Advice on cutting sycamore trunk for woodturning

mobfromcork

Folks,
I have a circa 20ft length of Sycamore trunk that I need to cut up. Some will be used for firewood but I'd like to cut some bowl blanks for turning as well. Tree is down since last year but is sitting slightly raised off the ground and is about 20 inches diameter (or maybe a little more).
I'll be heading down in the next few days to cut it up. I've done a really small amount of wood turning before but the blanks were provided or I had small pieces for egg cups etc. I'd love to try a few bigger bowls as I have a reasonably sized lathe Record CL3 and with the dark winter evenings stretching out its be nice to practice a but of turning.
How would I go about cutting the trunk in order to provide me with turnable wood please? I don't have a band saw big enough for a big bowl blank so would have to do the majority with the chainsaw if possible. Saw a few videos online but the lads in then have huge bandsaws for shaping.
Would I be correct in saying that I could only rough turn them first, then allow to dry and finish at a later date? Sorry about the novice questions but would prefer to be armed with a bit of knowledge before hacking the tree to bits!
Thanks for any advice

Also, on a separate note, I read online that Sycamore trees are really difficult to split and saw videos of splitting mauls hopping off the rings. I tried a few and my splitter cut through them without any difficulty at all. Are there different varieties of Sycamore that are tougher/softer than others?

Mark

Prenderb

Don't cut it up until you have to! The longer the wood can be kept in the log, the easier it will be for you to turn when you get to it. That said, we don't all have the luxury of leaving logs lying around.

If/when you do cut it, cut lengths of the trunk that are something like 2x the diameter. This will mean that you'll be giving your timber some "waste" on each end of the log to crack, while maximising the usable material for a blank. Then try to cut it in two as cleanly as you can - removing the pith (the centre) if you can. Each side should then give you a bowl, and you should have some opportunity to turn a natural edged bowl.

You can of course turn them green, then let the bowl season and come back to it when moisture content has stabilised (use a moisture meter, or weigh the bowl every month or so till the weight stabilises). If you do this, keep the bowl in something like a paper bag with some shavings to help slow down the drying out. Or, turn them to a finish while green and marvel at the beautiful shapes you might get as the timber dries and warps!

Hope that helps!

mobfromcork

Thanks for the reply. I need to clear it from where it's lying soon but should be able to leave it in the log for a while provided I can lift it out from where it is.
Might try both options you suggested.
Sound

Prenderb

There are a lot of practical considerations about processing timber - manual handling, location, all that sort of stuff, so it's easy to give an "ideal world" set of instrucitons!

Also, if you turn the bowls green, you WILL lose some.

woodturner

Process it as soon as you can. Sycamore is prone to staining if left lying flat as the sap is just laying there. It is recommended to dry sycamore standing so the sap (water) will run to the bottom of the log or board. I'm in the Midlands and if you need any help just drop me message.