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| Help understanding the grain on Sycamore http://www-.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=41141 |
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| Author: | D. Ramsey [ Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:22 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Help understanding the grain on Sycamore |
I have a bunch of sycamore that I thought about making a neck with and as I was looking at the wood I was have trouble understanding how it grows and which way would be best for strength. I know people talk about quartersawn shows the best grain please share what you can about this piece of wood and the best way to use it. I put a block plane on the end grain to make sure there were no saw marks to be confused with. Thanks for the help. Dennis   
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| Author: | D. Ramsey [ Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:37 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Help understanding the grain on Sycamore |
I am pretty sure this is almost quartersawn ( off about 15 degrees ) but looking at the end grain the lines reaching out on the tree running perpendicular to the rings make it look as strong running that direction. Would building a neck be ok either way? |
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| Author: | Bryan Bear [ Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:43 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Help understanding the grain on Syacamore |
Sycamore had really distinct (and beautiful) medullary rays. These are what show the figure you see on quarter/near quarter sawn faces. when perfectly quartered you are looking at the sawn through rays and that shows up on the face as the strange shaped bands going across the board; as the grain moves to off quarter towards rift sawn these lines become spots. Looking at the face of your board you can see that one side is close to perfectly quartered and the grain changes to less quartered as you go across (this is pretty common). Looking at the end grain you will see the distinct tight lines going more or less the width of the board, these are the rays; the rings are less obvious, these are the lines going 90 degrees to the rays. Having said all that, I haven't really answered your question about how to use it for a neck. I am looking forward to your answers though because I am trying to decide how to best use sycamore for necks too. As you carve the neck profile you will lose the figure on either the sides or the back (depending on the orientation you use). I've been kicking around the idea of using a center lam of quarter sawn stock with a contrasting wood on either side then rift sawn for the outside pieces (oriented such that the side peices will be quartered relative to the middle of the curve of the sides [hard to explain what I mean]). I suspect this may end up looking too busy though. I'm currently using it as binding and center lam only for an uke I'm making. I'm beginning to think that less is more. I have a back and side set I cut for a mandolin but am beginning to think I want to use something less busy for the neck. |
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| Author: | D. Ramsey [ Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:49 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Help understanding the grain on Sycamore |
Thanks Bryan... The way it grows looks strong both directions to me but thought someone would have a better understanding. How bout some pics of what you have used it for on your ukes. Playing with wood today I cut up about 10 Uke sets and will build one with it too. Dennis |
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| Author: | D. Ramsey [ Thu Aug 15, 2013 8:05 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Help understanding the grain on Sycamore |
Do you use Sycamore on your Uke tops also ? 
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| Author: | Bryan Bear [ Thu Aug 15, 2013 8:25 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Help understanding the grain on Sycamore |
I read on one of these fora a while back that Cumpiano is fond of sycamore and has used it as a neck wood (at least I think I remember reading that). I just sent him an email, I'll let you know if he responds. I am very new to using it. I don't have anything finished yet. Here is the neck on my current uke project. It was hard to get a good pic with my phone because I haven't sanded out the orange peel yet (and I'm a bad photographer). Attachment: 1.jpg This is a pic of one of the sets I cut from the same board. This one has a ton of really well quartered area. I intend to use it for a guitar shaped mandolin. I have another set where the grain began to veer off quarter, it looks spotted like the center lam in the neck pic above. Attachment: sycamore back.jpg I tried to get a pic of the binding on the uke but with the orange peel and the bindings being so thin, I couldn't get a pic to show the figure but it looks pretty much like the neck (walnut sides and mahogany side purfs). |
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| Author: | D. Ramsey [ Thu Aug 15, 2013 8:30 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Help understanding the grain on Sycamore |
Was it hard to bend bindings without breaking? I am thinking about using them on a guitar I am building but my first attempt to bend them didn't go to well. oops forgot to say how much I like the look of the Walnut along with the lam.. Looking forward to seeing the finished product 
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| Author: | Don Williams [ Thu Aug 15, 2013 9:11 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Help understanding the grain on Sycamore |
I think Sycamore is a very nice wood. I was once in a mansion in Newport RI which had a big walk-in closet with tons of cabinetry in it that was Sycamore. It was gorgeous. |
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| Author: | WaddyThomson [ Thu Aug 15, 2013 9:17 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Help understanding the grain on Sycamore |
Easy to bend. Almost bends itself. My experience when I bent my sides on a pipe was that it kept bending all by itself when I set them aside to cool. Pic! These were both bent to fit that mold. This is after cooling about 20 minutes. Unlike Lacewood, the freckles do not represent weak places in the wood. I have bent wide purflings by hand too, without issue. Finishes up nice too. Attachment: P1060091 (Large).JPG
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| Author: | D. Ramsey [ Thu Aug 15, 2013 9:29 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Help understanding the grain on Sycamore |
Hey Waddy ...... I am still learning how to wait on the bending iron... 31 years of go as fast as you can construction still leaves me forcing things instead of allowing it to go at it's pace. Bindings are small and I'm impatient but I am sure the second attempt will go better LOL  .... So Don ... Is that your way to say you wouldn't use it for a neck on a guitar ? I figure to use CF strips to play it safe 
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| Author: | Bryan Bear [ Fri Aug 16, 2013 7:55 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Help understanding the grain on Sycamore |
Waddy answered first, it bends easily in my experience. Based on wad day's experience noted above, I weighted all my sides down for fear they would bend themselves into a different guitar profile than I intended to use in storage I haven't used it for a an uke top but I intend to on the next one! |
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| Author: | dzsmith [ Sat Aug 17, 2013 8:46 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Help understanding the grain on Sycamore |
I made a sycamore neck (for an electric) with two narrow walnut stringers. The neck was too limber to use. I reckon it bends well, but check the neck blank for stiffness. I used it for an Explorer body. The "wings" really vibrate on open chords. Love it. I'm finishing up a hollowed-out Tele with sycamore top and back and Pecan core. The body is very light weight. The grain is weird: it feels rough one way, smooth the other. Sanding after a sealer coat will smooth out the burrs. I don't see much live sycamore here anymore. An anthracnose blight wiped out many trees years ago. |
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| Author: | quentinjazz [ Sun Aug 18, 2013 2:26 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Help understanding the grain on Sycamore |
I love sycamore too! This is the guitar I made last year:   This is a guitar that should inspire you with your sycamore neck idea:   Bye |
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| Author: | Bryan Bear [ Sun Aug 18, 2013 10:23 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Help understanding the grain on Sycamore |
That is beautiful Quentin! That is for those pictures, it really helps me visualize the possibilities. |
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