Replies

1. 
   Pondfish | Oct 06, 2007 12:25am | #1

   Quartersawn sycamore is beautiful.  Sycamore is in the same family as Maple,  is softer than hard maple (about the same as soft maple), yet slightly more brittle.  Finishes nicely.  I have it in my kitchen table, mixed with maple and elm: it looks good.

   Go for it.  It's a great wood.  My front yard has a sycamore with a trunk almost 3 feet across.  Be nice if a hurricane dropped it, just not on the house!

   Recommending the use of "Hide Signatures" option under "My Preferences" since 2005
1. 
   citrouille | Oct 07, 2007 12:41am | #2

   I thought sycamore was of the same family as beech.C.

1. 
   Floss | Oct 07, 2007 02:35am | #3

   Beech, Fagus americana, is in the family Fagaceae along with the oaks.Maple is in the family Aceraceae. Hence the genus Acer.Sycamore, Platanus occidentalis is in the family Plantaceae.You may be thinking of London planetree or English sycamore,Platanus acerifolia, Which is a cross between American sycamore and and Oriental planetree,Platanus orientalis. It is still in the family Plantaceae.J.P.http://www.jpkfinefurniture.com

1. 
   saschafer | Oct 07, 2007 02:44am | #4

   I think the confusion comes not from London Planetree, but from Sycamore Maple (Acer pseudoplatanus, also known as "Planetree Maple," and sometimes just "Sycamore") which is a maple, despite the name. It's native to Eurasia but is a fairly common park/garden tree in North America.

   Apparently, the name "sycamore" originally applied to a kind of fig!

   -Steve

    

1. 
   Floss | Oct 07, 2007 02:49am | #5

   I think you are correct with the association.J.P.

2. 
   Pondfish | Oct 07, 2007 06:15am | #6

   I wrote Sycamore is in the same family as maple, but that was due to a bad reference.   It is indeed Plantaceae, not Aceraceae.

   It still works like I mentioned, and I recommend its use.Recommending the use of "Hide Signatures" option under "My Preferences" since 2005

2. 
   dirtstirrer | Oct 07, 2007 09:16am | #7

   I'd caution to make sure to try a test of the finish you plan to use before smearing it all over your work.  Could just be my lousy finishing skills, but every time I use sycamore, it seems to take finish different then the time before.  Love that quarter sawn figure though!  White oak, ha!

    

    Steve