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Clicking any heading in the main data area (at right) will scroll the page back to this top position. Use the following links to jump to the associated section in the main data. Blunting Effect Boring Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Drying Rate Kiln Schedules Mortising Moulding Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing Product Sources References Regions of Distribution Response to Hand Tools Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Staining Steam Bending Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Scientific Name Carya ovata Trade Name Shagbark hickory Family Name Juglandaceae Common Names Hickory, Scalybark hickory, Shagbark hickory, Shellbark hickory Regions of Distribution North America Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Canada, United States Common Uses Blockboard, Building materials, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Cutting surfaces, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Drum sticks, Farm vehicles, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Fishing rods , Floor lamps, Flooring, Fuelwood, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Handles, Hatracks, Interior construction, Kitchen cabinets, Ladders , Living-room suites, Musical instruments , Office furniture, Organ pipes, Paneling , Parquet flooring, Piano keys, Pianos , Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Tool handles, Vehicle parts, Wheels Environmental Profile Widespread May be rare in some parts of its range Globally secure Generally widespread, secure, and abundant within most of its range Abundant Species may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery Distribution Overview Shagbark hickory occurs throughout most of the eastern North America but is largely absent from the southeastern and Gulf coastal plains and the lower Mississippi Delta. It is found from southeastern Nebraska and southeastern Minnesota eastward through southern Ontario and Quebec to Maine and extends southward to Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and eastern Texas. Disjunct populations have been reported in the mountains of northeastern Mexico. Native to about the eastern 1/2 of the U. S. and isolated locations in the mountains of Mexico. Preferes well-drained floodplain forests and mesic upland forests. Heartwood Color White Reddish brown Brown Sapwood Color White Yellow Pale straw Sapwood is very wide and is considered to be of a higher value than the heartwood Grain Even Closed Figure Irregular Wavy Straight Straight Occasionally wavy Irregular grain occasionally Texture Fine Coarse Natural Durability Perishable Non-durable Non-resistant to powder post beetles Susceptible to insect attack Vulnerable to attack by powder-post beetles Vulnerable to attack by pinhole and longhorn borers Vulnerable to attack by hickory bark beetle Very little natural resistance Susceptible to attack by fungi Hickory bark beetles cause the greatest damage Odor No specific smell or taste Kiln Schedules T8 - D3 (4/4); T6 - D1 (8/4) US Schedule E - United States. Drying Defects Distortion Special attention required Severe shrinkage may result Poor air circulation while slow drying may cause chemical sapwood stains Moderate twist/warp Moderate surface checking Moderate end spitting Use care to prevent splitting, checking, warping and other defects commonly associated with high shrinkage Ease of Drying Slowly Fairly high risk of shrinkage Dries fairly rapidly but requires care Kiln Drying Rate Naturally dries at a moderate speed Tree Size Tree height is 30-40 m Bole length is 20-30 m Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm Product Sources Lumber produced from Shagbark hickory is available on the market at medium to high prices. Blunting Effect Severe effect Boring Easy Cutting Resistance Satisfactory sawing properties Sharp cutting edges required Mortising Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Fairly Easy to Very Easy Excellent mortising properties Moulding Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Fairly Easy to Very Easy Movement in Service Stable Not prone to move Nailing Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Tends to split during nailing Satisfactory nailing properties Pre-boring recommended Planing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Fairly Easy to Very Easy Special attention required Excellent woodworking properties For best results use sharp tools Response to Hand Tools Difficult to machine Sanding Good sanding qualities Screwing Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Turning Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Fairly Easy to Very Easy Good results Steam Bending Good Polishing Smooth polished surface Polishing characteristics are good to very good Staining Satisfactory staining characteristics Typical uses of species, such as for tool handles, do not require stains. Strength Properties Heavy Compression strength (parallel to grain) = high Bending strength (MOR) = high Bending strength in the air-dry condition (about 12 percent moisture content) is very high. Maximum crushing strength, or compression parallel to grain in the air-dry condition, is also in the very high range. It is stronger than Hard maple, and very heavy. Various species in the genus Carya, including Shagbark (C. ovata ), Pignut (C. glabra ), Mockernut (C. tomentosa ), and Shellbark (C. laciniosa ) are often marketed together as hickory because of very close similarities. The density and other related properties of the species are determined significantly by the rate of growth. Wood with wide growth rings are generally high in density and strength. Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 10290 18032 psi Crushing Strength 867 1769 psi Impact Strength 79 69 inches Maximum Crushing Strength 4395 8531 psi Shearing Strength 2381 psi Static Bending 4410 8820 psi Stiffness 1504 2029 1000 psi Work to Maximum Load 23 24 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.6 0.64 Weight 60 48 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 6 % Tangential Shrinkage 9 % Volumetric Shrinkage 17 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 723 1267 kg/cm2 Crushing Strength 60 124 kg/cm2 Impact Strength 200 175 cm Maximum Crushing Strength 309 599 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 167 kg/cm2 Static Bending 310 620 kg/cm2 Stiffness 105 142 1000 kg/cm2 Work to Maximum Load 1.61 1.68 cm-kg/cm3 Specific Gravity 0.6 0.64 Weight 961 769 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 6 % Tangential Shrinkage 9 % References 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. HMSO. 1981. Handbook of Hardwoods, 2nd Edition. Revised by R. H. Farmer. Department of the Environment, Building Research Establishment, Princes Risborough Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Kaiser, J. Wood of the Month: Hickory. Wood and Wood Products, September, 1990. Page 46. Kline, M. 1987. Carya ovata - Shagbark hickory. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 90-91. Lincoln, W. A. 1986. World Woods in Color. Linden Publishing Company, Inc. Fresno, California. 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.