Jabba_the_gut Posted April 12, 2019 Share Posted April 12, 2019 (edited) I bought a couple of slabs of sycamore from a local place in 2016. It was relatively fresh cut hence why I have been storing it to let it air dry. I weighed both pieces when I bought them so I decided to weigh them again today to see how much moisture has been lost. This one slab started at 24kg and now weighs 16.8kg. I've scraped the surface of it to get through the saw marks and there is a really nice tight ripple. You have no idea what the wood will be like until this point. Now I just want to turn it into something!! The other slab is still very nice but no signs of rippling - will still make something nice though. Just got to figure out how to get this wood processed.... Edited April 12, 2019 by Jabba_the_gut 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted April 12, 2019 Share Posted April 12, 2019 I believe Sycamore is part of the Maple family.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChunkyMunky Posted April 12, 2019 Share Posted April 12, 2019 1 hour ago, Jabba_the_gut said: I bought a couple of slabs of sycamore from a local place in 2016. It was relatively fresh cut hence why I have been storing it to let it air dry. I weighed both pieces when I bought them so I decided to weigh them again today to see how much moisture has been lost. This one slab started at 24kg and now weighs 16.8kg. I've scraped the surface of it to get through the saw marks and there is a really nice tight ripple. You have no idea what the wood will be like until this point. Now I just want to turn it into something!! The other slab is still very nice but no signs of rippling - will still make something nice though. Just got to figure out how to get this wood processed.... Any idea what you fancy building? Fancy doing anything different at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted April 12, 2019 Author Share Posted April 12, 2019 (edited) 11 minutes ago, ChunkyMunky said: Any idea what you fancy building? Fancy doing anything different at all? Not sure yet! Each of the 2 slabs I bought should be big enough to make 2 bodies from. I will probably make a solid body bass the same shape as the semi hollow one I did recently, and I'm also thinking about a making a shorty from it as the ripple would look lovely. But nothing definite yet. What are you thinking by 'different'? Cheers Edited April 12, 2019 by Jabba_the_gut 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted April 12, 2019 Share Posted April 12, 2019 @TheGreek's Psilos bass was English Sycamore, Jez Beautiful wood. The Osmo 3044 RAW keeps the whiteness... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted April 13, 2019 Author Share Posted April 13, 2019 (edited) Completely agree Andy - sycamore is lovely wood. It works and finishes beautifully. I've used it a couple of time before - I have one bass that I started a long time ago and still haven't got round to completing - that has two different shades of sycamore in the body. The two slabs of sycamore I started this thread about, were bought as a bit of a punt as they were cheap (I think about £20 each). They need drying and processing as they are around 3 1/2" thick and 18" wide so to big for any tools I have. I expect getting them processed will cost several times what the wood cost!! As with any rough sawn wood, it is a bit of a lucky dip as to what the finished wood may look like - I'm just pleasantly surprised by the rippling I have found on the one piece so far. I'll have to source some more...….!!! Edit: You can tell it was late when I posted this as I wrote ‘maple’ not ‘sycamore’ - doh!! Updated it now Edited April 13, 2019 by Jabba_the_gut 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 I have always loved your wood....... Looking good chap for another adventure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreadBin Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 So we've all started the day by admiring Jez's wood? Crikey! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 4 hours ago, Jabba_the_gut said: Woof! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 Am i the only one that's astonished at Jabba's wood losing a 3rd of it's weight just drying out ? Dear cliff !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted April 13, 2019 Author Share Posted April 13, 2019 Think of it as losing 8 litres of water.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 1 hour ago, fleabag said: Am i the only one that's astonished at Jabba's wood losing a 3rd of it's weight just drying out ? Dear cliff !! It's why there's such a fuss about so many people putting unseasoned wood in their woodburning stoves... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 Noted ! But hells bells, that wood held 8 litres of water. Staggering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samhay Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 On 13/04/2019 at 04:03, Jabba_the_gut said: The two slabs of sycamore I started this thread about, were bought as a bit of a punt as they were cheap (I think about £20 each). They need drying and processing as they are around 3 1/2" thick and 18" wide so to big for any tools I have. I expect getting them processed will cost several times what the wood cost!! As with any rough sawn wood, it is a bit of a lucky dip as to what the finished wood may look like - I'm just pleasantly surprised by the rippling I have found on the one piece so far. I'll have to source some more...….!!! Figured Sycamore is lovely. If you do source some more, would you mind passing on where you find/found it? If it's 18" wide I would do a single piece slab body. Could do the processing quite easily by hand, although the thicknessing would be a bit of a work out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted April 20, 2019 Share Posted April 20, 2019 One of my Antoniotsais is sycamore. It's lovely. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soledad Posted April 20, 2019 Share Posted April 20, 2019 Indeed @TheGreek - if you trace the line back a little it's part of the same genus as the maples. I've found Uk sycamore quite hard to come by and of varying quality. Timberline have some instrument grade stuff but it's expensive. I do have a board of well flamed sycamore in store, wide enough to face a bass but only about 25mm thick. I'll get pics if any maker interested. It would bookmatch beautifully. @Jabba_the_gut - I'm guessing this baord is too wide for most planer/thicknessers, and for most band saws? If I was flatting / facing that I would happily resort to a scrub plane followed by finer hand planes. Years ago I made a scrub from an old beech block plane and it rips high spots off very fast. Follow by a jack and down to a fine smoother. Far quicker than it sounds! Re ripping to thickness I'd be off in search of a mill/yard that would do it for me - someone with an old massive Wadkin sitting around. It can be done with a big rip frame saw - but you'd probably have to make the saw first I'll try and get some pics of my flamed board - almost forgot I had it. Picked it out at Mac Timbers years ago and has air dried down to around 10 percent, would drop to 6 or less easily now I reckon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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