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Where does hickory grow?

Started by NBaxeman, April 28, 2014, 02:57:05 PM

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NBaxeman

Gents;
I'm looking to buy some hickory logs on occasion for axe handles.   My first purchase goes down this week in Connecticut.    How far north does hickory grow?   Mass?  VT? NH? ME?

No guesses please.

chester_tree _farmah

It is fairly common in Southern Coastal NH. I have not seen much of it to speak of North of there. There is zippo where I live in North central Maine. Except for my kitchen cabinets.  ;D
254xp
C4B Can-Car Tree Farmer
Ford 1720 4wd loader hoe

beenthere

NBaxeman
Which species of hickory are you interested in for axe handles?

What grade of log are you looking to buy?

Welcome to the Forestry Forum.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

chester_tree _farmah

Good questions. Shag bark are all I have seen in NH.
254xp
C4B Can-Car Tree Farmer
Ford 1720 4wd loader hoe

GAB

On my property approx. 10 miles S of Burlington VT in the Champlain Valley I have a few Shagbarks and some smooth bark also called Bitternut hickory.
To date I have not harvested a Shagbark hickory that was not hollow.
Gerald
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

mesquite buckeye

I have plenty in Missouri. Bet lots of others here to. We also had lots of them in OH. ;D
Manage 80 acre tree farm in central Missouri and Mesquite timber and about a gozillion saguaros in Arizona.

beenthere

Quote from: mesquite buckeye on April 28, 2014, 08:25:36 PM
I have plenty in Missouri. Bet lots of others here to. We also had lots of them in OH. ;D

Meaning shagbark hickory?  or?
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

WDH

Here hickory is like Savoir Faire, it is everywhere  :D.

(Anybody else remember Savoir Faire?)
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

KBforester

Champlain Valley is the farthest north I've seen it, as GAB said.
Trees are good.

WmFritz

Quote from: WDH on April 28, 2014, 09:36:02 PM
Here hickory is like Savoir Faire, it is everywhere  :D.

(Anybody else remember Savoir Faire?)

I lived for Saturday morning toons.  :D

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VMt3GOyRkU4
~Bill

2012 Homebuilt Bandmill
1959 Detroit built Ferguson TO35

NBaxeman

Thanks guys - Looks like Vermont is my closest source.   
Most axe handles are made with what people call "American Hickory"...so I'm not to sure what species of Carya it actually is.   I think I'm getting a few logs of each (shagbark, bitter & ??) and I'll process them and try each - hopefully I'll be able to see what is best. 
I typically use white ash - it is more pliable and shock-absorbing, but the hickory I have tried seems to be stronger wood - not sure yet.

I split my bolts "pie shaped" ...then take the inside triangle off - leaving the outside sapwood in the shape of a rectangle.  The bolt then is easy to use on a bandsaw, and the grain is running the length of the eye - which I have found makes for a much stronger handle, and less chance of shearing along grain lines.  I usually use ash that is at last 12 inches DBH, and the log needs to be straight and no defects.  I'm essentially buying veneer quality...but if it's not perfect, no beg deal, I'll just pay less and use the defects for firewood.......but mind you it can be pretty expensive firewood if not much of the bolt results in good axe handle wood.

Magicman

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, NBaxeman.  Have you ever considered Elm?
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Dodgy Loner

I'm not sure why one would consider elm if they have access to hickory ???

I understand that some eastern Europeans use it, but the benefit of hickory (besides its tremendous strength) is the ability to rive the wood to get perfectly straight grain, as NB axeman describes. You won't be doing that with elm. I use hickory exclusively for axe and hammer handles. I don't think there is a better wood in the world for the purpose.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

Magicman

Quote from: Dodgy Loner on April 29, 2014, 03:02:16 PM
I'm not sure why one would consider elm if they have access to hickory ??? 
Just because John Neeman does, but he probably does not have access to Hickory.   ;D
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Claybraker

The Swedes (Gransfors/Wetterlings, Hultafors) all use Hickory. Maybe John could get some from them?

I have to laugh at the irony though. I recently paid good money for a Gransfors Bruk Small Forest Axe, made in Sweden with a premium American Hickory handle, so I can do TSI hack-n-squirt. One of the target species is hickory of course. :-\


chester_tree _farmah

Well if it is elm u don't have to worry about flying objects if the handle breaks. The head will just flop around by the twisted strainds. I like hickory handles best. I have never seen it in a floor but want to. My cabinets are used hard and they are still solid and look good.
254xp
C4B Can-Car Tree Farmer
Ford 1720 4wd loader hoe

NBaxeman

Hey dodgy loner - how do you process your wood?   Do you quarter split/saw the wood and use just the sapwood as I describe, or can you saw hickory differently?   Will it split as easily as ash?  Ash I can process with a maul and metal wedge - wondering if I can do the same thing with hickory, or will I have to use my woodmizer to saw off my pie-shaped pieces?

SPIKER

Here we have lots of Hickory both shag bark, king hickory & pig nut (smooth bark.)   

As far as handles go heck if ya are going into production then you have access to about any good wood could work in a pinch.   I have some pin oak handles for a driving hammer that broke on the first swing...   I have some slippery elm that is not real stringy (in same as red elm fam which is real stringy) and white elm is softer & bouncy so maybe not great but useable...

mark
I'm looking for help all the shrinks have given up on me :o

NBaxeman

I've been in production for over 25 years now.   Most of the handles I make are made to fit racing axes - the 5 pound, razor sharp axes you see on TSN and the STIHL Timbersports series on TV.  I have sold Tuatahi axes for years and make nothing but the best of handles for these axes.....so unfortunately, "any good wood" is quite limited IMHO.   Ring porous
wood is a must for tools that absorb vibration, the denser Hop hornbeam I use for peavey handles. 

Dodgy Loner

Quote from: NBaxeman on April 29, 2014, 08:26:38 PM
Hey dodgy loner - how do you process your wood?   Do you quarter split/saw the wood and use just the sapwood as I describe, or can you saw hickory differently?   Will it split as easily as ash?  Ash I can process with a maul and metal wedge - wondering if I can do the same thing with hickory, or will I have to use my woodmizer to saw off my pie-shaped pieces?

NBaxeman - I always split my hickory for axe handles. I think you will find that the hickory will split quite nicely. You mentioned that you are essentially looking for veneer quality logs. Hickory of that quality will almost always split well. I have noticed that, in the South, at least, there is a correlation between growth rate and how easily the wood splits- ie, slower-grown wood will split more nicely than faster-grown wood. I usually prefer about 1/8" spacing between the rings. Faster grown wood is stronger, but it also is more likely to have somewhat interlocking grain that is much more difficult to split. For me the tradeoff is not worth it. Of course, if you have hickory that is really slow-grown (basically the earlywood rings are so close to each other that there is hardly any room for the latewood), then you will find that the wood is brittle (or "brash"). We don't have much hickory down here that grows so slowly, but it may be something to watch out for up North.

You obviously know what you are doing (Welcome to the Forum, by the way! Great to have someone with your experience around!), but if you are interested in seeing how I make axe handles, feel free to check out this thread I posted a few years ago. Also, I posted about harvesting hickory bark and splitting the wood into billets on Reply #58 on this thread. That log was an absolute bear to split. Usually I wouldn't fool with riving a log like that, but since I already had it around for the hickory bark, I hated to waste it.

Again, welcome :)
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

coxy

I am on a job that has lots of it and you cant cut it splits as soon as you cut the tree to log size then I have lots of pre split fire wood  ;D

mesquite buckeye

Quote from: beenthere on April 28, 2014, 09:31:20 PM
Quote from: mesquite buckeye on April 28, 2014, 08:25:36 PM
I have plenty in Missouri. Bet lots of others here to. We also had lots of them in OH. ;D

Meaning shagbark hickory?  or?

On my place shagbark and bitternut hickory. Nearby lots of pecan. ;D
Manage 80 acre tree farm in central Missouri and Mesquite timber and about a gozillion saguaros in Arizona.

Chuck White

Hickory is common in this area!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
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Black_Bear

Quote from: NBaxeman on April 28, 2014, 02:57:05 PM
Gents;
I'm looking to buy some hickory logs on occasion for axe handles.   My first purchase goes down this week in Connecticut.    How far north does hickory grow?   Mass?  VT? NH? ME?

No guesses please.

The silvics manual has decent maps that depict range for common tree species, including quite a few hickories.

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/vol2_Table_of_contents.htm

coxy

wow better go back to school and learn my trees did not know there was that many oak trees  ;D

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