Hickory beam,

[alanh]

guy wants a 6x6 hickory beam , 10 ft, should I box the heart or try to eliminate it?

[terrifictimbersllc]

What's he going thinking to do with it?

[alanh]

It sounds like its a decorative header on a porch

[terrifictimbersllc]

If he likes the timber look (deep cracks in from all faces) then heart center.  

If he is hoping that it will not have any cracks in it then free of heart unless size of log and whether or not he wants it all to be dark heartwood don't permit this.  Either way will take years to dry, and heartwood or not, it won't have any rot resistance.  

Alternative to these two options is to build it up from thinner air dried wood. 

[alanh]

Thanks,

[Ron Wenrich]

One of the more unusual orders I had was for a 4x6x21' made out of hickory.  They used it for the local amateur wrestling ring.  They needed something that would support the center of the ring, but allow it to have bounce.  I used a boxed heart.  They broke it after a couple of weeks.  I guess 250-300 lb guys doing body slams was just a bit too much for it.   :D

[alanh]

I cut the thing this morning, it was devil wood log for sure, lotsa stress, cut 8x8 first and watched it bend on the mill, trimmed it down and called him, advised to get it bolted in quick..

[moodnacreek]

Hickory for structural is a no-no on account of p.p. beetles. They think it's candy.

[richhiway]

I was always under the impression that if you wanted a stable post of any size you centered the heart? And that is how I cut all my pine and hemlock posts. Or is that more related to species?

[Woodpecker52]

Ah powder post beetles it's such a joy to see sawdust snowflakes all year long especially in the house!

[Don P]

If ppb's were a reason for discounting a species we could rule out quite a few, oak and poplar immediately come to mind. I borate them. Beech/birch/hickory is one of the highest strength groups in the heavy timber tables.

Boxed heart is very often specified because it balances the stress however FOHC, free of heart center, dougfir is one of the highest grades because it checks far less.

[moodnacreek]

Too many wet summers and p.p.b. will almost hollow out a hard wood beam of certain species. I have been sawing and stacking since 1980 and have +- 100M on sticks. The large old home I came from had white wood floor joists about disintegrated. Here hickory is the worst then tulip and maple also elm. Too bad I could not sell wood flower.

[Brad_bb]

I've heard some on here complain about hickory checking real bad, having internal stress and splitting...I've only had a couple shagbark hickory logs.  I made 10x10 and 8x8 boxed heart beams. They've been in my shed for 2-3 years and no checks at all.  Maybe once they go into the house frame and are in heated conditioned space.... I don't have any problem with PPB on them yet.  Once inside I shouldn't (once any current larvae are gone).  If using it outside, I'm not sure how it would fare, but you can treat it.

I've been working with a lot of barnwood, mostly oak barnwood.  The wood is from various barns in Indiana.  They look pretty good.  Not riddled with PPB holes, but there may be some.  Everything I've read is that as long as you don't have a huge infestation, if you're using the wood indoors, you're going to have less re-infestation once the current larvae turn into beetles and leave.  Putting a finish on the wood like a urethane will prevent re-infestation because the adult beetle tastes the surface and if they don't taste the starch of the wood, they're not going to lay there. You wouldn't have many adult beetles in the house anyway.  Their cycle is slow enough that you can eliminate them without even needing to do a kiln sterilization, if you're applying a finish and have it inside.  With new wood, I WOULD sterilize in the kiln.