Hickory Logs; What to do with them?

[Deere Dude]

:tree::muttering: My neighbor wanted his nice shag-bark hickory trees cut down so I cut them into logs about 10-14' long, generally as big as I could handle them. I have a pile of about 30-35 logs. They are 2-3 years old right now. They range from 12" to 20+" in diameter. I got them for firewood, but since that time I have more firewood than I can shake a stick at. Now I am having second thought about using them for firewood.

I am trying to figure out what to do with them. A friend brought up taking them to a sawmill and maybe use the wood to build something. I built a lot of stuff from oak and I like the oak grain. Does anyone know how this stiff would be to work with and if it is a nice grain, and I understand beauty is in the eye of the beholder?

The other question I have is, what lengths would be the best to shoot for. I read somewhere to make them 8' 6" and straight and not many knots so a good 8' board could be had. This would be used just for general usage like maybe cabinets or odds and ends. Some logs may be able to get longer wood out of it like 10'6" or maybe 12'6". Spoiled I make them as long as possible to get more board feet out of them?

I planned on taking this information and cut the ends off the raw logs for firewood and store the good section of whatever length on a pile somewhere until I figure out what I want to make. I have a place to get them cut up when the time comes.

Is two or three years drying in a log adequate or would it take another year or so after the sawmill?

I'm just looking for ideas to ponder.

Thanks, Chuck

 

[Tig]

I think hickory has a beautiful grain. It was on the short list for our new kitchen cupboards.

 

[s219]

Hickory is wonderful wood, and very workable. I don't know which variety of hickory we cut down last year after Hurricane Irene, but my brother in law used it for all sorts of projects, ranging from spoons to nut crackers. He also made some axe handles. I know Hickory looks fantastic in flooring, furniture, and cabinetry. It's also great for smoking BBQ.

Be careful how you store the logs. Certain types of wood-boring beetles love hickory, and will turn it into swiss cheese (I lost quite a bit of hickory firewood to beetles in just the last year). And of course, you need to worry about the ends of the logs checking and general rot if the bark is on. So I'd say to evaluate the logs to make sure they are still good, and then get them sawn and stacked ASAP.

Normally, it takes 6-12 months per inch of thickness for a sawn board to dry out. It varies based on location, weather, etc. You can also have it kiln dried for some $$.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

We have a little sawmill near here, and the guy told me that he goes out and picks up the logs and mills them into rough cut lumber on a 50/50 basis...you might call the sawmill and see if you can work something similar. My brother had his kitchen done in hickory, and it is very attractive. Not quite as smooth grained as oak, but it adds some character to the wood. I though it was beautiful. I do a little woodworking, but have never worked hickory. I hear it is similar to pecan, and pecan is great. It can't be any worse than white oak, but it's not bad once you get it through the planer.

 

[Pete Judd]

I very much agree with 2Lane. You can make some great projects out of it, but if you don't want it send it to me after it has been sawn. WI is to far for me to drive in a day to get it.

 

[art]

Great wood! A freind just had a new kitchen done in it.

 

[Fossil Farm]

Our addition has a different wood on each wall - white oak, cherry, ash and hickory. The hickory is beautiful with its light and dark browns. If you saw it and have FAS, it is great for woodworking projects, common is great for panelling or flooring depending on the look you are going for.

 

[DKCDKC]

Hickory is a great wood. Our kitchen is entirely unstained hickory and looks great. We have hickory in some furniture as well. Keep any scraps because it is also excellent firewood. I've rough-cut some hickory blocks for wheel chocks and they lasted forever. Never rotted.

 

[MotorSeven]

DD, shagbark hickory is even harder than regular hickory...which is pretty darn hard. I've never seen it, but some millers say you can see sparks coming off the blade when sawing. That being said, I don't think you want to let those logs dry out before milling as they will be even harder to cut. Best thing to do is get them milled now while still green, then sticker and stack the boards with weight on top of them to prevent warping.

If you can stack them in a heated area this winter they should be ready to use in a couple of months. Outside air drying in WI might take a lot longer and then they will still shrink a bit if you build something with it and bring it inside the house.

I love Hickory and built my front door out of 2"x6" planks. I made the mistake of leaving it in cant form(about 10"x12"x8') in a shed for over 2 years. Several of those boards I sawed out of the middle of that cant shrank almost a half inch in width after the door was built. This is one reason I built a solar kiln to dry the cherry I am making my kitchen cabinets out of right now...I didn't want any shrinkage once built. Kiln drying gets the wood moisture content down to the 6-8% range...air drying usually only about 10-12% depending on your location.

 

[Deere Dude]

Those pictures do look nice. I dug into the pile today and started cutting up the smaller in diameter logs for firewood. I noticed on some of the bigger logs (18"-24"), I screwed up when cutting the trees down because they are split quite a ways up. What I did was hook a cable to the trees and put some directional force on it and just cut from the backside to drop the trees. So, some of the lower really big logs are only good for firewood. When I cut the trees I had no intention of getting them sawed, but maybe when I get into the pile more I will find some better ones.

 

[blucoondawg]

If you want the boards for yourself you may find a guy with a portable wood miser mill who could come to you and cut it, or you may talk to a log buyer and sell them if the price is good?

 

[dougrout]

Where are you? I have a portable sawmill and would be willing to cut the logs up for you if you're not too far away.

Rule of thumb: if you're air drying count on one year of drying per inch of thickness.

Good luck with the wood - not sure of uses for hickory but I'll check into it.

Doug

 

[RobertBrown]

Need some baseball bats? Just don't leave them outside.

Have a look at this.
Seems like everything you would want to know of wood cut from the Shag bark Hickory.
I have no experience with this wood, just trying to help.


Shagbark Hickory | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwoods)

 

[jejeosborne]

I have a lot of wood sawn and dried from our property. It cost about $0.25-0.35 per board foot for sawing and about the same for drying. I would not make a trade with the saw mill for a 50/50 split. Hickory is too desirable for woodworking and once dried will easily fetch $1.50-2.00 even in this soft market. Look up an online log volume calculator and see what quantity you have. As mentioned check locally for someone with a portable saw mill. It needs to air dry on stickers for about 4-6 months before the kiln. Craigslist is your friend when it comes time to sell. I have a guy coming 9 hours each direction buying my Spalted maple next week.

 

[Deere Dude]

Where are you? I have a portable sawmill and would be willing to cut the logs up for you if you're not too far away.

Rule of thumb: if you're air drying count on one year of drying per inch of thickness.

Good luck with the wood - not sure of uses for hickory but I'll check into it.

Doug

Thanks for the offer Doug. One inch a year, is that after the sawmill goes through?

After sorting through the pile about half way, some of the logs that were huge were split and I don't think it pays to sent them to a mill. I am trying to find straight ones without cracks but that seems almost impossible. Maybe that's from air drying as a log, but I don't know. But after cutting the big forks off and the major split stuff, I have a number of them that aren't that long, like from 5' to 8' or so. I was disappointed but I have about 6 logs to look at yet that have promise.

I don't plan on selling anything, but just want to get a few cut up for projects around the house. Possibly an ash urn, for my ashes someday. :cool2:

Maybe I'll take a couple down to an Amish mill about 40 miles from here and see what they can do.

Never having done this or knowing anyone who did, possibly I am getting to picky, trying to get clear solid long chunks.

Thanks for everyones input.

 

[jejeosborne]

End checking is normal. Cut 6" off the end and see if it continues. I seal my ends with green wood end sealer which helps prevent some loss. Post an add on craiglist looking for someone to saw close by or go to your local wood working supplier and ask. Woodmiser used to publish a list of people on their website who bought and you may find someone local.

 

[Stimw]

About 30 years ago I looked at a business for sale. They were cutting hickory into blanks for hammer handles and making drum sticks. They were even shipping container loads to Europe!
If you could find someone in your area doing something similar it might be worth money and they can use smaller pieces for blanks.

 

[Pete Judd]

When I mill logs into lumber, I paint the ends with melted wax. That will stop the end splitting and checking. I have a old hotplate and pot in the shop so the wife stays off my back about using her kitchen pots and pans.

 

[clemsonfor]

It could have turned punky now. And once sawn or split for firewood still needs to dry, they dry very little in the log form.

 

[Deere Dude]

Okay, here's what I got. I went through the pile and was very disappointed. A couple logs about 18-20" x 10' or so looked good on the outside but I cut a few inches off and ants were in the center 1" diameter. The rest of it looked alright. A few smaller diameter logs and shorter logs look alright.

The question I have now is, would it pay to take something like that to a mill? Would there be any benefit to take some 6'x12" diameter logs to a mill. Obviously a huge, long solid log would be more cost effective, but would the time setting up the smaller diameter log for cutting be cost prohibitive? I have never been to a mill so I don't know. Maybe I will just take one down and see how everything operates.

Thanks, Chuck