Description
SYCAMORE 1265A-4B
SYCAMORE PAR Planed All Round Square Edge Board 1265A-4B Thickness 14cm Kiln Dried Planed & Thicknessed Seasoned Hardwood Squares Beams Legs Mantels
UK DELIVERY COST : £ 30
ESTIMATED DELIVERY TIME : 1 WEEK
COMBINED SHIPPING OPTIONS MAY BE AVAILABLE ON THIS PRODUCT – please contact us before ordering if purchasing more than 1 product and you would like to see if a reduced price is possible. It will not be applied automatically. If you place the order first we can still reimburse if applicable but it will be via a coupon discount off your next order.
or – CLICK & COLLECT from the Lanarkshire store (ML11 8LL) within 10 days – . Please bring a copy of your receipt/invoice.
NB we NO LONGER ACCEPT ARRANGING YOUR OWN COURIER instead of collecting personally as an option. See Section 3, below, for further info.
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CLICK FOR FURTHER INFO ON THE FOLLOWING SUBJECTS OR SCROLL DOWN:
2.TREE PROVENANCE & SUSTAINABILITY
5. SEASONING & MOISTURE CONTENT INFORMATION
1. DIMENSIONS
SYCAMORE 1265A-4B
Length (cm): 120
Width (cm) : 14
minimum…including waney edge: N/A
maximum..including waney edge: N/A
average*….including waney edge: N/A
Thickness (cm): 14
Total Net Product Weight (KG): 15
dimension notes :
- * ‘average’ width is used mainly for our use in calculating the area or volume of the board for pricing purposes and is an approximate estimate.
- All sizes are to the nearest centimetre. They are generous so boards are usually supplied a few mm longer than stated, often 0.5cm longer, to allow for trimming of scuffed and dented ends of boards from handling in our shop.
- Where there is more than 1 board in the batch, ie a 2 board river set, the minimum value will be the narrowest of the 2 boards; the maximum the widest part of the 2 boards.
- If you would like further measurements supplied of the board(s) at any particular point, please just ask. Otherwise we expect you to scale off the picture using the metre rule in the main picture and the given measurements.
- Our Webshop is set in centimetres by popular request. We are happy to talk also in feet, inches, metres or millimetres.
Terminology – Length, x Width x Thickness :
- Length is the measurement along the grain, following the tree from ground level upwards and usually the largest measurement.
- Width is the measurement across the grain, usually the second largest measurement; however people often describe width as ‘depth’ which should only be applied to finished items of furniture such as cabinets and shelves when referring to the distance out into the room from the wall or back of the piece.
- Widths of live / waney edge boards are taken out to the extreme edge of the bark or wane portion, viewing the main picture of the board as a silhouette – think of it as 2 dimension only, ignoring the wane and whether the measurement is across the front or reverse face of the board. The measurement will thus be across whichever is the greater – usually the reverse face. If you want a separate measurement of the flat machined area only at a given point, or the dimension of a parallel cut board that can be cut out of a waney one, just ask and we will go and measure and reply quickly.
- Thickness is the smallest measurement, also across the grain, seen as the measurement across the edge or end of a board.
- In square sections, width and thickness are the same.
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2. TREE PROVENANCE & SUSTAINABILITY
SYCAMORE 1265A-4B
BOARD(S) ALL FROM ONE TREE WHICH GREW AT: WEMYSS CASTLE, KIRKCALDY, FIFE, UK
provenance & tree number notes :
Every one of our boards has a unique number, such as 1372A-6, with a record of its provenance and sequence within the tree. All from tree number 1372 in this example, which records the individual tree, where it grew and lived its life on a particular estate/woodland/garden in the UK which Lanarkshire Hardwoods / The Wood Place buys from. We display the locality and sometimes the actual location. Please contact us if you seek further details on the location / provenance of any particular tree / board.
Our Tree Numbering System :
‘1372A-6’ means it is the 6th board or slice cut from the first length of the tree originating nearest the stump/ground – ‘A’. The A length, the first length, is the best piece in any tree, often referred to as the ‘butt’ in timber trade technology, when it is of prime quality.
B would be the second length if the tree was big enough or of sufficient quality, rarity or general interest to cut another section from further up the tree, usually above the first branch.
C, D etc etc getting smaller and usually more bendy and less stable as you go higher up the tree. The higher the letter, the further up the tree the timber is from and the more likely it will be that there are knots or wild grain with more tension, leading to less stable timber – ie boards are more likely to warp when exposed to moisture content changes or when cut into smaller sections, altering the tensions in the board.
Board Numbers:
As in ‘6’ in this example, ‘1372A-6’ , board numbers are usually consecutive cuts or slices of the log /tree /butt at the sawmill. Board number 5 and 7 could be considered as bookmatched consecutive boards to number 6. However this is not always the case, as we rotate many logs through 90 or 180 or 270 degrees on the sawmill in the course of the milling. Board numbers will continue after the rotation.
Some boards are further cut into smaller sections after planing and in such cases board no 6 might become 6A and 6B. Bookmatched pairs may be described as 5/6 or 5A/6A.
Background info:
Patrick Baxter of Lanarkshire Hardwoods / The Wood Place introduced this system shortly after taking in the first trees he bought in the early 1990s. We record every tree and we give it its unique number, one higher than the last. Thus at time of writing in 2020 we are now near our 1700th tree, a small number in commercial sawmilling terms. Big enough to have allowed great experience to build but small enough to remember the history and provenance behind every single one and treat each tree with the respect it deserves, to continue to provide use and enjoyment to many for generations.
sustainability notes :
Patrick visits every woodland to view, measure and record every individual tree before purchasing, checking for sustainability of the source.
He looks at the re-planting or natural regeneration aspects on the site and reasons for felling if the trees are not naturally wind blown.
He checks felling licences if applicable and sensitivity for the landscape during extraction.
We only use approved sustainable and reliable sources.
Organisations – Scottish Working Woods:
Patrick Baxter / The Wood Place / Lanarkshire Hardwoods are founding members of Scottish Working Woods. Scottish Working Woods (SWW) is an organisation with a licenced label scheme to encourage and support the use of all things made from Scottish woodland produce. Whilst based in Scotland SWW is more essentially interested in the idea of LOCAL & LOW MILES ETHICAL SUSTAINABLE
trading of wood and wood products between small businesses and the public. Importantly, we source most of our timber from within a 100 mile radius of the sawmill and the vast bulk within 50.
In conclusion, read more about it Scottish Working Woods here http://www.scottishworkingwoods.org.uk
3. DELIVERY INFORMATION
SYCAMORE 1265A-4B
ESTIMATED DELIVERY TIME : 1 WEEK
from point of ordering.
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a) DELIVERY TIMES :
We will state the estimated delivery time window for UK mainland standard postcodes near the top of the product description for each product for all newly listed products.
Typically this will be:
1 week for simple to box and send goods. Thurs/Fri orders take the longest.
1-2 weeks for goods that are a bit more problematic to wrap/box or find a courier for.
2-4 weeks for the big, awkward tabletop slabs or fragile items that need very special couriers or which we deliver personally, and /or extra special packaging / crating etc.
What about tracking?
please contact us if you would like a more exact time window – but our shipping options are limited due to the size of most products’ packages being more than 1m long, and usually overweight. Unfortunately the modern attractive delivery info & windows are not available from the couriers on these sizes and weights. However, we will do our best to estimate as closely as possible the delivery day / window. Moreover, we may sometimes be able to forward courier tracking info after booking and collection has taken place.
b) COLLECTING YOUR OWN GOODS / COLLECT IN STORE
We welcome CLICK & COLLECT from the Lanarkshire store (ML11 8LL) within 10 days – select this option at checkout. NO CHARGE for buyer collections only. Please bring a copy of your receipt/invoice as proof of purchase when you collect – can be on your phone etc.
Do I need to make an appointment?
We are very keen to encourage customers to collect their own goods that they have ordered online. You don’t need to make an appointment, just turn up during the listed store opening hours on the Home Page. If totally unsuitable, please make an appointment for another time. Contact us by email preferably, or via Patrick’s mobile number / whatsapp, which is at the bottom of your invoice / receipt, generated after you have placed an order. We are happy to accommodate collections out of hours.
How long will you store goods for?
We are happy to keep goods for up to approx 10 working days / a fortnight; if it is likely to be any longer, please make special arrangements with us. We may need to charge a small fee if you want us to store boards for a lot longer.
Can I send a courier?
WE WILL NOT ALWAYS ACCEPT ARRANGING YOUR OWN COURIER instead of collecting personally as an option – unless you are a regular customer and have our approval of the courier you use. In these instances we may be charging for packaging.
YOUR GOODS WILL NOT BE GUARANTEED IF TRAVELLING VIA YOUR COURIER: bear in mind our shipping cost includes our 100% money back or product replacement guarantee should anything go wrong with any delivery arranged by ourselves. If you arrange the transportation and the goods get damaged or lost in transit, we are not liable.
You can send a friend etc but the goods should be in safe hands of someone you know and trust and not at the mercy of professional couriers, especially if you have not made arrangements with us to properly package the goods. You are probably unaware of the type of packaging that we will need to provide, at some cost, to ensure the goods travel safely with your courier. We have decades of experience in shipping thousands of wood shipments, so are best placed to know what is required.
If the goods are to be delivered by courier it is best that we arrange that with trusted couriers and appropriate packaging. Our cost and timescale for doing so reflects the true cost of doing the job properly and on our terms. Any perceived savings would be at the expense of our quality and reliability of service.
If you are a trade customer and experienced in using couriers, and you talk to us in advance, we may be quite happy to receive your courier, as long as all the above concerns are dealt with so that we are happy the goods will travel safely and without major inconvenience to ourselves.
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c) SIGNING FOR GOODS ETC :
Do I need to sign for the goods?
Yes, in most cases.
What about time slot or no-signature options by the courier?
Most of our goods will be too big or heavy for this service.
Not going to be at home? please try one of the following:
- put an alternative delivery address in the delivery section at checkout.
- if your board is 115cm or less and 12kg or less let us know if you would be happy for it to go via hermes, which takes approx 3 or 4 days longer but doesnt require a signature. You can also give us a where to leave goods if out instruction. Usually we will otherwise send by tnt as it is much quicker and has a bit better tracking, but does require signature.
- boards longer than 115cm / overweght, you can instruct us to cut shorter so that they may go by 1 or 2 hermes parcels and therefore follow the above hermes route.
Dispatch notifications:
You will receive an email from us the day the goods are dispatched to say they are on their way. We send out most goods on TNT overnight next day so usually you will receive goods the day after the dispatch email. If it is a busy period or you are quite remote it is usually 2 days. Usually you will receive some additional info from the courier. TNT will text you on the morning of delivery. However, at very busy times that doesn’t guarantee delivery that day.
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d) OVERSIZE BOARDS – Large Boards of 295cm or longer, or 30KG and over
will usually have to be palletised or crated or otherwise carry special delivery arrangements, so expect approx a 2 to 4 week delivery time.
Unloading: Some couriers may want assistance with heavy boards, if they allow it. Most likely they will deliver to kerbside only on a pallet and not into your house etc. If we deliver personally we will also only bring the board as close as our delivery vehicle can get to your door. Boards of over 30kg will need to have a sufficient team of helpers ready to unload and carry the board to wherever you want it. When the unloading area is concreted tarmac or otherwise smooth slabbed and flat, we can bring a suitable trolley to move the board closer, if you let us know.
We will contact you asap after ordering for confirmation of these details. Feel free to enquire before ordering.
We may cut longer boards shorter for you to fit a lower category. In extreme length or weight instances this may allow for a reduction in the shipping charges, on request.
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e) Holidays / delays:
SEE THE LANARKSHIRE STORE PAGE FOR FORTHCOMING HOLIDAYS which may result in delays to dispatch and delivery times. (usually school holidays)
view MORE DELIVERY information here –
https://www.thewoodplace.com/services/delivery/
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4. CUTTING SERVICES
SYCAMORE 1265A-4B
Free cuts:
We are happy to crosscut boards in half (halving the length, 2 equal lengths) free of charge prior to dispatch.
Other cutting services are chargeable:
see SERVICES page for full info, description of cutting terminology, costs and how to request your cuts: https://www.thewoodplace.com/services/cutting-to-size/
These are, briefly,
- crosscuts that are not exactly at the half-length point.
- rip cuts, for example to make river table half boards.
We do not offer resawing as standard. (resawing = cutting a 5cm thick board into 2 x 2.5ish cm thick boards)
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5. SEASONING & MOISTURE CONTENT INFORMATION
SYCAMORE 1265A-4B
Target Moisture Content:
This is a ‘kiln dried’ product and the moisture content level should be between 6 to 10%. They average 8 to 9% most of the time though, which is very good for a typical central heated home.
Assurances:
We don’t check every board but we do check a board in every batch for consistency and we measure right into the core. Some small pockets within a board or the batch may vary, as a result. However on the whole you can be assured that consistent dryness throughout is the chief aim of our timber business. The business was created for this reason, to feed the best quality stable timber into our own Patrick Baxter Furniture. We have had a few product complaints over the decades but not one single complaint about timber not being dry enough. (please note here * ,below, if your timber appears to have warped).
Situations in which our wood might warp:
Further small shrinkage sometimes occurs on boards used as beams, mantels and shelves above hot woodburning stoves. Also in damp conditions, see below.
Customer Wood Storage Guidance:
*If you store or work on our wood in a cold, damp garage, shed or workshop our timber it will absorb moisture, expand and warp. Take note, it is conditioned for an interior central heated atmosphere.
If some warping or cupping is acceptable for rustic use, however, you can use our boards outside for signs and garden furniture etc. However they are intended for a central heated interior environment.
Wrapping in cling film or pallet wrap will reduce the effects of dampness if you need to store in a shed/garage etc. Use a dehumidifier in your workspace if it is necessary to minimise dampness. Even small domestic ones make a huge difference. You will need to keep the space at a minimum of 10 degrees C to get any decent moisture removal, however.
Background drying info:
We slowly air dry the wood for about 12 to 18 months for every 2.5cm / inch of board thickness, 24 months for oak.
We then use the kiln only to finish off the seasoning process over a slow 4 to 8 week cycle on average, sometimes longer. Although we sell our wood as ‘kiln-dried’ we prefer to think of it as slow air-dried, kiln-finished.
Timber at The Wood Place / Lanarkshire Hardwoods is slow dried and thoroughly seasoned.
Consequently our timber stays flat and stable in a wide range of environments.
Any movement due to moisture content changes, up or down, is minimal due to our traditional and extremely thorough seasoning process.
6. BOARD FINISH INFORMATION
SYCAMORE 1265A-4B
Supplied in PLANED & THICKNESSED format
PLANED & THICKNESSED FINISH Boards:
Machining method:
We plane or mill flat firstly one face of each board. Next we then flip them over and mill again, calibrating to a uniform thickness within a max range of plus/minus 5mm, usually within the range plus/minus 1mm. You, the customer (or us, on request), should further finish sand boards to achieve a perfect finish. It is necessary to remove about 0.5 to 1mm of material to eliminate the machining marks in most cases. We recommend going up to 320 grit for good furniture, however.
We select one face, the one with the price label showing, as the best face and will have a better planed finish with less tears/ tearout usually.
Un-planed patches and what to look out for:
Additionally, some localised sunken patches of un-planed/milled areas may be present. We may have left them if removing these would have reduced the overall board thickness too much. This could have de-stabilised or spoilt the look of the board. These will normally be on the reverse side if at all.
We will picture some non-planed areas in the product pictures. However, the image of one such area does not mean it is the only single area, merely that the board has one or more like this. They should be easy to see as being a different colour.
COARSE SANDED FINISH BOARDS:
Method:
Firstly we carry out the standard Planed & Thicknessed Finish service. Secondly we coarse sand the label (best) face to 40 grit to remove all or most planing/machining/ milling marks. These marks may still show in the photograph of the reverse face.
What to look out for:
The boards may pick up scuff marks etc from normal handling around the shop. We don’t guarantee a perfect finish but the coarse sanded boards do save the customer a lot of time in preparation.
Recommended further processing:
Coarse Sanded Finish boards need further sanding by the customer (or us, on request) to achieve a perfect finish. We recommend going up to 320 grit for good furniture. In the workshop our technique is usually to go steadily through the grits 80, 120, 180, 240 & 320. Sometimes proceeding through 400, 600, 800, 1200 & beyond for occasional projects.
Appearance:
Coarse sanding has the effect of subduing the appearance of grain features present in a board such as ripple and flame, compared with a planed finish. A fine finish really makes the boards come alive, so do expect your board to come up miles better than the dry sanded pictures of the wood on the website.
Colour :
We picture and supply the boards as standard unpolished. However all timbers will darken on application of most polish types. Grain & figure will also be enhanced, furthermore. Polished sample pictures are available on the wood types pages, accessible from the footer of the homepage.
We will add sample pictures of a similar POLISHED board in the batch to the list of product pictures, when available.
7. WOOD TYPE INFORMATION
SYCAMORE 1265A-4B
Sycamore is a variety of MAPLE (acer) common to the UK, in the past more frequently referred to as ‘Plane’ or ‘Plane Tree’ in Scotland but NOT to be confused with LONDON PLANE. The best figured examples are highly prized all over the world as tonewoods for musical instrument making and many Scottish Sycamores have for many years been exported to Europe for tonewood (musical instrument) production. It naturally makes a prime furniture timber too.
The Timber
Sycamore is generally stable – small movement in service – it wont warp much if subjected to moisture content changes. It is generally easy to cut, plane, chisel, sand and polish, being a smooth, close grained hardwood. It is naturally more antibacterial than some other species, so ideal for kitchen worktops and chopping boards etc. Some staining may be evident due to the abundant sugars in the tree attracting mould growth in the early stages of seasoning, particularly in any sapwood.
There is a wide variation in density from one type to another, but it is generally medium.
Colour
The pictures accompanying this script are of what the surface may look like after 5 to 10 years – when it will have darkened considerably. It is much paler, close to white sometimes, when it is fresh and new. It is difficult to keep it that white for long and so it is better that we show it in its finished colour.
Woodworm
It is incredibly prone to woodworm, especially in the sap. We endeavour to cut out any woodwormed areas but some may be missed. It is quite common for the trees to arrive at the sawmill already carrying the woodworm beetles which are present in the woodland. When we see them we treat them with an insecticide and remove as much bark and sapwood (which they prefer) as possible. Some may survive the sawmilling process and may then continue to tunnel during the air-drying process. We are fairly confident, but cannot guarantee, that the finished kiln-dried product is free of activity, and only about 5% of the production is affected in the first place. If you see woodworm holes it is most likely old activity.
Figure:
Sycamore is likely to have at least some mild ripple which may not show until after final finishing and perhaps only on quarter-sawn faces. However medium or even heavily pronounced ripple or flame figure is common and greatly adds to the attractive quality of the timber.
To bring out the figure in its best light, finish the timber cleanly, either by sharp plane, scraper or very fine sanding, or all 3; then use either an oil or shellac (french polish), both of which sink down into the timber and highlight the end-grain areas of the surface where undulating grain causes the ripple or flame ‘figure’.
Finished with a laquer or varnish, which sit more on the top, these end grain areas will be masked and the light cannot be reflected back in such a way as to reveal the flashy grain. However certain types of lacquer and varnish may be more likely to keep the timber whiter, again due to the lack of penetration of polish into the timber, which may be a better aim of the maker.
Maple Types
There are many different varieties of MAPLE (acer), of which SYCAMORE being an ‘acer’ can be described as one and although most sycamore timber is recognisable as such some is less clear looking at just the wood, not the tree, and if a suspected sycamore log has not been seen standing as a tree by Patrick with its leaves or buds to be able to be positively identified as a sycamore then the timber may be described more generally as ‘maple’ and may be listed on our website as ‘maple’. Most acers / maples are presented for sale to us by forestry contractors or woodland owners pre-felled or as wind-blow clear up and thus it is frequently the case.
In addition to sycamore the maple family include field or common maple, Norway maple and many american or japanese maples planted and grown in the UK – many country estates have examples of non-native species to offer, planted in the 1800s and now reaching the end of their lives and US maples were popular.
There are subtle variations between the timbers, some being hard, dense, heavy or close grained and others much less so. There can be a wide variation in the density from one tree to another, even within the same type of maple, depending on where it was grown.
Sycamore and the soft maples will generally be whiter or else showing grey staining, whilst true maples will generally be a more light biscuit brown, with a slightly more pronounced grain and a greater likelihood of pipp and burr.
Seasoning
Sycamore needs special treatment to avoid unsightly staining caused by the afore-mentioned mould growth attracted to the sugars in the tree. Our first step is to usually only buy sycamore that has been felled or wind-blown in the absolute depth of mid-winter – Christmas time is usually about right – when the sap is most likely to be down.
However these days most winters are so mild that the sap barely retreats and thus it is maybe only about one winter out of 5 that the conditions are right for prime Sycamore felling, coinciding with the time a tree is being offered for sale to us.
When we have acquired good prime Sycamore, we then do our best to mill the timber into boards as quickly as possible, preferably during a prolonged spell of cold, bright, clear frosty weather – again a thing of the past now, sadly, in British winters, even here in central Scotland. Thus we are now looking at about only 1 in 10 years being perfect for Sycamore drying!
After milling the timber must be surface dried quickly with minimal contact with drying stickers, which always cause staining – generally that is by a method called end-rearing. We raise the boards up on their ends and lean a quantity together with a sticker at top and bottom only to keep them apart. Needless to say, without the normal many stickers every foot and the huge weights placed on the stacks horizontally to restrain the movement during seasoning, the timber is apt to warp, twist, bow and cup all over the place if it is anything other than perfectly straight in both directions. Wastage is ridiculous and building the boards into a stack to go in the finishing kiln is impossible. Thus we will only plank and end-rear the very straightest of timbers, examples of which are rare things to be offered for sale in our part of the world.
Hence the reasons why we do not have much prime sycamore for sale!
We do put a lot of the sycamore we get into very thick sections for mantels, beams, furniture legs or eventual resawing. The thick sizes reduce the amount of warping etc when they season and allow less stickers to be used for conventional horizontal stacking; also if there is surface staining there is enough material to allow it to be planed out. Generally thick sizes (70mm plus) will not dry as clear white and may have more splits.
It is a stable timber, easy to machine & finish, even when figured. Has to be very carefully cut & seasoned to avoid excessive staining in the timber.
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