V095 – ASH CROWN

The heartwood is light brown to brown, and the grain appears as reddish-black dots. The most desirable arrangement of these dots is that they are distributed as evenly as possible across the surface. The black poplar is the only poplar species that develops grain growth.

Sycamore works easily with both hand and machine tools, though the interlocked grain can be troublesome in surfacing and machining operations at times. Sycamore turns, glues, and finishes well. Responds poorly to steam bending.

Greater importance as rotary birch for the furniture and panel industry (popular wood for bedrooms in the 1950s); and table and chair production. Very popular firewood. In larger dimensions (rarely) also produced as knife birch. The majority of the knife-cut birch is "yellow birch" from the USA.

Has a very conspicuous flecking that gives this wood its namesake. The wood itself is a reddish brown with grey or light brown rays, which result in a lace pattern when quartersawn. Like other woods that exhibit the strongest figure in quartersawn pieces, (such as Sycamore), Lacewood has the most pronounced figure and displays the largest flecks when perfectly quartersawn; this is due to the wood’s wide medullary rays, whose layout can be seen the clearest when looking at the end grain.