Is hickory wothwhile?

larry merlau

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Delton, Michigan
i have got some hickory logs that can be cut into lumber. is it something to use or am i wasting the time and expense? i have seen some cabinets out of it and i know they use it for handles.. but what about overall value? also do any of you past or present sawyers have any input on hard maple? how long can you wait till it needs to be sawed? as for cherry i have 3 logs avaible of that to get, but they are still standing right now, would it be best cut now rather than in the spring time say april? once again the sap factor? thanks for the input:wave:
 
Hickory/Pecan is great wood, I like it a lot. All of our milage varies. It can be bought slightly less than some other woods typically, but it's really hard, make sure you have sharp edge tools and blades. I think it looks nice also.

It typically sells for about $2-$4/bf on the west coast, and is more plentiful in the south, in fact the wood on the west coast must come from the south, we don't have any of the trees around here that I know of.

BTW, it checks easily as it dries.
 
as for cherry i have 3 logs avaible of that to get, but they are still standing right now, would it be best cut now rather than in the spring time say april? once again the sap factor? thanks for the input:wave:

Larry, the only thing I can comment on it the timing. Cut 'em now while the tree is dormant. Once the sap starts to run in the spring you'll have much higher moisture content.
 
Best time to cut anything is in the winter when the sap run is dormant assuming you are far enough north that it gets cold enough for that to happen. Cut the cherry now and end seal it with AnchorSeal. You can put off milling it until it gets warmer if you like. Same with the Hickory. Not necessarily so with the maple. If you want the really white maple, get it milled and in a kiln as soon as you can after cutting. While you may get away with it being down for a while in a real cold climate, the longer it's horizontal, the more likely it will turn brown on you. Now if you don't mind the brown vs the white, there will be no other adverse effect of waiting for while (at least not any more so than any other log). It's purely a color issue.
 
Larry, My first experience trying to make lumber out of a tree was with Hickory. I quarter a 14" trunk into small boards. They kept their shape very well but got infested with bugs so I never brought them into the shop or used for woodworking...but they made the BEST smokin chunks I ever had. :D

FWIW...I thought the qt/saw hickory boards looked good. Nothing fancy...just good solid wood similar in appearance to white oak. Sure is tough.

Hmmm...Think I'll have some pork BBQ tonight.:thumb:
 
Don....You know that...and I know that.... :thumb:

I was just being clear so the folks in Texas, & Kollifornia knew that we can actually make BBQ from something other that a cow.:rofl:
 
I thought in the Carolina's that was redundant, isn't all Bar-B-Que pork..

My wife and I were driving down south from Maryland, where we used to live. Stopped at Rocky Mount, NC and pulled into a likely looking barbeque joint. My wife looked closely at the menu and then when the waitress came, asked "Excuse me, but what kind of meat is it?" The waitress looked for a moment, her eyes growing larger - I thought for a sec she would panic and run from us foreigners. Then suddenly, she straightened up and said, "Well, hon, it's pig!" :rofl:

I was ROFL and my poor wife (raised in New England) just said, "Oh, then I'll have the pig sandwich with fries and slaw.":thumb:

BAck to the subject at hand, I saw some wonderful rocking chairs made of hickory down south. The wood looked great.

Does hickory grow in MI??
 
hey chip

the maple is hard maple so the white isnt an issue is it? just soft maple is white i think??? and for anchorseal goes will that stuff soak in the end in this kind of weather 8 to 20 degrees farin hit:huh: had some and was gonna give them a shot but the local sawmill dont use anything anymore they uised to use a parfin coating but now nothing:dunno: will cut the cheerys this winter then and get them later.. plan on cuttin in early spring or late winter..
 
i flat out hate hickory! stringy-springy weird colored stuff makes great hammer handles........some folks like it for cabinets but i just plain don`t like to work it......tod
 
how long can you wait till it needs to be sawed? as for cherry i have 3 logs avaible of that to get, but they are still standing right now, would it be best cut now rather than in the spring time say april? once again the sap factor? thanks for the input:wave:

I always try to saw just as soon as I can The longer it sits the more chance you have of it cracking. Personally I prefer to saw stuff thats wetter. Either way anchor seal it. There are 3 cherry logs at my brothers that are junk. Guy my brother goes to church with gave them to him. He cut them in September and all three have a two cracks in them forming a cross. It's a shame since you very seldom find cherry logs 30 inches that aren't rotten in the middle
 
Not trying to tell you your bussiness

but i have had cherry that was down for 2 years without anything but nature to coat it and it gave me some good lumber still, i would try to cut those that your brother has for sure.that crack shuldnt be that deep. i have had some that were killed by horse;s and they had cracks over a 1.5 deep but beyond that was still good,, 30 inch logs shouldnt go that fast:huh: i will give what i have some anchorseal but will it soak in this winter weather????
 
I built a hickory kitchen about 10 years ago, I'll try to find some pics. I've always considered it a "wood lovers" wood...brown streaks, green streaks etc. It ain't formica :p

I originally thought it would be the material I used for my Bowclamps, but I can't find it in 8/4 thickness...turns out nobody is drying it that thick as it would take too long in the kiln (about 2 1/2 months I'm told).
 
the maple is hard maple so the white isnt an issue is it? just soft maple is white i think??? and for anchorseal goes will that stuff soak in the end in this kind of weather 8 to 20 degrees farin hit:huh: had some and was gonna give them a shot but the local sawmill dont use anything anymore they uised to use a parfin coating but now nothing:dunno: will cut the cheerys this winter then and get them later.. plan on cuttin in early spring or late winter..

Well, hard (sugar) maple tends to have a dark heart to start with but the 'sap' area is white and fairly thick (at least on the few trees I have worked with) so I would say yes, the whiteness is potentially an issue IF YOU care. Yes, the anchoseal will work in this weather as it's not intended to soak in very far. The point is for it to adher and seal the end from a water release POV. The larger issue can be having it freeze on you during the application. For that reason, they make it with 'anti-freeze' for use in colder climates. Last I checked it didn't cost any more but you had to ask for it. As to using nothing, you can do that but you are writing off some portion of each end due to checking and, in some logs, particularly oak/ash, you can end up with splits going end to end which can ruin the entire log. If you factor that into your operating costs, perhaps it is cost effective for a larger operation. *I* certainly would not go without for my small, personal collection of logs.
 
If you factor that into your operating costs, perhaps it is cost effective for a larger operation. *I* certainly would not go without for my small, personal collection of logs.[/QUOTE]

ok chip i will give her a bath tonight, the anchorseal i have i belive has the anti freeze. the bucket aint froze:dunno: thanks for the input
 
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