Hickory Unstable?

[redsquid2]

Looking at some hickory wood got me thinking. I have a retired furniture maker friend who says he made some cabinets out of hickory, and he never used hickory again after that. Things warped and popped out, and it was a nightmare getting it all back together.

I found some nice bookmatched hickory for sale; the grain looks really interesting, but I am not going to pull the trigger, because of what my friend said.

What is you all's experience? Anybody put hickory scales on a knife?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Hickory isn't any different than other wood. It needs to be properly dried before use....and used for the proper job. Wide thin panels in a damp environment ( kitchen) may not be a good place (especially if it was not dried well).

Hickory has been the go-to wood for centuries for hard use handles on tools. It is tough and stable once dried slowly and completely.

Bill Moran used some nice curly hickory, and I got a bit of it after he died. It made great handles for knives. I had it stabilized.