American sycamore
(Platanus occidentalis)
Range
American sycamore grows in scattered groups or singly from southern Maine westward to Nebraska and southward to eastern Texas and northern Florida. It grows best on flatlands where there is a good supply of ground water and along the edges of streams, lakes, and swamps. At least half of the stand of American sycamore is in the central and southern portions of its range in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.
Properties
In weight, American sycamore is ranked as a moderately heavy wood, averaging 34 pounds a cubic foot. A moderately hard wood, with a specific gravity of 0.46, it has a close texture and an interlocking grain. It is moderately strong, moderately stiff, and has moderately good shock resistance.
Sycamore has large shrinkage while drying, is inclined to warp, and is somewhat difficult to season. Also, it is not durable when exposed to conditions favorable to decay. The wood turns well on a lathe and keeps its shape well when bent to form after steaming. It is only intermediate in nail-withdrawal resistance but because of its interlocking grain ranks high in its ability to withstand splitting. Sycamore wood does not impart taste, odor, or stain to substances that come in contact with it.
Uses
The principal uses of American sycamore are for lumber, veneer, railroad ties, cooperage, fence posts, and fuel. The lumber goes largely into furniture and boxes. Considerable sycamore veneer is used for fruit and vegetable baskets and berry boxes. Although generally used for the cheaper grades of furniture, sycamore is used in one form or another in practically all grades. Other products made from the lumber include flooring, scientific instruments, handles, and butchers’ blocks.
Description
Heartwood is reddish brown or flesh brown in color. Pores are very small and not visible to the unaided eye. Rays are visible on all surfaces. They appear uniformly spaced on the end grain and of uniform height on quartersawed surfaces. Plainsawed surfaces show rays that appear more numerous and more closely spaced than in beech.