Figured Sycamore Small-size Veneers

Figured Sycamore Small-size Veneers

Genuine wood sliced-veneer sheets.

Selected single veneers, no sequence.

Dimensions:

Length: 30 cm (approximately 12 inches).

Width: 15 to 21 cm (approximately 5 to 8 inches), depending on availability.

Thickness: 0.6 mm (approximately 1/40 inches).

Measurement scaling:

The width is rounded to the covered centimeter, for example, 15.8 cm, giving 15 cm.

Photos:

To keep the cost of these products as low as possible, unlike other veneers on this website, the pictures of small-size veneers do not represent the actual stock available.

What are Small-size Veneers?

These are veneer sheets with a fixed length of 30 cm (30.5 cm exactly).

These sheets are not in a continuous sequence and may come from different logs.

What are Sycamore veneers?

What are the common names of the sycamore?

Sycamore, European maple, sycamore maple.

What is the botanical name of Sycamore?

Acer pseudoplatanus.

What is the origin of Sycamore?

The sycamore maple is one of the most common maple species in Europe and is found throughout the continent, as well as in North Africa and Western Asia.

How do you recognize Sycamore?

Sycamore is a hardwood called "white," but it has a slightly ivory tone. Unlike its North American cousin, the sugar maple, it does not have "sugar hair." However, Sycamore has small wood-colored pinknots; these pinknots are inevitable, and a sycamore without pinknots is extremely rare.

This forest species is one of the semi-precious hardwoods, but in its figured form (rare, accounting for less than 1% of forest production), it becomes a precious wood.

Sycamore is called "plain" when it is not figured. However, plain Sycamore can occasionally exhibit flames and shadow figures, which are very light figures that are not sufficiently marked to be considered figured wood.

What are the mechanical properties of Sycamore?

Weight: 615 to 650 Kg/m³, with an average weight at 10-12% humidity.

Janka hardness: 4680 Newton. For comparison, Oak is 4980 N, and Poplar is 1650 N.

Elasticity: 9.92 GigaPascal. For comparison, Ash has a modulus of 12.31 GPa, and Poplar has a modulus of 9.75 GPa.

Flexural Strength: 55 Megapascals. For comparison, US Maple has a modulus of 109 MPa, and Yew has a modulus of 96 MPa.

What are the uses of Sycamore?

Its natural beauty and strength make it a popular wood for furniture manufacturers, stairs, parquet floors, and paneling.

In instrument making, Luthiers particularly appreciate the Fiddleback Sycamore veneer for its warm sound, especially for violins, cellos, and double basses.

In decoration, its light color and fine grain blend perfectly with various interior styles, adding a touch of elegance and modernity.

What are wood veneers?

Veneers are thin sheets of wood obtained by slicing or peeling.

Their surface has the appearance of planed wood without any finish or treatment. They are neither glued nor backed with any other material. This means that both sides of the sheets can be used.

Veneers are mainly used to cover less aesthetically pleasing substrates, such as plywood or particleboard, to create furniture or wall panels.

Wood veneers are also used to create decorative objects, including lamps, jewelry, bookmarks, and more.

By stacking several sheets of veneer, it is possible to manufacture objects requiring high mechanical resistance, such as skis, bicycle frames, or musical instruments.

The applications of veneer are as varied as they are multiple.

Since veneers are genuine wood, all wood finishing products, including varnish, stain, and oil, are suitable. The choice of finish will depend on your personal preferences and the object's intended use.

The veneer offered here is a sliced sheet of uniform thickness; however, thickness may vary from one species to another. The standard thickness is around 0.6 mm.

Although the edges of the veneers have been cut roughly straight, they are not perfectly parallel to each other. Some veneers may retain the natural taper of the tree, being slightly wider at the foot than at the top.

Some veneers may have a slightly wavy edge on the sides, following the natural shape of the tree. In this case, the indicated dimensions correspond to the minimum veneer width specified in the "Dimensions" paragraph.

How to use veneers?

How to cut the veneers?

Veneers can be easily cut with a utility knife.

For straight cuts, the best results are obtained with a veneer saw.

Use a fretsaw, scalpel, or veneer knife for curved cuts.

Always allow for a slightly larger veneer sheet than your intended surface. This will allow you to adjust the size after gluing for a clean finish.

A flush trimmer can also be used to trim the veneer after it has been glued.

When cutting with a utility knife or a veneer knife, it's best to cut with the grain of the wood. To check this, run your finger along the edge of the sheet. The direction that feels smoothest is the ideal direction for cutting.

What is veneer splicing?

Since veneers come in the width that nature gave us, you may need to cover an area wider than the available veneers.

Therefore, you need to splice the veneers by gluing or taping them side by side to achieve the desired width.

Trim the veneer's edges with a straight, smooth cut to achieve a good joint.

Stick the veneers in place with tape (the blue one is a good choice).

Usually, the veneers are spliced side by side, but they can be spliced butt-match to obtain a longer length.

Splicing must be completed before gluing the veneers to the substrate.

What Glue to Use for Veneering?

Several types of gluing are possible.

Vinylic glue (PVA or PVB) is well-suited for porous substrates such as plywood, particleboard, or MDF. The veneers must be clamped over the entire surface at once.

Note: A technique using vinylic glue and an iron can also be used to glue veneers; however, we strongly recommend using this technique only if other gluing solutions are not feasible.

- Neoprene glue is applied to all surfaces, especially non-porous surfaces, using two coats of glue and marouflage.

- Animal glue, such as hide, sinew, or bone glue, is a product that must be cooked in a double boiler and used hot.

How to Sand Veneers?

Veneers and all our products are made from genuine wood and can be sanded according to the thickness of the veneer.

Please do not use a belt sander, regardless of the veneer's thickness, as it could pierce the veneer.

With a 0.6 mm veneer, lightly sand with 120-grit sandpaper and then finish with 180- or 240-grit sandpaper. With an orbital sander, 180-grit is already sufficient for most applications.

How to Finish a Veneer Realization?

All finishing products commonly used on wood are suitable for our products. For example, you can use a varnish, wax, paint, or oil.

However, ensure that the product you want to use is compatible with the final use of your creation.

More information:

Please review our tutorials; you may find some valuable tips.

Please don't hesitate to contact us by email or phone for any further information.