# Is quartersawn sycamore stable?



## Purrmaster (Sep 1, 2012)

I just bought some sycamore at the lumber store. I haven't worked with it before. This sycamore is quartersawn.

From poking around the web a bit it appears that flatsawn sycamore is extremely unstable. What about quartersawn? I know that quartersawn lumber of any species tends to be more stable than flatsawn. But if sycamore is very unstable naturally, perhaps being quartersawn isn't enough.

I've largely sworn off beech because of it being unstable. I worry I'm in for the same fun.


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## WibblyPig (Jun 8, 2009)

Quartersawn sycamore is very stable (and extremely attractive to boot). I have a few boards sitting on various racks in the garage and none have moved/twisted/cupped in any way. The place where I buy my lumber makes the top of his lumber carts and his personal benches out of qsawn sycamore because it doesn't "catch" wood when it's tossed onto the surface. The qsawn grain is more fuzzy than splintery so if an edge catches the sycamore, it just slides over the top without gouging.


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## Sigung (Nov 20, 2013)

From Woodcraft magazine:

Improperly seasoned sycamore, particularly flatsawn is unstable and will twist and warp. Quartersawn and riftsawn stock is preferred over flatsawn, because it's not only much more stable, but also far more attractive with its distinctive ray fleck.

Full PDF file here:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDcQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.woodcraftmagazine.com%2Fonlineextras%2F41_sycamorewoodsense.pdf&ei=neowU4yzB4v1oAS9-oHQCQ&usg=AFQjCNGGufApaQYvgv_xkA9CThYmQ1gj6w&sig2=ySOhZmYr0cZuE_hG854_tA


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

QS Sycamore is awesome. QS on most wood makes it much more stable.


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## Purrmaster (Sep 1, 2012)

Since my shop is (essentially) outdoors I get concerned about wood stability. Mostly because much of the beech I got turned itself into a pretzel in a matter of days.

The only other quartersawn wood I've gotten is African Mahogany (in very small quantities).


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

Quartersawn is very stable. The flatsawn stuff is definitely not.


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## Vincent (Mar 10, 2009)

QS Sycamore is very stable. You need to exercise care when planing to avoid tear out. A clear finish works nicely on the amazing grain. Check out my project page to get an idea of what it looks like.


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## alohafromberkeley (Oct 26, 2011)

The quarter sawing adds tremendous stability to some properly dried stock….QS Sycamore has an amazing ray fleck pattern that really grabs the eye….people have mistaken it for QS Maple, Leopard wood and Lacewood…although once you see QS Sycamore you won't mistake it for any other wood. It really pops with an oil finish (just my preference)................Wes


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## Purrmaster (Sep 1, 2012)

I was wondering about what kind of finish I should put on it. Not all of my boards are the same color. Which actually doesn't bother me. But I would like to stain it if I can. But I'm reading some horror stories about sycamore blotching very badly. I recently mixed up a batch of garnet shellac so perhaps I'll use that….


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## Vincent (Mar 10, 2009)

I use satin Arm-R-Seal on my QS sycamore projects and don't worry about the color variation.


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## jdh122 (Sep 8, 2010)

Take a look at: http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/woodmove.shtml

This tells you how much various American species shrink from green to oven-dry in both flatsawn and QS wood. It will not help you judge whether a species tends to cup, warp etc as it dries, but it is useful for judging how much the wood will expand and contract seasonally (because a wood that shrinks more as it dries from green will tend to move more seasonally, all things being equal). QS sycamore seems to be about in the middle for QS domestic hardwoods.


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