Sycamore trees are stunning trees that make a perfect shade in your yard. This tree makes it to the list of hardwood tree categories due to its Janka hardness rating of 3425, a bit higher than other hardwood types.
Due to its superior dimensional stability, sycamore has many uses, especially in cabinetry and fine furniture. The tree is noticeable with its conspicuous features, especially its camouflage patterned bark.
You can easily distinguish a sycamore because of its gray-brown exterior bark that covers its inside white or light gray interiors. The trunk of older sycamore trees has light gray and solid trunks.
Sycamore is also known as buttonball or buttonwood trees.
Keep reading and discover the characteristics and uses of sycamore wood.
What Is Sycamore?
Sycamore’s scientific name is Platanus occidentalis. It has many other names, such as western plane, American sycamore, buttonwood, American planetree, Virginia maple, Ghost tree, and water beech.
The American sycamore is different from the European sycamore. The latter is closely related to the maple specie in the Acer pseduoplatanus.
It is a species of Platanus endemic to the northeastern mountains of Mexico, central and eastern United States, southern Ontario, and Quebec. The mottled bark of the American sycamore tree flakes off to expose its greenish white and brown inner surface.
The tree can reach up to 30 to 40 meters tall and has a diameter of 1.5 to 2 meters if it grows in its natural habitat. Their trunks are hollow, and their leaves have green and sticky buds. It makes sycamore produce the standard log size and turn them into various woodworking applications.
Characteristics of Sycamore Wood
Sycamore is a deciduous tree with a broad canopy and can reach up to 75 to 100 feet tall. It has an expansive trunk with crooked large, and open crowned branches.
The bark of an adult sycamore tree lacks elasticity as it sloughs off in massive scales, exposing its inner surface. It has broad ovate leaves and produces globular fruits until December.
The medium to dark green leaves becomes brown during the fall season.
Getting to know the characteristics of sycamore is essential when you plan to do a DIY woodworking project. Read the different attributes of sycamore.
Poor Stain Absorption
This hardwood adds curb appeal and shade to your landscape. The wood has a fine texture alongside an interlocking grain pattern, which means it cannot hold stains compared to other hardwood. Some sycamore species are in reddish brown or light tan hues.
Applying the wood with stain becomes blotchy due to its tight grain surface, making it harder for the wood fibers to absorb the stain pigments. The best remedy to blotching is applying gel stains to the wood. The good side of sycamore is that it can hold nails and screws and is a good base for paint and polish.
Excellent Strength
Sycamore is a strong wood that can withstand splitting, checking, warping, and cracking. It has a wood density of about 31 pounds per cubic foot, which is three-fourths of red oak density.
Poor Workability
The downside of sycamore is that it is difficult to work with due to its rigid surface. You must use a sharp woodworking tool to cut, drill, nail, or screw the wood. It also has a poor steam bending ability when you try to soften it before bending the wood. This wood is not ideal for woodworking beginners as the wood has poor workability. The hand saw often gets stuck. Sycamore can work well in boring and turning but is inferior in planing and shaping. You can use an abrasive hand plane or operate a cutter head at high speed to minimize splitting and chipping.
Decay Prone
Despite its hardness and high density, sycamore is susceptible to termites and rotting. Although it has poor stain absorption, it tends to absorb more moisture, which leads to warping. This hardwood is difficult to season as the interlocked grains hold more water and are unstable.
The best way to resolve this issue is to apply quarter sawing instead of plain sawing. Quarter sawing makes the wood valuable and attractive in woodworking applications. Proper kiln drying and finishing are vital to protect the wood from decay.
Respiratory Problems
Sycamore tree and genus Acer may cause allergic reactions in sensitive people. It produces allergens similar to pollen that may lead to different respiratory problems, such as wheezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, skin allergies, and asthma.
Uses of Sycamore Wood
In olden times, people cut the trunks into cross sections and created a hole in the center to make wooden wheels for ox carts. Other uses of sycamore in the early years were washing machines, barber poles, buckets, piano cases, phonograph boxes, Pullman train car broad paneling, Saratoga trunks, building an animal house, and log cabins.
Sycamore has benefits in woodworking. It is not a commercial hardwood compared to other types of wood. Its main uses are for making paneling, cabinetry, and high-end furniture. The American sycamore usually ends up at lumber outlets.
Quarter sawn sycamore has an enduring quality and is excellent in making veneer, interior trim, slack cooperage, furniture parts, and firewood. Since it is difficult to crack and split, it is a common material in making butcher blocks, flooring, handles, food boxes, pallets, containers, fruits, and vegetable baskets.
Sycamore is not strong enough for columns and beams due to its resistance to rotting. However, it is an excellent material in woodcarving, flooring, butcher block, cabinetry, and furniture making.
Some manufacturers use it for making woodenware, cutting boards, and kitchenware. The wood is of moderate hardness, so flooring production using this wood is not so popular. The common uses of sycamore include:
- Fine Furniture
- Cabinets
- Kitchenware
- Woodenware
- Musical instruments
- Figurines & wood items
- Turned objects
Is sycamore a good quality wood?
Sycamore has good and bad points. It has a medium hardness which is not ideal for making hardwood flooring. They can be an excellent material in making high-quality paneling and veneers if they are quarter-sawn.
This hardwood is strong enough with its compressive strength of 5,300 psi and bending strength of 10,000 psi. It can perform against forces due to its high flexibility ability. Boat building, cabinetry, and cupboards can last longer using sycamore wood.
What are the best tools to use when working with sycamore?
Since sycamore is challenging to work due to its hardness and waviness, use tungsten carbide cutting tools and stellite-tipped saw teeth. Freshly cut sycamore is easy to work with, and whittle if applying nails or screws, pre-drill or bore the wood first to make it easy to operate.
Is sycamore expensive?
Sycamore is not in demand in the lumber industry, making it an affordable type of hardwood. The price is moderate as of this time. However, when people realize the value of sycamore in some uses, the cost may change in the future. Quarter-sawn boards are a bit more costly than plain-sawn.
Is sycamore odorous?
Sycamore does not have a characteristic odor, so you can handle it when working. It does not also taint or stain your food if using a sycamore wood basket or food container. You can make spoon carving out of sycamore as it is safe. But if you are allergic to pollen, sycamore can cause some respiratory problems.
Conclusion
Sycamore may not have good workability due to the occasional waves that its grain produces, but it is still a good material in woodworking. Pre-treatment is a must to protect it from decay and termite infestation. Like some hardwood, exposing your sycamore furniture outside your home can shorten its lifespan. We hope you have learned a lot from our guide so that you will not have a hard time working with sycamore wood.