cutting hickory

[bartblade]

i got some raw hickory from my grandmothers pile of firewood and took it out to the shop and cut it on my bandsaw. it clogged the guide wheels and make the saw jump off. the stuff on the wheels looked like wax. this is the 1st time ive played with this wood. is this just the way hickory is or is it because its raw and since its raw will i have to treat the wood befor i use it for handles?


thanks for the help guys

 

[Paul Savage]

You will have better luck splitting it along the grain and then rough shaping with a draw knife or spoke shave. Then clean it up with some sandpaper.
This is what works for me. Paul
www.savageknives.ca
savageknives@golden.net

 

[bradley hooper]

It sounds like the wood is a pretty new cut. You should let it sit and dry out for a while. It will crack a little and shrink a lot, but it will get rock hard as well. You really should give it at least two or three months out of the weather before trying to set it as a handle. If you don't it will shrink and may work loose as it ages, not to mention that it might still be kind of soft. As far as treatment, after it has aged, just oil it. Getting it stablized after it ages is a great idea too. Hickory is a great for handle material, and worth the wait.

Bradley

 

[mete]

Very tough stuff ! It is about the same as wrought iron in mechanical properties !!

 

[Rick Lowe]

You can use a band saw to cut the green wood into slabs for handle use. Once you've cut them, dip the ends in melted wax. Be sure to get a heavy coat on each end. This will force the wood to dry from the middle out and prevent the cracking. Store the waxed pieces in a warm ventilated area and figure around a year to get dry enough to use. If you're lucky enough to be close to a company that kiln dries wood, you might get the wood dried a lot quicker.

 

[bradley hooper]

That's a great tip Mr. Lowe, I can see where that would work. I'll have to try that myself. :thumbup: I am currently drying some hickory and some white oak to use, then I'll see if Bruce has time to stablize them for me. What kind of wax, parafin, beeswax, or maybe both?

 

[Rick Lowe]

I use regular canning wax and it seems to work fine. There are specialty waxes for this, but the plain stuff is less expensive. Dip the ends into the wax about an inch deep, let it cool and repeat a couple of times.