David Weaver
looks spectacular!

It's interesting that my piece of wood doesn't look at all like that in the sap - and it's dead quartered. That's a very sycamore-looking property to the flecking. It's really appealing.

Mine is very plain. Maybe it's hard maple Or maybe it is English Sycamore and not LPT and it's just unusually hard.

EDIT: the smart thing to do is just go to google and do an image search. Mine is Acer pseudoplatanus

I have no idea why it's as hard as it is as the wood database describes its hardness in a range more like acer rubrum (just slightly harder). My piece is half way hateful.