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Blunting Effect
Boring
Carving
Comments
Common Names
Common Uses
Countries of Distribution
Distribution Overview
Drying Defects
Ease of Drying
Environmental Profile
Family Name
Grain
Heartwood Color
Kiln Schedules
Luster
Mortising
Moulding
Movement in Service
Nailing
Natural Durability
Numerical Data
Odor
Planing
Polishing
Product Sources
References
Regions of Distribution
Resistance to Impregnation
Response to Hand Tools
Sanding
Sapwood Color
Scientific Name
Screwing
Steam Bending
Strength Properties
Texture
Trade Name
Tree Size
Turning
Veneering Qualities

Scientific Name
Carya myristicaeformis

Trade Name
Nutmeg hickory

Family Name
Juglandaceae

Wood Image 1

Common Names
Hickory, Nutmeg hickory, Pecan

Regions of Distribution
North America

Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP]
United States

Common Uses
Building materials, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Fuelwood, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Handles, Hatracks, Interior construction, Interior trim, Kitchen cabinets, Ladders , Living-room suites, Millwork, Office furniture, Paneling , Parquet flooring, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Rustic furniture, Shafts/Handles, Stools, Sub-flooring, Tables , Tool handles, Truck bodies, Utility furniture, Vehicle parts

Environmental Profile
Status has not been officially assessed


Distribution Overview
Scattered from South Carolina west to eastern Texas and south eastern Oklahoma, possibly even eastern Mexico. Growsn on banks of rivers and swamps in rich moist soils, occasionally on higher ground and often on limestone.

Heartwood Color
Brown
Yellow
Well defined
Reddish brown
Pale brown
Brown


Sapwood Color
Brown
Yellow
White
Pale brown


Grain
Even
Straight

Generally straight, but not always
Generally straight, but not always


Texture
Fine
Even or uniform
Hard
Coarse

Combination of relatively coarse texture and semi-ring pores has been known to yield an attractive but subtle figure on flat sawn surfaces

Luster
High
Medium


Natural Durability
Perishable
Non-durable
Very little natural resistance

Not nearly as resistant to decay as walnut

Odor
No specific smell or taste


Kiln Schedules
T8 - D3 (4/4); T6 - D1 (8/4) US


Drying Defects
Checking
Slight surface checking
Slight end splitting
Poor air circulation while slow drying may cause chemical sapwood stains


Ease of Drying
Moderately Difficult to Difficult
Special attention required
Fairly high risk of shrinkage
Easy
Carefully control drying conditions to minimize degrade

May check and warp if dried improperly

Tree Size
Tall, straight bole

Product Sources
The lumber trade generally separates the dozen or so Caryas native to North America into two groups: Hickory and Pecan. Nutmeg hickory is possibly the least plentiful of the Pecans because its growth range is sporadic and also because it is cultivated selectively for nut production. It is, however, sold in a mixture with other members in the Pecan group, which makes its scarcity unnoticeable.

Comments
Nutmeg hickory belongs to the Pecan group of hickories. The principal timber producing species in this group are Pecan (C. illinoensis ), Bitternut (C. cordiformis ), Water hickory (C. acquatica ), and Nutmeg hickory (C. myristicaeformis ). Members in this group are generally less dense, easier to work, and are darker in color, which make them a better choice for furniture

Blunting Effect
Severe effect


Boring
Easy


Carving
Very Good to Excellent Results
Poor results


Mortising
Good mortising properties

Some effort required

Moulding
Requires special attention.

A reduction in cutting angles is recommended for best results

Movement in Service
Small
High

High dimensional stability after properly dried

Nailing
Satisfactory nailing properties


Planing
Special attention required
Difficult to work

Wood is hard, cutting edges dull rather rapidly

Resistance to Impregnation
Wood is moderately resistant to treatment


Response to Hand Tools
Easy to machine


Sanding
Hand sanding difficult
Good sanding qualities


Screwing
Good screw holding properties


Turning
Very Good to Excellent Results
Very good
Special attention required

To keep finished product from checking and distorting, thoroughly dry the wood

Veneering Qualities
Can sometimes be sliced into highly decorative veneers for paneling

Nutmeg hickory logs may sometimes be sliced into decorative veneers for paneling

Steam Bending
Good


Polishing
Very Good to Excellent Results
Excellent finishing and polishing

Very suitable for oil finishing, as it polishes to a nice ,soft luster

Strength Properties
Heavy
Compression strength (parallel to grain) = high
Bending strength (MOR) = high

The wood has very high bending strength, and is much stronger than Teak in the air-dry condition (about 12 percent moisture content). Maximum crushing strength, or compression strength parallel to grain, is also high. It is a very heavy wood

Numerical Data
ItemGreenDryEnglish
Bending Strength891816268psi
Crushing Strength7451539psi
Impact Strength53inches
Maximum Crushing Strength39006772psi
Shearing Strength1009psi
Stiffness126416661000 psi
Work to Maximum Load2325inch-lbs/in3
Specific Gravity0.520.56
Weight4436.lbs/ft3
Radial Shrinkage5%
Tangential Shrinkage9%
Volumetric Shrinkage14%
ItemGreenDryMetric
Bending Strength6271143kg/cm2
Crushing Strength52108kg/cm2
Impact Strength134cm
Maximum Crushing Strength274476kg/cm2
Shearing Strength70kg/cm2
Stiffness881171000 kg/cm2
Work to Maximum Load1.611.75cm-kg/cm3
Specific Gravity0.520.56
Weight705576.kg/m3
Radial Shrinkage5%
Tangential Shrinkage9%

References
Arno, J.1991. Carya myristiciformis - Nutmeg hickory. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 87-89.

Boone, R. S., C. J. Kozlik, P. J. Bois, and E. M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Woods: Temperate and Tropical. USDA, Forest Service, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.

Little, E.L. 1980. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Eastern Region. Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York.

Panshin, A. J. and C. deZeeuw. Textbook of Wood Technology. McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.

Rendle, B.J. Editor. 1969. World Timbers, Volume Two - North & South America (Including Central America and the West Indies). Published by Ernest Benn Limited, Bouverie House, Fleet Street, London.

USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material. Agriculture Handbook No. 72. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Madison, Wisconsin.

USDA. 1988. Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.









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