European Sycamore

European Sycamore is a temperate hardwood that is creamy in colour.

European Sycamore

Durability:

In terms of durability, it is not recommended that European Sycamore is used for external purposes. It does however have high strength properties similar to those of oak.

Mechanical Properties:

Good - European Sycamore wood is fairly easy to work with and machine. The nature of Sycamore means that it is capable of a fine, smooth finish when straight grained; material with curly or wavy grain picks up in planing and moulding and a reduction of the cutting angle to 15º is needed in order to obtain a good finish. Sycamore timber also turns excellently and can be glued, stained and polished.

Seasoning:

Although European Sycamore air dries well, it is inclined to stain, and rapid surface drying is necessary to prevent this. The use of thick stickers helps, but kiln drying at low temperatures is probably the best treatment. Rapid air drying preserves the white appearance of the sycamore wood, sometimes achieved by end-racking the boards, while slow drying gives the wood a light-brown colour. This is referred to as weathered sycamore. The aim must however always be the avoidance of stick marks which penetrate well into the wood. This can only be successful if the surfaces of the Sycamore wood are dried rapidly.

Uses:

  • The unique properties of European Sycamore make an ideal wood for use in interior joinery and turnery
  • Sycamore timber is rarely used for exterior purposes, predominantly found to be used in flooring, worktops and furniture. It is however possible to treat European Sycamore using a process known as thermal modification, in order to allow it to be used for exterior purposes such as cladding
Get in Touch

Description

European Sycamore is a temperate hardwood that is creamy in colour. With sycamore wood there is no colour difference between the sapwood and it’s heartwood. Sycamore timber is white, or yellowish-white when freshly cut, with a natural lustre especially noticeable on quarter-sawn surfaces. Sycamore is generally straight grained but may be curvy or wavy grained, and the texture is fine. The average weight is 630 kg/m³ when dried. It is also one of the hardest and strongest pines in existence making it resistant to wear and decay.

Additional information

Latin Name

Acer pseudoplantanus

Family Name

Aceraceae

Distribution

Sycamore is native to central Europe and western Asia. It appears to have been introduced into Britain from the Continent in the fifteenth century

Also know as

Sycamore plane, great maple

Timber you may like

  • Croatian Black Walnut

    Croatian Black Walnut's heartwood is a rich dark brown to purplish-black, mostly straight grained, but with wavy or curly grain occasionally present. The texture is rather coarse. Weight averages 640 kg/m³ (40 lb/ft³); specific gravity .64.

  • European Lime

    A subtle shade of yellow-white in colour European lime wood is straight-grained and useful for a variety of applications that do not require significant strength. Lime timber has a fine, firm and close texture and is a very easily worked wood that does not split. Weight averages 540 kg/m³ (34 lb/ft³)For more information or to buy lime wood from Whitmore’s Timber, please contact our knowledgeable team.

  • Swiss Pear

    Pear's heartwood is pinkish-brown in colour with very fine rays and pores, straight grained and a very fine and even texture. Weight about 700 kg/m³ (44 lb/ft³); specific gravity .70.

  • Sweet Chestnut

    Sweet Chestnut's sapwood is narrow, distinct from the heartwood which is yellowish-brown in colour, closely resembling oak in appearance, but lacking the silver-grain figure characteristic of that timber, resulting from the finer rays. European Sweet Chestnut is a stable, straight grained and hard-wearing timber species (when the sapwood is excluded).The grain may be straight, but is more commonly spiral, particularly in timber from old trees, while logs are liable to cup and ring-shake. It weighs about 560 kg/m³ when dried. On account of its somewhat acidic character chestnut tends to accelerate the corrosion of metals, particularly when moist. It also contains tannin, as a result of which blue-black discolourations are prone to appear on the wood when it comes into contact with iron or iron compounds.