Sycamore for turning

[Ernie Nyvall]

I have a chance to get a bit of this and am wondering how it turns. Does it fuzz up?

Thanks for any info.

Ernie

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Put it on the lathe ........................... AND HAVE FUN!

Nice Stuff!

Bruce

[Gil Jones]

Ernie,
Sycamore is a fine turning wood (at least 'green', don't know about dry). Check out this piece I have posted on WR >>

Mod. Note: Direct links to other forums not allowed per TOS. Here's the pic.

[Gary Max]

If it is real green and wet-- it will need to get a DNA bath ASAP from the lathe.
I have been turning a bunch of Sycamore the last couple of months and it's a good wood to turn. Most of it is has a grain that can be kinda plain. After it drys good from the bath it is real nice to finish out. I have some stuff that is so thin you can see sunlight through it.
The tree I have died standing so there is a lot of decay---color--streaking
which works real well for bowls.

[Glenn Hodges]

Sycamore is a great turning wood. When used for food it does not impart any scent or flavor into the food. When turned green it is known for moving. When you think it is dry, it will keep moving so beware, but you have some really nice wood for bowwls, platters, etc.

[Jason Solodow]

I really enjoy turning sycamore. If you cut your blank correctly from the wood, you'll get some nice grain patterns to it. What I've done with my sycamore is rough it green to about an inch or so thick, then air dry it for about six months, re true it, let a go another week or two, then do the final turn. After that I've not really experience any wood shifting. Here's a couple of pics of some sycamore I've turned..

[Mike Ramsey]

Never turned any wet Sycamore only dry & it was hard as a rock!
Finishes really nice tho...Go for it.

[Ernie Nyvall]

Thanks everyone. I think I'll go get some. The guy is keeping most of it for burning in his wood stove, but is going to let me have a chunk or two.

Ernie

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Yep.................. Now THAT"S what I'm talkin' about!

Bruce

[Stephen Hibbs]

It's a very beautiful wood, but I unfortunately did not know of it's tendency to move, and lost my salad bowl to massively ruptured crack.

[Paul Douglass]

First bowl I turned was sycmore I picked out of my wood pile. Must have been dry enough all went well, no cracks, no movement.