Hickory is one the hardest commercially available domestic species available within the United States. With a pale-yellow brown sapwood and darker brown heartwood, hickory is usually straight grained with a medium texture. The mix between heart and sapwood can create the ever-popular rustic look when used in cabinets or furniture. While harder than both oaks, hickory is rated as non-durable to perishable. Hickory is commonly used for tool handles, cutting boards, and even flooring. Hickory is difficult but rewarding to work, with tear out being prevalent, and it’s blunting effects being widely known. Hickory is sold as a #2 (knotty/rustic) grade, as well as a clear (uniform) grade. It has a Janka rating of 1880 and weighs 3.6 pounds per board foot.
VARIATIONS AND OPTIONS
4/4 refers to lumber that was cut at 1 inch thickness
15/16ths has been skip planed (a majority of the surfacing work has been done, there may be a few spots that are still rough, but the grain of the particular piece of wood should be visible)
13/16ths is commonly called finish planed. This should be ready for sanding and finish
Ripped 1 Edge is lumber that has been run through a straight-line rip saw. This allows for easy squaring on a table saw.
Sanded refers to a select few lumber options that have been run through a belt sander and are 100% finish ready.
5/4 lumber was sawn at 1.25 inches in thickness.
6/4 lumber was sawn at 1.5 inches in thickness.
8/4 lumber was sawn at 2 inches in thickness.
10/4 lumber was sawn at 2.5 inches in thickness.
12/4 lumber was sawn at 3 inches in thickness.