LARGE Sycamore Tree

[scsmith42]

Rob, right now we are tentatively planning for me to load out this Sunday; not sure what time. John (the logger) has been ill, so we're waiting for him to recover and decide when he wants to fell and load.

[Jeff Mills]

Rob, right now we are tentatively planning for me to load out this Sunday; not sure what time. John (the logger) has been ill, so we're waiting for him to recover and decide when he wants to fell and load.

Loggers can do some amzing things (like get well over night), when you talk Ben Franklin.

How much usable timber do you estimate is in that tree Scott?

[scsmith42]

The stars finally lined up and yesterday afternoon/evening I was able to make the trip out to Fairview to pick up the sycamore logs. Fast trip too - I received a call around noon that the logs were ready but that the tree service needed to move their equipment elsewhere, so we left the farm by 3pm and pulled into Fairview around 7:30 pm to start loading.

After loading, Bill (NCWW member Herebrooks) and I were able to have supper together and a great visit. What a cool NCWW member! Bill has a long history in woodworking, including a couple of decades of owning his own woodworking and cabinet shop on Key West... (rough life, eh?!). His present focus is on building chairs from green QSWO. We had a really great visit, my three regrets were that the visit was shorter than I wanted it to be as I had to get on the road for the 250 mile trip back to the Farm (pulled in just after 2 am, tired as can be but happy), that I did not get a chance to call Rob and some other local NCWW members to join in the fun, and also that due to the short notice I did not get a chance to mill some fresh QSWO and take Bill some chair parts!

Did not get any pix in Fairview, but here is on taken this morning of Shea sitting next to the back three (of 4) logs. Looks like around 1300 bd ft total.

Thanks Bill for putting this together. I sure enjoyed meeting you and look forward to our next visit!

Scott

View image in gallery

[Jeff]

I recognize the setting and doggy from previous visits to your place. Those should make some awesome QS wood.

[CDPeters]

Cool pooch! (Nice logs too )

[Herebrooks]

It was the first time I met Scott Smith. I stood back, somewhat in awe of the size of his truck and trailer that he had just driven 250 miles to pick up the LARGE SYCAMORE logs that veteran tree surgeon John Walker had managed to lay down in one piece just where he wanted it. The tree had been leaning over a well traveled road. John is a seventy three year old that doesn't want to hear about hanging up his climbing spikes and tied the ropes(all fifteen of them) to point about sixty feet from the ground(Yikes!!!!). I timidly watched as Scott and John discussed getting the four 12 sections of these bohemoths onto the trailer. I kept imagining crushed hands and feet as the logs rolled down the hill. This didn't happen cause these guys are professionals. Scott knows his stuff, and also what he would be sited for by DOT inspectors roaming the highways at night looking for logging folks just trying to make a living. His chains were tight, straps cinched, and all lights were working. I know because I followed him to the restaurant for dinner. I learned more about Scott over enchiladas. He was a corporate man...makes sense he' bucking logs these days. It's always nice for me to meet other woodworkers and talk shop. As some of you know, Scott is a great guy and very gracious(he bought dinner). He provides a great service to the woodworking community , therefore allowing people like me to avoid dealing with great weights.
Thanks Scott,
Bill

[Jeff]

That's a really fitting testimonial to Scott and his attributes. A really nice, competent person who escaped the corporate black holes and is now doing good stuff for the benefit of many of us. BTW, he loves it too.

[Jeff Mills]

Wow lots of "sap" wood in that sycamore - should make some awesome clean light colored QS sycamore. In my experience sap wood is king when it comes to quartering sycamore, great score Scott

Lets see some ray fleck, remember to quarter as close as you can to the short and long side of the oval. It adds a little more time to get the log set just right for the opening cuts but sure does produce some pretty lumber.

[scsmith42]

Bill / Jeff: Thanks for the kind words! I enjoyed the corporate world, but the farm is very fulfilling too.

Jeff, is it best if I try to get a perfect 90 degree growth ring relationship to the face, or should I shoot for something different?

[Jeff Mills]

Bill / Jeff: Thanks for the kind words! I enjoyed the corporate world, but the farm is very fulfilling too.

Jeff, is it best if I try to get a perfect 90 degree growth ring relationship to the face, or should I shoot for something different?

you got it... as close to perfect 90 degree as possible... I've yet to meet a round sycamore, the growth rings are oval, so try and line your blade up as close you can 90 degrees to the oval shaped growth rings, so the rings are 90 degrees with the face. You'll end up with wider and narrower boards from the same quarter but the lions share will show nice fleck, the rest will be nice rift.

Also something else to consider... most every sycamore I've cut has had a big tapper. consider toeing up the small end so the pith is the same height as the big end and don't worry about edging off the bark, the fleck will run clear out to the bark and you'll yield more lumber by leaving the bark on. I determined the board feet of a stick by measuring the wide and small end and taking an average. example: 8" on small end 12" on big end would be 10" average, so I would figure on a 10" wide stick. This way of measurement seemed fair to everyone and besides it's a shame to edge off all that pretty wood just to make a 8" wide wane free board.

BTW - Beech growth rings are just about the same as sycamore but the trunk has a lot less taper so edging the bark side is not as wasteful.

Sycamore has just a little different sawing technique than oak.

[CDPeters]

Jeff/Scott:

The work you guys do just fascinates me. I do a little small scale milling with a Ripsaw portable that actually belongs to my Dad, so all of what I am able to do is flat sawn.

So I've never had a chance to try any (or really study) quarter/rift sawing in practice. In theory, I suppose the best QS is produced by sawing radially, but I would suppose that would also be the most wasteful.

Could you guys give just a quick explanation of how you saw to produce QS lumber - i.e. sequence of cuts? (Maybe an end view diagram???)

Obviously, I get exactly 1 slab from a log (if you can call them that compared to what you guys handle ) that will give me 2 QS boards.

Thanks!
C.

[Asheville Hardware]

Scott,
That looks like it will become some beautiful lumber! Glad you were able to get it. Glad you got to hang out with Bill also. He is a great guy. He used to work here at Asheville Hardware, before my time though. I got to hang out with him about a week ago when he helped me out with our booth for The Big Crafty show downtown. Really enjoyed his perspective on our craft.

[scsmith42]

Jeff/Scott:

The work you guys do just fascinates me. I do a little small scale milling with a Ripsaw portable that actually belongs to my Dad, so all of what I am able to do is flat sawn.

So I've never had a chance to try any (or really study) quarter/rift sawing in practice. In theory, I suppose the best QS is produced by sawing radially, but I would suppose that would also be the most wasteful.

Could you guys give just a quick explanation of how you saw to produce QS lumber - i.e. sequence of cuts? (Maybe an end view diagram???)

Obviously, I get exactly 1 slab from a log (if you can call them that compared to what you guys handle ) that will give me 2 QS boards.

Thanks!
C.

Chris, let's talk live sometime; much easier to explain that way. SS

[eyekode]

Nice haul Scott! Is the plan to kiln dry this lumber? Either way let us know when it is ready. I have never worked with sycamore but I have a project in mind!
Salem

[CDPeters]

Chris, let's talk live sometime; much easier to explain that way. SS

A good excuse might be to schedule a trip down to see one of my customers - the power plant folks at UNC Chapel Hill - and make a little "side trip"