was still a new nation and its western frontier was just beyond the allegheny mountains sycamore was the giant of the forest. Sycamores can be giants reaching heights of more than 100 ft. Though it is not uncommon to also see entire boards of heartwood too the sapwood is white to light tan while the heartwood is a darker reddish brown.

The wood is hard and almost impossible to split so it has. Although few woodworkers become acquainted with the wood of the american sycamore platanus occidentalis that wasn t always so. It turns well on a lathe and has good bending qualities. It s fine and even textured and quite easy on your cutters and blades.

Sycamore is classified as moderate in weight hardness stiffness and shock resistance. Sycamore somewhat durable and simlar in weight to mahogany. History in woodworking early fur trappers and traders in the mississippi and ohio river valleys frequently turned sycamore s massive trunk into long and wide freight canoes in which to ply the waterways. For years it was used as a secondary wood for drawer sides web frames etc if it was processed into furniture grade lumber at all.

Contemporary uses for american sycamore include lumber and veneer paneling interior trim furniture parts slack cooperage and fuel. Furniture furniture parts drawer sides millwork paneling and moulding flooring kitchenware butcher blocks toys and fruit crates.