What to do with Hickory?

[WoodenHead]

I'm curious as to what people do with their hickory logs.  A logger friend has a couple nice ones coming to me he says.  They'll be cut to about 17/18 feet long so I can halve them if I wish.  Do you slab them?Make flooring out them?  5/4? 4/4?  I assume I should saw them as green as possible?

[LeeB]

Flooring and cabinet work comes to mind. Getting it to dry straight can be a little tough. I would consider 5/4 although it can be tough on equipment once dry.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Firewood.

[Magicman]

Firewood. 

I am glad that I don't have to split it.   :-\

I will saw Hickory for customers, but I would not want any for myself.  Some deals are not necessarily good deals, and just because it is available does not mean that you have to accept it.  Especially if you do not have an immediate use for the lumber.

[sealark37]

I would only saw hickory if I had a customer who wanted it, or if I needed some for stock.  5/4 will allow some extra to accommodate warping and cupping.  As noted above, it is hard on equipment.  Sawing green with a good band is helpful.  If you have never had problems with waviness, get ready.  For all this, hickory makes beautiful cabinets, furniture, and flooring.  Good Luck, and Regards, Clark

[dboyt]

Hickory's toughness makes it a good choice for hammer, axe, and other handles (have you priced a wood cant hook handle lately?), baseball bats & drum sticks.  I wouldn't saw it up unless you know you have a market it for it.  As sure as you cut it 5/4, someone will want 6/4!  Very pretty wood, identical to pecan, which is actually a hickory species.  Other than that, a lot of folks around here chip it up for the barbeque.

[LeeB]

I don't find it to be identical to pecan. To me pecan has more color and tends to have a reddish tint to it. I prefer the look of pecan over hickory.

[GAB]

To me the hickory bark seems to dull blades very quickly almost as if it is high in silica.  So I saw it such that I can get my blade entering fresh wood and coming out of the bark as quickly as possible.  The smoothbark hickory I think is worst, than the shagbark.

As far as splitting wood goes if the splitter can't handle it, then I use the sawmill.  I will get it down to wood stove size one way or another.  Fixturing, to use the sawmill, can be a challenge, but so is life.  Gerald

[mmartone]

We have quarter sawn some and flat sawn, air drying and looking pretty flat, gorgeous.



  



 

Hoping it stays mostly flat.

[thecfarm]

I hope it stays flat too. Pretty.

[WoodenHead]

Thanks for the responses. 

Is there any benefit to quarter sawing to minimize drying defects?  Should I kiln dry it green or air-dry first (or only)?  Is it likely to twist?

My wife would like some cabinets (for laundry and stuff).  But if it is nasty stuff, maybe I should consider narrow width flooring instead. 

[woodmills1]

firewood

sell boards, years later customer complains it is still moving

[arkansas]

Hickory can be worked, but like said it is a pain.   

  

  

  

  not the best but I like it and it works for intended purpose.  Wife does not, to heavy to change room around?

[kelLOGg]

This is flooring in my office from a dead hickory. The worm holes add to the beauty. I shed dried it followed by kiln drying, ripped it to size and had it T&Ged. I would jump at the chance to get some more. 

 

[Nomad]

     There's more than one flavor of hickory.  None are easy, but some are worse than others.  I cut a lot of it for customers; never done any for myself.  Not exactly one of my favorite woods to saw.

[YellowHammer]

I hate (really hate) sawing hickory, but it sells fast around here for $3.50 per bdft.  I saw it 4/4 + thick, kiln dry it, sort the nasties to the cull stack (sell them at $1/bdft) skip plane the rest and sell it all day long.  The patterns are striking and most of the people use it for rustic trestle top tables.  I've got a guy driving almost 100 miles this weekend to buy some.  Its pretty hard on the planer, too.
YH

[drobertson]

Plain sawn 4/4 for flooring, saw for grade,  q-saw clear for handles.  Hickory gets a bad wrap, and rightly so, but it has lots of character, and might show yours by the time you finish sawing.    david

[Mountain Guardian]

...... Someone else that uses their mill to cheat on firewood....  I have a bunch of old gnarly knots and y's that I cut into firewood lengths and then slab into 3 inch slabs for firewood, beats the heck out of splitting it.

[beenthere]

I have a bunch of old gnarly knots and y's that I cut into firewood lengths

I leave those lay right on the ground, and just drop a chainsaw cut or two through them. That way, no lifting and no clamping needed. ;)

[red oaks lumber]

mmartone
if you are hoping to keep your hick flat and straight, you need more stickers. the first stick should be about 2" in from the end, then every 12"- 14" after that. make sure you have base support under every row of stickers.

for me hickory make good firewood  ;Dor its really nice wood someone else has to deal with :D

[dgdrls]

 

  

 

Saw it green and get the bark off or lead the band with a debarker.
sticker it and weight it down tight.
The first Hickory I sawed was full of tension



 

Others can speak to it better than I but, I think Hickory and Pecan is best sawn
with a 4-7 deg band.

DGDrls

[Greg Brown]

This is a hickory kitchen cabinet job I did.  I ALWAYS make sure I have all my cutter blades and saws good and sharp before doing hickory.




  

 

[Delawhere Jack]

Figure how long it would take to mill an oak log the same size, and then double the time. It's about like sawing concrete. I found some of the best figured crotch wood I've milled in hickory. Can't tell you about how it dried as I'm a love'm (get paid) and leave'm type sawyer.  ;)



 

[gfadvm]

I have read all the comments about pecan and hickory being difficult to dry straight and flat. We have a LOT of standing dead hickory and pecan in my area. Is standing dead better/worse than green in terms of warping, twisting, etc?

[Sawdust Lover]

You may see sparks come off the blade. I tried to saw some dead hickory a few months ago and it ended up in the firewood pile.

[mesquite buckeye]

Shagbark hickory cuts about the same a bur oak for me. Not that bad if it is still moist. It does like to move. Maybe dance would be more accurate, but it is really pretty.

They are selling a lot of hickory cabinets in the big box stores right now. Seems like it has gotten popular. ;D That's OK, I have lots. ;D 8) 8) 8)

[WDH]

I have swore off hickory  .

[mesquite buckeye]

  Too bad. It's real purdy.



HAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;D

[WDH]

Just because somebody is pretty does not make them easy to live with  .

[mesquite buckeye]

If they are pretty enough, it might just be worth it. ;D

[kensfarm]

This is a hickory kitchen cabinet job I did. 

Greg.. that is some nice work.. can I ask what something like that would cost?  The heart wood always looks like a picture of a tree to me. 

[marcusthgault]

Hickory or even Pecan being non-existent in Northern Ireland, I cannot comment.
However the remark about sparks sounds familiar to anyone in NI who has ever cut Hawthorn, particularly dead or seasoned Hawthorn.
I figgered the bark was trapping air borne or birds nest grit in some fashion.
Having observed such fine sparks when cutting apparently clean otherwise Hawthorn in the gloaming (= twilight)
But now understand from the Hickory comment that some specis lay down Silica particles (=hard sand) in their bark or timber.
Is this correct?
Marcus
PS
Hawthorn is also absolutly prime firewood.

[Ron Wenrich]

I've cut a fair share of hickory on a circle mill.  Some of it saws really hard and some of it saws fairly easy.  It depends on species.  Sometimes you the log will change as you saw through it. 

We get a lot of bitternut hickory, and that is difficult to even get the bark off of it.  That has lots of tension and will pull the saw.  Doesn't matter if it green or dry.  It wants to really pull the saw.  I often end up doing a lot of turning and taking a lot of shim cuts. 

We also do get some pignut and mockernut hickory.  Those tend to saw fairly well.  They debark easier.  The general rule for us is if it debarks decent, then the sawing won't be so bad.  I don't recall sawing any shagbark. 

I remember being on an Aussie board one time where they were making fun of Americans claiming they were sawing hardwoods.  They felt that hickory was one of their intermediate hardwoods.  I don't think any of them were running band mills.

The market for hickory isn't too bad.  We've sold a lot of grade.  The yield isn't quite as high on hickory as it is on red oak.  I remember when it rarely showed up in the yard.  I sawed for many years without sawing much hickory, because of poor markets.  Those markets have changed, because it does make really nice cabinets. 

[ffpup]

For what its worth Hickory is hard on equipment!! It dulls chains and blades. My two cents is get you a sharp chain cut it up, split it let it dry for about 6 months. Then find you a big pig cooker, get a pig and cook it. Call all you buddies and have a big cook out.   ;D If you have some hickory left cook another pig.

[ancjr]

Being that Hickory is so hard on equipment, I'll make an offer to you all.  Bring your Hickory to me, and I will dispose of it safely and properly at no charge.  :D

[Seaman]

ffpup, you set a date for this pig cookin yet ????
Frank

[WDH]

Greg,

The hickory cabinets are beautiful.  The contrast between the sap and the heart is amazing. 

[ffpup]

ffpup, you set a date for this pig cookin yet ????
Frank

No but if we can get some of that hickory from woodenhead I'm in 8)

[Mountain Guardian]

I still have two three hundred pound hogs in the barn that I haven't slaughtered out yet..................  I feel a barbi comin on..... lol

[Bert]

I have a love/hate relationship with hickory. I have hickory cabinets in the kitchen and love them, but hate sawing it on the mill. Hickory has come up in value though for the last year. A lot  of it can be sold as Grade lumber. Im even getting 70-80 cents a board feet now as sawlogs.

[Greg Brown]

Greg.. that is some nice work.. can I ask what something like that would cost?  The heart wood always looks like a picture of a tree to me.
[/quote]


Kensfarm,  I charged $3100 for that job.  I refaced the existing crummy looking cabinets with new faceframes, doors and drawer fronts. 

[drobertson]

Ron is so right on his assessment of some being more difficult than others.  I have fought green, while sawing dried out hard just fine, then, just the opposite.   It surely has plenty of character worth the battle when all is said and done.   david

[WDH]

Greg,

That was a bargain for the homeowner.

[reswire]

This is a hickory kitchen cabinet job I did.  I ALWAYS make sure I have all my cutter blades and saws good and sharp before doing hickory.

Did you do the floors also??  Looks extremely nice!  Makes me wish I had a decent shop and more talent with a power tool.  You da man. :new_year:

[sawdusty1]

No more hickory for me either.   It does weird things after it has been sawed.

[mikeb1079]

i've only sawn up a few hickory trees, but the sawing part actually went pretty well, using wm 4 degree bands.  the drying part?........let me just say:

smiley_monkeyfight smiley_horserider

yep, that about got it.   :D :D

(where's meadows miller when you need him?)

[LeeB]

Good question, where is Meadows Miller?

[Greg Brown]

Greg,

That was a bargain for the homeowner.

This job was for a friend,  a VERY good friend.
I did not do the flooring, that is too much up and down on my old knees, even for a very good friend.

[kensfarm]

Thank you Greg.  I have pretty crummy cabinets too..  press wood.  I'll be taking them out at some point .. my project at making the kitchen bigger is in the works.. but I've been working on replacing the barn floor lately.  If you have other pictures.. it would be great to see some more of your carpentry.

[Greg Brown]

Thank you Greg.  I have pretty crummy cabinets too..  press wood.  I'll be taking them out at some point .. my project at making the kitchen bigger is in the works.. but I've been working on replacing the barn floor lately.  If you have other pictures.. it would be great to see some more of your carpentry.

Thanks for the kind compliments Kensfarm. My wife would have killed me if I had done the barn's floor before her kitchen. you can view my gallery here on the forum to see some of my work.

[kensfarm]

Maybe that explains why mine left years ago..  life is def. one continous project.. sometimes you just have to tear it all out and start over.   ;D 

[TimRB]

If you find somebody who makes bows, he would probably love to have a bit of nice, straight hickory.

Tim

[wildtmpckjzg]

I've cut a fair share of hickory on a circle mill.  Some of it saws really hard and some of it saws fairly easy.  It depends on species.  Sometimes you the log will change as you saw through it.  

We get a lot of bitternut hickory, and that is difficult to even get the bark off of it.  That has lots of tension and will pull the saw.  Doesn't matter if it green or dry.  It wants to really pull the saw.  I often end up doing a lot of turning and taking a lot of shim cuts.  

We also do get some pignut and mockernut hickory.  Those tend to saw fairly well.  They debark easier.  The general rule for us is if it debarks decent, then the sawing won't be so bad.  I don't recall sawing any shagbark.  

I remember being on an Aussie board one time where they were making fun of Americans claiming they were sawing hardwoods.  They felt that hickory was one of their intermediate hardwoods.  I don't think any of them were running band mills.

The market for hickory isn't too bad.  We've sold a lot of grade.  The yield isn't quite as high on hickory as it is on red oak.  I remember when it rarely showed up in the yard.  I sawed for many years without sawing much hickory flooring guide, because of poor markets.  Those markets have changed, because it does make really nice cabinets.

I had my heart set on finished on site character grade hickory flooring for our new lake house. We are talking with an Amish gentleman that does nothing but hardwood. He is discouraging me. According to him, hickory will have gaps with even mild fluctuations in humidity and climate change in the house. I told him my second choice was white oak..he said better choice. what do you know about hardwood and hickory in particular? thanks.

[beenthere]

Which hickory are you thinking of?

[dogbo2013]

Thanks for the responses.  

Is there any benefit to quarter sawing to minimize drying defects?  Should I kiln dry it green or air-dry first (or only)?  Is it likely to twist?

My wife would like some cabinets (for laundry and stuff).  But if it is nasty stuff, maybe I should consider narrow width flooring instead.

I would definitely quarter saw it. I have quarter sawn quite a bit of it and it lays flat with minimal movement. Air drying it seems to leave a little bit softer than kiln drying. The slower it dries naturally seems to be best. Either way, be prepared to change your saw blade, jointer and planer knives after a project. The end result is worth it.

[Don P]

After?, often midway  :D.

Shrinkage averages just to compare things
radial white oak 4.4%, radial (QS) hickory 7-7.6%
tangential (flatsawn) WO 10.5, Hickory 10.5-12%

QS WO wins, plainsawn in either is about equal and I've walked on both without complaint. Mine is plainsawn red oak @~8.6% shrinkage, no climate control and it does move a bit but not objectionable to me. I have those kinds of expectations tho.

Machinability, shaping... hickory ~25% perfect pieces out of 100, WO shaping ~85% perfect. Hickory rips out easy and long. Like others have said, gotta be sharp.

Personally I like the look of shag for a "hickory" look. To my eye it is the hickory in peoples minds. If you prefer strong clear white, mockernut and avoid the heart.

[esteadle]

Saw Hickory as green as possible.
Off the stump if you can.
Hickory makes good trailer decking.
5/4, 6/4, 8/4.