Hackberry

[flip]

Well, I'm sitting here reading the archives on hackberry and it don't look good.  I'm going to take down a few small ash trees for a guy and a 40" hack.  I get the logs and most of the lumber but I'm not sure if I really want to play with the hack after what I've been reading.  Can anyone give me a reason to cut it into lumber ???
Flip

[OneWithWood]

because you can

[flip]

 ;D ;D ;D

[Norm]

I sawed some logs of it flip and was not impressed. Personally I'd not waste the blades on it but that's just my opinion.

[Ed]

The small mill that does my lumber makes t&g paneling from it. Pretty stuff IMHO.

Ed

[Tom]

Flip, regardless of what we say, you might just be the one to find a market for it let us in on it. 

[footer]

Hackberry is some nice looking wood. Most people say that to avoid staining it needs to be put into the kiln within hours of sawing the tree down. I don't know how true that is, but in my opinion there is nothing wrong with the looks of it if it is not kiln dried right away. The stain, or or whatever it is gives the wood some caracter  ;D  It also shrinks quite a bit when drying, so take that into acount when sawing. Personally, I would saw it.

[flip]

Does the stain ya'll are talking about just on the surface or does it go all the way through the board?  I can find something to do with the wood, it may just take a few years :

[metalspinner]

It gets soft pretty quick in the log form.  I think the wood is nice looking and would make nice paneling in the shop, for sure.  If the log is nice and straight, I would mill it up - if I had mill, of course. :D

[Nate Surveyor]

I milled a little of it, when I had a chain saw Logosol.

It seemed to be ok to me.

Nate 8)

[Larry]

This time of year hackberry will start to blue/grey stain from the ends of the log within a week or two.  It also stick stains easily.  And yes the stain is all the way through and far from attractive.  I've sawn some and both Dad and I have used it for cabinet work.  Never been able to sell one stick of it.  Think I posted a pic one time or nother of the wood.

I would pass on the log...not because it is hackberry but because it's 40".  The fight is not worth the return IMHO.

[Part_Timer]

I cut some for a guy to use as hay loft floor and it worked fine.  I also cut some and used it to extend the attic floor.  It seems to be working well for the neighbor that used it for haywagon deck.

I've cut some small logs that have twisted and corkscrewed but I've cut some good sized ones that behaved just fine.

Better cut it and find out what you think them let us know.

[Handy Andy]

  There's a guy near Burdick Kansas who makes the stuff into flooring and trim.  my
daughter's house has it for flooring.  He said he cuts the tree, mills it and has it in the
kiln the same day.  What I have cut looks painted green the first trip through the jointer, and it is blotchy.  The stuff he had is nice.  
 A neighbor said his dad made a hay trailer floor from the stuff once, and it lasted outside very well.  He wants me to saw some 2" to do a trailer floor.  Told him to get it cut and I'll saw it.  Jim

[WDH]

The gray oxidation stain will splotch it.  The spiral interlocked grain will result in a significant amount of drying defect.  You will need a lot of weight.

Expect some of this:



Couple of pics of air dried 4/4.  Some gray stain, but not to bad.

[ElectricAl]

Flip,

I built Linda a rolling kitchen cabinet with Hackberry. It's works well when dry.




It stains very quick and very easy.

If the tree is standing dead your in trouble already. However if the tree is healthy
fell it, saw it, dry it. Quicker is better. Breeze Dry stickers will help.

[sawwood]

To bad you are so far east of me, I have used it in my segmented
turnings and i like the looks of it. Most of the logs we have cut are
small ones and a 40" would be a delite to mill. For me i would cut
it in 6/4 size and sticker it soon.

Sawwood

[WDH]

Nice cabinet, ElectricAl  ;D

[Faron]

Flip, I have 800 feet that need to go to the kiln for a customer.  I cut some for him some years ago, along with some of the best cherry you ever saw.  He was more tickled with the hackberry than the cherry. ??? ??? ???  I am unimpressed with the hackberry, but hey, he is paying the bill. I don't think I could sell much to woodworkers around here.   

[sawmilllawyer]

 8) 8) 8) This has got to be the greatest forum. Just when I was almost ready to ask about sawing, drying and machining characteristics of Hackberry, along comes this thread. Thanks for the info, guys. Andy.

[pigman]

Flip,

I built Linda a rolling kitchen cabinet with Hackberry. It's works well when dry.

I like the tools Linda keeps in her "kitchen cabinet".

[WDH]

The hackberry that I machined (face jointed and planed to thickness) seemed to machine very hard.  It was very tough on the planer and jointer knives.  Seemed to be harder than I would have expected from its specific gravity. 

[flip]

The tree is along a field and looks healthy.  I told the guy I'd cut it down but wouldn't be able to cut it for a week or so.  Could I use it for trailer decking or is it not very rot resistant?

[john_boylan]

Per a vintage pamphlet titled The Southern Hardwoods, undated, by the Southern Hardwood Lumber Manufacturers Association, southern hackberry is:

"...rated...as one of the two best woods for gluing properties...ranks high in resistance to warping and shrinkage...no difficulties encountered in machining...ranks high in turning properties...in steam bending tests it outperformed all other commonly used hardwood species.

"...first came into favor in the furniture industry....originally found to be particularly well-suited for upholstered frames....[later] used for tables and chairs.

"The lower grades of hackberry are used in a variety of shipping containers."

[WDH]

You sure don't see much of it in the trade.

[flip]

Well, it's on the ground and waiting to be moved so I can load it up.   That wood was WHITE.

[IL Bull]

It won't be for long.  I milled some and let it air dry.  I got some of the prettyest blue wood you ever saw.  

[flip]

Sounds like a good selling point. "Rare blue wood, harvested in southern Indiana.  Be one of the lucky few to obtain this one of a kind treasure for that special project" : :D

[WDH]

That oxidation stain happens fast.  Marketing that might be the ticket, sort of like "denim pine".