Sycamore

oakiemac · May 19, 2005, 11:25:38 AM

I just obtained 3 nice sycamore logs. They are 8' and about 24+". I was happy to get them since I need some more quater sawn syc.
Well when I sawed them there was very little to no ray fleck. The other syc logs that I have sawn in the past all showed good fleck but these logs had none even on the perfectly qs boards.
Things that I noticed about the logs. The heart wood was very little, mostly sapwood. The tree grew up in a mucky/wet area and when we took it down water poured from each cut.
Anyone else have this problem with sycamore? I haven't cut a lot of sycamore but what I have sawed showed at least some fleck-on these logs nothing.

beenthere · May 19, 2005, 11:37:37 AM

I would think it would be hard to be a sycamore, and not possess the rays in the wood. I don't think, or can't imagine a sycamore getting a choice in the matter. Maybe you have a 'throwback' or a mutation of some kind?

Ironwood · May 19, 2005, 12:30:52 PM

Thanks for posting this. I want some with character as welll and we'll be selective now as to where they come from. Perhaps the swamp haas somethiing to do with it. Maybe check withthe foresters crew in the other forum.
REID :P

Jeff · May 19, 2005, 02:16:41 PM

Just a little interjection here. :D This is all the Forestry Forum, and most of the foresters read this category as well as the others.

At least In our area, almost ALL of the naturally occuring Sycamore is found in the river bottoms and flood plains or low, very moist mucky areas. (I took chet to our "old farm" just a week ago and showed him his first Sycamores, found in those very conditions) Sycamore that you find outside of those areas are generally specimen trees that were planted.

VA-Sawyer · May 19, 2005, 07:31:15 PM

Maybe they were Syca-less trees. ;D

Tom · May 19, 2005, 07:42:33 PM

...........Moan.......... :D

ARKANSAWYER · May 19, 2005, 10:42:04 PM

Some times the rays do not run across the grain like they should. You have to learn to read the grain for the rays and forget about sawing 90 degrees to the grain. I had a photo one time that showed this but think it got lost in the switch over.
Let it spalt and you will not worry about rays any more.

shopteacher · May 20, 2005, 01:16:12 PM

Hey, did ya get that kiln up and running from ebay? Last time I tell someome about something then decide to bid on it myself. :D

oakiemac · May 21, 2005, 11:11:41 AM

Were you bidding on it? Your probably the one that drove the price way up in the last minute. Heck if i'd know that you were bidding on it I would of let you have. I still haven't got it setup yet-too many things in the frying pan, but it is next on the list.

Arkansawyer-would it help to make it spalt by submerging in a pond?

Ironwood · May 21, 2005, 09:28:25 PM

Oakiemack

I believe you need oxygen and heat and moisture, to get the spault to occur.

:PReid

Rockn H · May 21, 2005, 09:54:09 PM

To make it spalt I think you need to treat it like a mushroom. :

ARKANSAWYER · May 22, 2005, 07:58:53 AM

Putting it in a pond will keep it freash. Storing logs in water for a spell stops alot of checking and rotting. Thats why FDH dives with gators to get logs that have been under water for 100's years.
I store mine off the ground and in the woods for a year or two and take my chances. The logs felled in the spring and early fall spalt the best. Fall logs take longer.

oakiemac · May 23, 2005, 10:22:16 PM

Thanks ARky, I think I will put them in the woods and see if I can get some spalting going on.

leggs · May 27, 2005, 06:48:13 PM

Does anyone know what sycamore is good for.

Randy · May 27, 2005, 07:08:34 PM

Leggs-------------click on "Search" above and type in sycamore---------You will find alot on this subject. Randy

rbarshaw · May 28, 2005, 06:05:22 PM

Just send it over to me and as soon as I cut it up I'll see what it can be used for and i'll let you know :D :D :D

W · May 29, 2005, 06:32:08 PM

Sycamore is great Q-sawn. It has fantastic figure and flame, mostly the butt logs. If it has a wide dark heart the figuring really shows up. It is more subtle in the whiter wood, but still present. I have some air drying now and six more logs to saw.

W · May 29, 2005, 06:37:35 PM

I sawed some syc and thought the same thing, where's the figuring? I sawed it anyway and stickered it in a stack. Next day I looked at it closely and noticed that it was figured, but since it was sap wood, difficult to see. I think it will take a stain and look fine when it is finished.

shopteacher · May 29, 2005, 06:53:11 PM

QuoteTo make it spalt I think you need to treat it like a mushroom.

Does that mean putting a lot of steak around it?

Oaky, I had a set bid on it so whoever was willing to go over it was more than welcome. That's how I bid on most things on there, set the bid and forget it. It you loose out, hey that's how it goes, if you wins that's all the better. Glad you got it and hope it performs good for ya.

pigman · May 29, 2005, 06:56:56 PM

Does that mean putting a lot of steak around it?

Quote

Must be about meal time for Teach and Ole Butch. ;D

Rockn H · May 30, 2005, 12:12:09 AM

Quote
Does that mean putting a lot of steak around it?

Well, if I cut anything spalted it's because I let it set too long and I'm just lucky there's anything left to saw. ;D I have read that some keep it covered (in the dark), cover it with manure, cover it with sawdust, soak it with beer, or just put it in the woods. Anything that will start the decay fungi. When I think about trying to make wood spalt on purpose, the things to try always make me think of growing mushrooms. Keep it in the dark and feed it ....well, manure. :

oakiemac · February 11, 2006, 02:37:48 PM

Well these sycamore logs that didn't show any fleck were left in the woods for about 5 months and then recently I decided to saw em up. They then showed good fleck when quarter sawn and had a small amount of spalting. 8) Complete opposite of a few months ago.

I remember when I first tried to saw them they were green as you can get. They had just been felled the day before and while sawing water was gushing like blood from each cut. I think Sycamore has to be left for a while before you saw it if you want good ray fleck. The amount of time I'm not sure but little geyesers of water is not a good thing.
Just thought I would pass this info on.

Ironwood · February 11, 2006, 06:57:24 PM

Oakiemac,

The ray fleck should be structural, meaning that it would not be there after sitting if it wasn't there to begin with. Perhaps someone else with more "science" behind them will chime in, I don't think sitting had anything to do with creating the fleck. Perhaps it just accentuated it more.

Reid

oakiemac · February 12, 2006, 08:05:06 AM

Reid,

I agree, it was there all along but I just couldn't see it. Letting it sit for awhile just brought out the nice ray fleck. It wasn't created by sitting just became visible.
An old guy that runs a pallet making company near me told me a while back that some times he really sees the ray fleck in Sycamore and some times he don't. I didn't really believe him until I had this same problem. I now suspect that it is much easyier to see the fleck in logs that have been down for a while versus fresh cut logs.

ARKANSAWYER · February 12, 2006, 01:51:54 PM

The fleck is always there and does not improve with drying the log. But very green sickymore is very wet and it does not show up very well. Sickymore does saw better if allowed to sit in log form and dry some even if it does not spalt. In the winter months I like to let it lay green before I saw it up for QS lumber but no spalt.. In the summer it will start to spalt in a few weeks but not get heavy for many months. If it is not rotten soft it saws well after 18 months.