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American Sycamore
Sycamore trees are not unique to Texas but we do have some very nice ones, especially along the nearby Brazos River. I have acquired several which have sat around my woodlot long enough to spalt very nicely. I think that these are attractive enough to mill and offer for your woodturning. You can see some examples of various bowls and vessels turned from this Sycamore as well as other Texas woods on my companion website, www.prairiesend.com.
As elsewhere, the dimensions given below are Length x Width x Depth of the blank. Theoretically these numbers indicate the dimensions of the largest bowl, box/goblet or spindle that might be turned from that piece if no flaws are encountered. The approximate weight (in pounds) as well as obvious physical features (checks, etc) are also indicated. Note also that most of these are rough cut. I do not have the time or equipment to routinely surface the cut sides - although sometimes I think that the grain is interesting enough that I will take it to the jointer before I take the photo.
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Sycamore Pen Blanks
1"x 1"x 5-1/2" to 6""
I occasionally cut nicely figured/spalted Sycamore into pen blanks. Those pictured here are typical although my photography leaves something to be desired.
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Sycamore Pen Blanks |
$2.00 each, no minimum. |
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Sycamore Lot 150
9" wide x 4-1/2" deep
8 lbs.
This is a very nice round block of heavily-spalted Sycamore. It is a fascinating combination of light orange-brown with eye-catching thin black pencil-line spalting that forms random and very interesting patterns across the grain. This is a pretty piece of wood.
This block is quite sound with the following exceptions:
1) it was cut close to the pith and a single pith-related radial crack extends from the cut face to about 1-1/4" into the blank. I would reinforce and fill this as necessary and "turn away".
2) There are several thin and apparently shallow drying checks on the backside of the blank. Most, if not all, will turn-off as the bottom is rounded. I would chase them with CA glue as I turned.
3) it is heavily spalted which is what gives it the beautiful character. This also means that in some areas the wood is relatively soft - not punky, but not a hard wood. So very sharp tools are required and very light finishing cuts are necessary to avoid tear-out. These areas can also be hardened-up somewhat with thin CA glue or other grain-hardening techniques. I have completed a number of bowls from this same type of spalted wood and had very nice results.
I trimmed this blank round to make it lighter to ship and easier for you to mount on your lathe (as well as to show off the beautiful spalting).
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Sycamore Lot 151
9-1/2" wide x 4-1/2" deep
9 lbs.
This is another very nice round block of heavily-spalted Sycamore - the other half of the log that yielded lot 150 (above). It is a fascinating combination of light orange-brown with eye-catching thin black pencil-line spalting that forms random and very interesting patterns across the grain. This is a pretty piece of wood.
This block is quite sound with the following exceptions:
1) it was cut close to the pith and that pith is present, extending from the cut face to a depth of ~3/4" on the opposite side (top photo).
2) Several thin, tight and short radial cracks are associated with that pith. One is partially open at the cut face, but appears to extend no more than 1/4" into the blank. I would reinforce and fill these cracks as necessary and "turn without concern".
3) There are several deep drying checks on the backside of the blank that will certainly reduce the maximum depth of a bowl. Their depths are not clear but most will turn-off as the bottom is rounded. Again - I would chase them with CA glue as I turned.
4) it is heavily spalted which is what gives it the beautiful character. This also means that in some areas the wood is relatively soft - not punky, but not a hard wood. So very sharp tools are required and very light finishing cuts are necessary to avoid tear-out. These areas can also be hardened-up somewhat with thin CA glue or other grain-hardening techniques. I have completed a number of bowls from this same type of spalted wood and had very nice results.
I trimmed this blank round to make it lighter to ship and easier for you to mount on your lathe (as well as to show off the beautiful spalting).
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Sycamore Lot 103
7" x 7" x 3"
3-1/2 lbs.
This is a small half-log block of lightly spalted Sycamore. This block is suitable for a small conventional bowl. The colors are predominately light orange-brown with light pattern of Sycamore ray flecks on the face.
The pith was cut completely out of this piece and I see no significant structural weakness.
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Sycamore Lot 103 |
$5.00 |
Sold
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Sycamore Lot 120
7" x 6" x 4-1/2"
8 lbs.
This is a basically rectangular block of clear (non-spalted) Sycamore. It is not perfectly rectangular however - one back edge is all "wane" (bark or lack of wood on an edge or corner of a piece) from the outside of the log. Depending on your design plans, that wane edge will likely be removed, along with the one or all three of the other edges, as the block is turned to round.
I consider this block to be suitable for an elongated form such as a end-grain vase or flat-grain hollow-form, or for a 6" diameter bowl. The colors are predominately light orange-brown with nice pattern of Sycamore ray flecks on the face.
The pith was cut completely out of this piece and I see no significant structural weakness.
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Sycamore Lot 120 |
$14.00 |
SOLD
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Sycamore Lot 122
8-1/2" x 5" x 5"
9 lbs.
This is another rectangular block of clear (non-spalted) Sycamore. It is also not perfectly rectangular however - one back edge is all "wane". Depending on your design plans, that wane edge will likely be removed, along with the other edges as the block is turned to round.
This block would be suitable for an elongated form such as an end-grain vase. The colors are predominately light orange-brown with nice pattern of Sycamore ray flecks on the face.
The pith was cut completely out of this piece and there are no major flaws. There is one minor, thin and tight radial crack in the lower half (end visible in the top photo). This crack could be readily secured with CA glue during rough-out. There is also a face-parallel crack adjacent to the bark edge (upper left side of bottom photo) that defines an approximately 1/2" thick tapered wedge. This wedge essentially reduces the width in this lower end to approximately 4-1/2". The price reflects these minor flaws.
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Sycamore Lot 122 |
$10.00 |
SOLD
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Sycamore Lot 123
6" x 6" x 2"
4 lbs.
This is a very nice small block of spalted Sycamore. It is a fascinating combination of light orange-brown with eye-catching thin black spalt stripes formimg random and very interesting patterns across the grain. This is a pretty piece of wood.
This block appears to be sound with no significant structural weakness. The pith was cut completely out of this piece.
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Sycamore Lot 123 |
$10.00 |
Sold
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Sycamore Lot 125
6" x 6" x 4"
5-1/2 lbs.
This is another nice block of spalted Sycamore. It is a fascinating combination of light brown adjacent to darker brown and orange-brown colors, shade of pink and with eye-catching black spalt lines. This is another pretty piece of wood.
The pith was cut completely out of this piece and I see no significant structural weakness.
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Sycamore Lot 125 |
$12.00 |
SOLD
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Sycamore Lot 144
4" x 4" x 9"
5 lbs.
This is another tall, square-section, end-grain block of spalted Sycamore. It would also be suitable for a vase or tall hollow-form. The colors are a combination of light and dark orange-brown with prominent black spalt lines. A nice pattern of Sycamore ray flecks is present on the right side (top photo).
The blank was cut thru the pith and a thin, partially-open pith gap is present on one face (black line on the right side of the lower photo). This gap may require reinforcing with CA glue and possibly filling, howevr, mostif not all would be removed as it the block is turned to round. I see no significant structural weakness.
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Sycamore Lot 144 |
$12.00 |
SOLD
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Sycamore Lot 141
4" x 4" x 6"
3 lbs.
This is another medium-height, square-section, end-grain block of spalted Sycamore. It might be suitable for a vase, pepper mill or hollow-form. The colors are very attractive light orange-brown with minor black spalt lines on the face and one side (bottom photo). A nice pattern of Sycamore ray flecks is also present on one side.
The pith was cut completely out of this piece and I see no significant structural weakness.
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Sycamore Lot 126
6" x 6" x 4"
5 lbs.
This is another nice block of spalted Sycamore. It is a fascinating combination of light and darker orange-brown colors, with shades of pink and eye-catching black spalt lines. Sycamore ray flecks are visible on the back and on one side. This is another pretty piece of wood.
The pith was cut completely out of this piece and I see no significant structural weakness.
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Sycamore Lot 126 |
$12.00 |
SOLD
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Sycamore Lot 128
6" x 6" x 2-1/2"
3 lbs.
This is another nice block of spalted Sycamore suitable for a 6" bowl. It is a fascinating combination of very light and darker orange-brown colors separated by prominent black spalt lines. Sycamore ray flecks are visible on the back side. This is another pretty piece of wood.
This blank was cut such that all of the pith was removed. That narrow dark brown stripe on the back marks the wood closest to that pith. There are no pith-related cracks. However, there are two short, thin and apparently shallow cracks in the face (visible are very faint lines in the upper left of the top photo). I would reinforce these, and fill if necessary, with CA glue while turning.
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Sycamore Lot 128 |
$7.00 |
SOLD
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Sycamore Lot 129
5-1/2" x 5-1/2" x 2-1/2"
2 lbs.
This is another very nice block of spalted Sycamore. It is a exciting combination of light and darker orange-brown colors, with shades of pink. Those black spalt lines form a complex, grain-crossing figure throughout most of the block. Sycamore ray flecks are visible on the back and on one side. This is another pretty piece of wood.
Again, the pith was cut completely out of this piece and there appears to be no significant structural weakness. The thick black, undulating stripe on the face (top photo) is a tight bark inclusion. I would reinforce it with CA glue and "turn-on".
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Sycamore Lot 129 |
$8.00 |
SOLD
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Sycamore Lot 130
6" x 6" x 2-3/4"
3 lbs.
This is another nice block of spalted Sycamore suitable for a 6" bowl. It is a fascinating combination of very light and darker orange-brown colors separated by prominent black spalt lines. Sycamore ray flecks are visible on the back side. This is another pretty piece of wood.
This blank was cut such that all of the pith was removed. That narrow dark brown stripe on the back marks the wood closest to that pith. There are no pith-related cracks. However, there are two short, thin and apparently shallow cracks in the face (top photo). These are likely to turn-off, but if necessary, I would reinforce these and fill them with CA glue while turning.
The block is basically square but one corner and part of one edge (top photo) is actually "wane" (bark or lack of wood on an edge or corner of a piece). This would be on the bottom of a bowl form and should be no problem.
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Sycamore Lot 130 |
$7.00 |
SOLD
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Sycamore Lot 131
6" x 6" x 3"
3 lbs.
This is another nice block of spalted Sycamore suitable for a 6" bowl. It is a fascinating combination of very light and darker orange-brown colors, with shades of pink and prominent black spalt lines. Sycamore ray flecks are visible on the face. This is another pretty piece of wood.
This blank was cut such that all of the pith was removed and there are no visible flaws.
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Sycamore Lot 131 |
$8.00 |
SOLD
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Sycamore Lot 136
6" x 6" x 2"
4 lbs.
This is a very nice small block of spalted Sycamore that would make a beautiful small bowl. It is a fascinating combination of light orange-brown defined by eye-catching thin black spalt stripes and formimg random and very interesting patterns. This is a pretty piece of wood.
The pith was cut completely out of this block and it is sound with no significant structural weakness. Two corners of the block are truncated, one by my chainsaw and the other by the outer edge of the log. These should be no problem if the bowl form is oriented with these truncated areas toward the bottom.
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Sycamore Lot 136 |
$10.00 |
SOLD
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Sycamore Lot 138
4" x 4" x 6"
3 lbs.
This is a square-section end-grain block of spalted Sycamore. I would consider it for a small hollow-form or box. The colors are predominately light orange-brown with minor black spalt lines on two sides. Sycamore ray flecks are also present.
Most of the pith was cut out of this piece but a small portion (with thin cracks) is present on one rear corner (lower photo). I see no significant structural weakness.
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Sycamore Lot 138 |
$8.00 |
SOLD
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Sycamore Lot 139
4" x 4" x 6"
3 lbs.
This is another square-section end-grain block of spalted Sycamore. I would consider it for a small hollow-form or box. The colors are predominately light orange-brown with minor black spalt lines on two sides. Sycamore ray flecks are also present.
The pith was cut completely out of this piece - I see no significant structural weakness.
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Sycamore Lot 119
8" x 7" x 4"
5 lbs.
This is a basically rectangular block of clear (non-spalted) Sycamore. It is not perfectly rectangular however - one back edge is all "wane" (bark or lack of wood on an edge or corner of a piece) from the outside of the log. Depending on your design plans, that wane edge will likely be removed, along with the one or all three of the other edges, as the block is turned to round.
I consider this block to be suitable for an elongated form such as a vase or tall hollow-form, or for a 7" diameter bowl. The colors are predominately light orange-brown with nice pattern of Sycamore ray flecks on the face.
The pith was cut completely out of this piece and I see no significant structural weakness.
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Listing last updated 4 October 2008
Nothing here that suits your needs?
Then send me an email at: l.stahl@maroon.com
or a telephone call at: 281-392-5336
There is a good chance that I have more, either cut into blocks or in the rough log,
so I may be able to meet your specific requirements.
© 2008, Texas Woodcrafts
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