I’ve been thinking that I’d build the face frames and cabinet door frames, for the kitchen cabinets I’m preparing myself to make for our home, from curly maple. However, in two recent shows, David Marks has built two items from English sycamore that displayed the great figure that I would hope to find for my cabinets – the wood he used looked like the nicest tiger maple you might ever hope to find.
Since there is no local hardwood lumberyard in Louisville that will deal with home craftsmen, I can’t just go to the local lumberyard and to ask, and look – the wood that I use in projects has to be ordered, sight unseen.
So, to my question (possibly a dumb one) – is English sycamore typically a highly figured wood, or does it require careful sorting and selection for that characteristic?
Thanks,
Mike Dyer
Edit: Never mind. I’ve been doing more research, and yes, Virginia, that was a dumb question. Apparently it is similar to other maples in that selection for figure is just that – selection for figure.
Mike D
Edited 8/21/2007 5:19 am ET by Mike_D
Replies
Hi Mike:
Sorry I didn't get to you sooner. You are correct in that it takes some rooting around to find the best figured boards, but some specialty lumber mills will do this for you if you order by phone. We just posted a series on our site on Mini-Mills, which are more likely to give you this custom service. You might try browsing our state-by-state directory to see if there are any in your region that deal in English sycamore.
I also did a google search and came across a listing for some of what you're looking for at Hearne Hardwoods, which is a reputable dealer: http://www.hearnehardwoods.com/Inventory/englishsycamorefigured.html
Good luck with it,
Matt Berger
Fine Woodworking
Great answer! Thanks, Matt - I hadn't considered mini-mills, and altho' I'd come across Hearne's I had no way to tell if they were the real deal or not. Now I know.
Mike D
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