cherokee6 Posted September 20, 2007 Report Share Posted September 20, 2007 I have a tree that I may have to cut down to make way for a hanger at a flying club I belong to. I hate cutting down trees and especially hardwoods. Anyway, the tree is what I believe to be hickory. It's quite tall and very straight. I'm thinking of taking it to a mill to have it cut into boards, necks, bodies, etc. Any ideas on its use for a solid body or a neck?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGman Posted September 20, 2007 Report Share Posted September 20, 2007 I heard that hickory is tonally dead, may be wrong as it was just something i heard a while back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToddW Posted September 20, 2007 Report Share Posted September 20, 2007 It's a tough wood, so you can make great drumsticks or baseball bats from it. McKnight guitars offers it as an acoustic guitar back. http://www.mcknightguitars.com/tonewoods.html but I haven't seen it used in a neck or body yet. Do you have access to a kiln? Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prs man Posted September 20, 2007 Report Share Posted September 20, 2007 one other thing to be concerned is will the saw mill cut it for you. I know in Michigan the mills will not touch a tree from your yard or empty field/ lot. you can never know if some one has put a nail in the tee and the tree just grew around it. if you can get it done then awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_labb Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 they use hickory for drumsticks because of its strength, but also because of the way it dampens vibrations. this helps to stop your hand from feeling the vibrations after hitting things, could get painful after a while. also why they use it for axe handles and such. seems to me that this would make quite a "dead" sounding wood, which supports what people say about it. it wuld probably have applications within guitar design if you wer ging for a different sound, but most people like the more traditional sounds. ive been planning on making some drumsticks for a friend so i did a bit of research into the area to figure out which australian woods would be suitable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgmorg Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 they use hickory for drumsticks because of its strength, but also because of the way it dampens vibrations. this helps to stop your hand from feeling the vibrations after hitting things, could get painful after a while. also why they use it for axe handles and such. Not sure where you heard that. My experience with hickory is quite the opposite- it sends every bit of vibration back into your hands. One of the reasons I hate working with it. That and the stiletto-like splinters that fly at your face when you put it in the table saw. Butternut, on the other hand is very nice to work with. Softer, and lighter in color than Black walnut, with the same grain. These woods do absorb vibration well, which is partly why walnut is used for gunstocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherokee6 Posted September 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2007 Thanks for all the input. I forgot about the policy of most mills not wanting to cut wood from people's yards for fear of nails, etc. I was planning on air drying the wood or building a solar kiln. Anyway, my buddy told me its one of the softest of the hardwoods, hence, it's great for cabinets and floors, but probably not for instruments. I was surprised it is used on an acoustic. I suppose some tight, straight grained stuff would work just as poplar is used and requires the same characteristics for it to work. Thanks!! I still may give it try and see how it works - in 2 years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_labb Posted September 25, 2007 Report Share Posted September 25, 2007 they use hickory for drumsticks because of its strength, but also because of the way it dampens vibrations. this helps to stop your hand from feeling the vibrations after hitting things, could get painful after a while. also why they use it for axe handles and such. Not sure where you heard that. My experience with hickory is quite the opposite- it sends every bit of vibration back into your hands. One of the reasons I hate working with it. That and the stiletto-like splinters that fly at your face when you put it in the table saw. Butternut, on the other hand is very nice to work with. Softer, and lighter in color than Black walnut, with the same grain. These woods do absorb vibration well, which is partly why walnut is used for gunstocks. did you notics that you said that they absorb vibration well, which is exactly what i was saying is a property they have which makes them suitable for drum sticks. you did somewhat contradict yourself. mot trying to get into an arguement just pointing out that you do agree with what i am saying to an extent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted September 25, 2007 Report Share Posted September 25, 2007 As far as mills not wanting to cut wood like this. It is because of the potential for nails and other bits that could damage their blade. Most will require you to pay for damage to their blade caused by hidden metal or what have ya. If you would like to test the resonance of the wood instead of trusting generalizations. I would suggest you take a 26" section of the log, Split it and take a couple 3/16" slices(much as you would with a soundboard), sticker and weight it, then dry it(a fan will help speed up this process) which will take 2-4 weeks. Then do a little flex testing with the grain and across the grain(to get a feel for stiffness), then hold the board at a node(you should find a node by holding the board between your index finger and thumb, about 6-8" from one end and 2-3" in from the edge*assuming the piece is about 26"L by 8" wide* move the point you are holding it till you find the point where the board rings best). It is handy to have a couple other boards(different species) that are similar in dimension to compair strength and how it vibrates. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgmorg Posted September 26, 2007 Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 did you notics that you said that they absorb vibration well By "they", I meant butternut and walnut, which are very different from hickory. Sorry for the confusion. Butternut is very soft, and works very nicely. Hickory is wicked hard, tough, stringy, and splintery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToneMonkey Posted September 26, 2007 Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 Not sure about the properties, but it sure will smell nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted September 26, 2007 Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 Hickory....cut it into long turning stock and market it to the folks who are into making old-school golf clubs. The shafts used to be hickory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voodoods Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 "Nothing like a good piece of hickory!" ---Preacher in Pale Rider after beating the tar out of some wild west thugs with an axe handle made of the same. http://www.amazon.com/Pale-Rider-Richard-D...6595&sr=1-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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