English sycamore is actually a member of the maple family found throughout Europe. This white to golden yellow colored hardwood is extensively used in the musical instrument industry. This species is one of the few whose sapwood is generally used more than its heartwood. Fine, even texture with a straight grain, this species has little rot resistance but turns, glues and finishes well. Like many maple species, a pre conditioner or toner may be required to achieve even coloring. English sycamore is routinely found with a variety of figure not limited to curl/quilting. It rates at 1050 on the Janka scale, and weighs 3.2 pounds per board foot.
VARIATIONS AND OPTIONS
4/4 refers to lumber that was cut at 1 inch thickness
15/16ths has been skip planed (a majority of the surfacing work has been done, there may be a few spots that are still rough, but the grain of the particular piece of wood should be visible)
13/16ths is commonly called finish planed. This should be ready for sanding and finish
Ripped 1 Edge is lumber that has been run through a straight-line rip saw. This allows for easy squaring on a table saw.
Sanded refers to a select few lumber options that have been run through a belt sander and are 100% finish ready.
5/4 lumber was sawn at 1.25 inches in thickness.
6/4 lumber was sawn at 1.5 inches in thickness.
8/4 lumber was sawn at 2 inches in thickness.
10/4 lumber was sawn at 2.5 inches in thickness.
12/4 lumber was sawn at 3 inches in thickness.