Will They self Destruct?

[James White]

I just finished sawing a massive shag bark hickory. Legend has it that hickory is not well behaved. I have no experience working with hickory never mind drying it. I had no idea it could be so beautiful. I am used to seeing the very dark heartwood stuff. That for my taste has to much contrast to the sapwood. This stuff is not at all like that.

So will these 8/4 slabs self destruct? They are at the bottom of a large pile of properly stacked lumber. But as you can see this is "character grade" lumber. I have shade cloth but I also don't want mold in the pile either. The stack is in a shady area as it is.

James

[Cody Colston]

They will want to warp and twist a bit as they dry. They will also check and crack which it appears has already happened. Stacked as they are in a shaded area, I don't think you will need shade cloth. Powder Post Beetles can be a problem with Hickory if not treated with a borate solution. In about three years, when they are air dry, you will be able to determine what you have.

[Danny Hamsley]

Hickory does behave bad for me. Some of cracks that are already there probably will open up some, and you might gets some kink at the knots. The pith in hickory usually always cracks as it dries. Like Cody says, it will take some time to tell. At least they are on the bottom of the pile, which will help. I don't think that you need the shade cloth, either.

[James White]

Thank you both. I suppose I just wanted some reassurance that I did not waste the hard labor involved in milling this beast of a tree. Pushing an Alaskan through hickory that wide was no fun. Truth be told I initially thought it was a sugar maple. I had never seen such a large hickory before. Even though it was a shag bark. It did not have that tell tale shag on the trunk. Only when I saw the limbs from high up could I tell what it was.

I hope I can get my sprayer into the pile. I have walnut in there that I would not want to get post beetles in.

James

[lawrence dosson]

Even though it was a shag bark. It did not have that tell tale shag on the trunk. Only when I saw the limbs from high up could I tell what it was.

I hope I can get my sprayer into the pile. I have walnut in there that I would not want to get post beetles in.

James

James
I wonder if that might be pig nut hickory the wood from them has that brown hue like your does and pig nut hickory is the same family but does not have the shaky bark other wise they look like a hickory tree
what Cody says hickory trees are a powder post beetle magnet
I find that pig nut dries ok just stack it properly I cover my lumber in plain old 20 mule team borax seems to work were I live

[James White]

Even though it was a shag bark. It did not have that tell tale shag on the trunk. Only when I saw the limbs from high up could I tell what it was.

I hope I can get my sprayer into the pile. I have walnut in there that I would not want to get post beetles in.

James

James
I wonder if that might be pig nut hickory the wood from them has that brown hue like your does and pig nut hickory is the same family but does not have the shaky bark other wise they look like a hickory tree
what Cody says hickory trees are a powder post beetle magnet
I find that pig nut dries ok just stack it properly I cover my lumber in plain old 20 mule team borax seems to work were I live[/QUOTE]


Not a pig nut. We have lots of them around here. On further research I believe it may be a shell bark hickory. Like I said it had the tell tale shag higher up in the tree.

James