Uses for Hickory

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Cwalker935

Cwalker935

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Richmond, Va
A large hickory on my mother-in-laws property was struck by lightning and needs to be taken down. I will use much of it for firewood but will be saving some choice pieces for bowls, muddlers, etc. Does anyone have any suggestions for other uses that hickory may be suited for? Thanks for any suggestions.
 
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Handles are best riven rather than sawn -- the splitting keeps the grain running straight where cutting does not.

Hickory is not the stuff of which thin bowls and hollow forms are made. Think utility pieces, pepper mills, Treen, boxes with loose lids, and other things that will handle a more coarse grained wood.
 
Call a sawyer...might be interested in paying you for a large trunk. Am considering using hickory for cabinet doors when I remodel the kitchen...the coloring is unique and quite pleasing (to some). Only concerned the look could become tiring.
 
D.Oliver said:
A lot of tool handles are made from hickory (hammers, axes, pitchforks, shovels)
Click to expand...

... and turning tool handles :smile:

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Cody, Couple of weeks ago I had a lady give me some hickory to make her a pen. She just loves hickory. It will be my first pen made from hickory.

Plus 2 on the info - split the hickory if using it to make handles. It makes a great deal of difference in the strength of the handle.
 
Roy Underhill (host of PBS's Woodwright Shop) says second growth hickory works best for tool handles, esp hammers, axes, etc. Says that the faster growing second growth adds to its resistance to damage from shocks.

I've found hickory to be an excellent material for zero clearance inserts in my table saw. It's dense, tight grained, heavy and machines nicely. And when installed with a coat of paste wax, wood just slides across it like a fried egg on a new Teflon pan.
 
I hate to take the negative side here, but when a tree takes a big hit from lightning, it can basically turn the tree into firewood. I don't know the chemistry of what happens, but the cellular bond seems to be altered. You can saw out what looks like nice stock, but when dried, it's full of cracks. There will cracks at the lightning track right now, when the wood is green. I've owned a bandsaw mill, harvested lots of urban trees, and have seen a lot of sick and damaged trees. I wouldn't put any money into it, like hiring a sawyer. To each his own, just sharing my experiences.
 
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