Sycamore

[Brian Grenia]

Turned some fresh cut sycamore as a test run while i let the rest spalt a little. Lathered in anchor seal then set on floor in a basement closet -same technique as other bowls. They all split and split bad in 2-3 days. So is this common. I have 3 huge slabs milled and spalting, but gotta figure out how not to lose em. Is sycamore notorious for splitting?

 

[Bill Boehme]

It depends on how long ago it was cut before sealing it, Also the grain orientation, and of greatest importance is was the pith in the wood. Also, was the wood from the trunk or a limb? If it was from a limb, then you may be out of luck. Sycamore is about average WRT cracking. I usuaslly leve the log intact and just seal the two ends. Where do you have the wood that is spalting?

 

[Brian Grenia]

We took two logs to the mill to be stabbed 5.5 inches thick, two flat edges, remove the pith. We sealed the ends and those are doing just fine.

Had some trunk that was too short to mill so i chainsaw processed and rough turned to 1/10th thickness. 6 bowls. All cracked WIDE open. They were easy to turn, threw water all over, but were too bland. That's why I'm letting the slabs spalt a little.

Picture the end of log, 18 inch diameter, there was a dark inner circle (about 6 inches) and the rest was all creamy white. Is that whole dark area the pith???? Because it cracked (or came apart) on the couple largest growth rings in the dark area. Almost like the whole center area was detaching from the rest of the wood. One bowl had the whole dark area completely detach while turning leaving a big "spoon rest" in the rim of the bowl.

 

[Bill Boehme]

We took two logs to the mill to be stabbed 5.5 inches thick, two flat edges, remove the pith. We sealed the ends and those are doing just fine.

Had some trunk that was too short to mill so i chainsaw processed and rough turned to 1/10th thickness. 6 bowls. All cracked WIDE open. They were easy to turn, threw water all over, but were too bland. That's why I'm letting the slabs spalt a little.

Picture the end of log, 18 inch diameter, there was a dark inner circle (about 6 inches) and the rest was all creamy white. Is that whole dark area the pith???? Because it cracked (or came apart) on the couple largest growth rings in the dark area. Almost like the whole center area was detaching from the rest of the wood. One bowl had the whole dark area completely detach while turning leaving a big "spoon rest" in the rim of the bowl.

The creamy white wood is called sapwood, the darker wood is heartwood.The pith is in the center of the heartwood and is usually very dark. The diameter of the pith is typically about 3/4" or less (usually less). The pictures are sort of fuzzy and I can't tell what they are intending to show.

I have not turned much sycamore so I have no specific advice. I almost never rough anything to 10% D thickness and then let it dry. I normally go from log to finished vessel in one "swell foop". Of course, it helps that I mostly turn mesquite which doesn't have much movement as it dries. Mesquite never is wet like other trees.

 

[Dale Miner]

The creamy white wood is called sapwood, the darker wood is heartwood.The pith is in the center of the heartwood and is usually very dark. The diameter of the pith is typically about 3/4" or less (usually less). The pictures are sort of fuzzy and I can't tell what they are intending to show.

I have not turned much sycamore so I have no specific advice. I almost never rough anything to 10% D thickness and then let it dry. I normally go from log to finished vessel in one "swell foop". Of course, it helps that I mostly turn mesquite which doesn't have much movement as it dries. Mesquite never is wet like other trees.

Swell Foop. That takes me back to the days of reading Mad Magazine (more that a couple of years ago).

I have found sycamore roughouts prone to splitting moreso than most other common hardwoods.

 

[hockenbery]

Picture the end of log, 18 inch diameter, there was a dark inner circle (about 6 inches) and the rest was all creamy white. Is that whole dark area the pith???? Because it cracked (or came apart) on the couple largest growth rings in the dark area. Almost like the whole center area was detaching from the rest of the wood. One bowl had the whole dark area completely detach while turning leaving a big "spoon rest" in the rim of the bowl.

That six inch piece is most likely a wind shake. This is where the tree develops a separation around a growth ring from moving in the wind or sometimes from hitting the ground when it came down.
These can be especially dangerous blanks to turn as the wood is not connected around this growth ring and the piece will fly apart easily.
Inspect all blanks for these.

Also if the center sections really dark you probably have water stains from an opening in the tree and some decay around the growth ring as well.

Sycamore generally turns well and dries with out cracking if you slow down the drying, turn even wall thickness, and turn curves shapes that allow the wood to move.
I use paper bags to slow the drying.

Have fun
Al

 

[robo hippy]

What Al said, ring shake or wind shake where the wood splits along the growth ring rather than through the cross section like a fire wood split. More common in trees that are not buffered by a forest or hills. Usually there is more color in the ring as water is able to get in and it starts to spault or rot. Sycamore tends to have a much higher water content than other woods, and will move more than a lot of them, so the 10% rule does not always work. We have mostly London Plane out west here, but pretty much the same tree. For best grain orientation, you want quarter sawn planks for platters, and turn bowls so the center of the tree is the bottom of the bowl. The medullary rays can be spectacular, but if you turn in standard bowl orientation (outside of bowl is outside of tree) you will not see the rays. This wood will also soak up oil like a dry sponge.

robo hippy

 

[Richard Jones]

Dale said: "I have found sycamore roughouts prone to splitting moreso than most other common hardwoods."

Ditto from me, especially the larger ones, i.e., >12"

R

 

[MichaelMouse]

In case you haven't looked, wind shake, from the wood most likely - eastern hemlock. In the domestic hardwoods I've found that the ones that split easily for the stack have a tendency to split when drying. Woods with prominent rays top the list.

Sapwood/transition and heartwood in one most obvious - cherry. Also shows both heart and radial checks working their way to splits. Where they originate is obvious - the wide part of the gap. With the rays as a plane of weakness, any pulled bark or skidder damage will open a radial up rapidly.

 

[Hayes Copeland]

Turning green wood.

I try to get my green turning stock in the winter time from storm damaged or from people clearing for a new building site. There is less moisture then and it reduces the chances that it will crack. I have turned hundreds of sycamore bowls and had good luck with them. I usually turn them to 1" thick, and I put the weight and moisture content on each bowl and put into a double layered paper feed bag. They will hold several bowls. After a week I take them out and dry in the open air for a day and put them back into the bag for a couple more days. I always check the moisture content and weight every couple of weeks and write it on the bottom of the bowls. That will give me something to work with for a long time.