What can you tell me about Hickory wood?

Question

Anything will do

Answer 1

Hickory wood is extremely tough, yet flexible, and is valued for tool handles, bows (like yew), wheel spokes, carts, drumsticks, golf club shafts (sometimes still called hickory stick, even though made of steel or graphite), walking canes etc. and for punitive use as a switch or rod (like hazel), and especially as a cane-like hickory stick in schools. Baseball bats (also used as substitute paddle or even modified for physical punishment) were formerly made of hickory but are now more commonly made of ash. Hickory is also highly prized for wood-burning stoves, because of its high caloric content. Hickory wood is also a preferred type for smoke curing meats. In the Southern US, hickory is popular for cooking barbecue, as hickory grows abundantly in the region, and adds flavor to the meat. Hickory is sometimes used for hardwood flooring due to its durability and character.

A bark extract from shagbark hickory is also used in an edible syrup that is similar to maple syrup, with a slightly bitter, smoky taste.

Answer 2

I live in NC and when I was growing up the tobacco farmers used hickory sticks to hang the tobacco on in the tall barns,,, they would sew the tobacco leaves together at the stalk end,, and hang them over the hickory sticks,well it was cut hickory 1 1/2 by 1 1/2 inch's rods I guess you could call them 5to 6 feet long, and they would hang the tobacco to cure,, using oil burning pots to get it hot,, so hickory is some tuff wood it would get soaking wet and hold its shape and hot as well,,,my Grandaddy use to tell me if you don't act right,,I'm going to get after you with a hickory stick, and still today you can hear older folk say the same thing,,, lol

Answer 3

I have hickory kitchen cabinets. They have a kind of whitewash finish called Sanddrift, which allows you to see the difference in coloration in the wood. Hickory is very variagated (lots of light and dark sections randomly together) in browns, reds, and creams, which gives it kind of an exotic look.

Hickory is a very hard, dense wood, which may make it difficult to work with using hand tools (planes, saws, etc.). And it's prone to splitting. So, you have to predrill screw holes. Also, the lighter areas are a bit softer than the darker areas, so sanding can some times be difficult to acheive a uniform smooth surface across different colored areas.

Hickory does take a stain well and the color variations can result in a very dramatic effect. Avoid darker stains, though, to really bring out the contrast in the colors.

Answer 4

hickory is a very hard wood . it has a beautiful contrast when finished natural. it has very light hard grain and has knot holes that are almost black. it is a beautiful choice.

Answer 5

it adds a great smoke flavor to my bbq.