1st Post - Question on Hickory

[tpm1952]

Hi All,

Been browsing this site for a few weeks. Lots of good info.

I just took down a large Hickory here in mid Mich and in process of splitting/stacking all of it. (about 4 -5 face cords)

Iam guessing it wont be cured until fall of 2011.

Anyone with recent experience with Hickory curing times ?

Thanks

Tom

 

[mtarbert]

IMHO Hickory is not dry until 2 years after it is split and stacked. The bark comes off rather easily whick I think cuts down on any bugs that may be dragged into your home. I try to keep a face cord for smoking ducks ,geese and turkeys. The bark makes good "Shoulder" wood and firepit fuel so don't throw it away.

 

[Pagey]

In my experience with hickory, it seasons about like oak. I have some tight bark hickory last year that had been cut, split, and stacked for a year before it saw the stove. I resplit some down to more "kindling size" stuff one day for a small fire, and it literally dripped water out the ends as the stove came up to temp. I would give it a minimum of 18 months based on my anecdotal evidence.

 

[smokinj]

What kind of hickory?

 

[tpm1952]

I was hoping to be able to use it at 15 months (Nov 2011)

What would a good moisture reading be when ready ?

My guess is 20 to 25%

 

[tpm1952]

What kind of hickory?

Iam not sure ?? How can I tell ?

 

[smokinj]

What kind of hickory?

Iam not sure ?? How can I tell ?

Dark center or light center when first cut?

 

[tpm1952]

It has a small black center

I think it a Hagabark Hickory Tree base on some pics I have seen on the Web.

Seen here http://www.tree-pictures.com/hagabark-hickory-tree.jpg

 

[smokinj]

If its shagbark the tree will have very long shag bark with a light center hartwood. Pignut bark will look alot like maple with a dark hartwood and lighten up once cut and sits for a few months.

 

[gzecc]

I have a graph that puts shagbark as #5 after black locust for seasoning times. I have no experience with hickory personally. See bottom of link.
http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/firewood.html

 

[smokinj]

I have a graph that puts shagbark as #5 after black locust for seasoning times. I have no experience with hickory personally. See bottom of link.
http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/firewood.html

Correct shag will season quicker than pignut.

 

[Battenkiller]

I was hoping to be able to use it at 15 months (Nov 2011)

What would a good moisture reading be when ready ?

My guess is 20 to 25%

Welcome to the forum, Tom.

Hickory needs to get just as dry as any other wood to burn well. 20% MC is good to shoot for, but anything in the mid-20% range will burn reasonably well.

I've burned a lot of hickory over the last 25 years. Personally, I think it is the very best firewood I can get in my area. One of the reasons is that it is relatively low in MC when cut compared to many other high-energy woods like the oaks. I don't agree with others here who say it takes 2 years. I think it will get down to near 20% in one good drying season, but that's just my personal experience in my area. I have superior drying conditions (open and breezy), so others may find it different for them.

Below is a photo of some shagbark hickory. You can see the distinctive bark (there's some cherry mixed in with this as well) that peels off in long, shaggy strips. It is mostly composed of very light colored sapwood with a small area of dark heartwood. This wood was delivered to me in June. I split that round you see in the photo as soon as I got it and it was already 38% MC, and they told it they had just cut and bucked it that day. A heck of a lot drier than red oak, which would be up around 80% MC when first cut. This stuff is going in the stove this winter, even if it hasn't reached 20% It'll burn fine on those sub-zero January nights.

 

[smokinj]

I was hoping to be able to use it at 15 months (Nov 2011)

What would a good moisture reading be when ready ?

My guess is 20 to 25%

Welcome to the forum, Tom.

Hickory needs to get just as dry as any other wood to burn well. 20% MC is good to shoot for, but anything in the mid-20% range will burn reasonably well.

I've burned a lot of hickory over the last 25 years. Personally, I think it is the very best firewood I can get in my area. One of the reasons is that it is relatively low in MC when cut compared to many other high-energy woods like the oaks. I don't agree with others here who say it takes 2 years. I think it will get down to near 20% in one good drying season, but that's just my personal experience in my area. I have superior drying conditions (open and breezy), so others may find it different for them.

Below is a photo of some shagbark hickory. You can see the distinctive bark (there's some cherry mixed in with this as well) that peels off in long, shaggy strips. It is mostly composed of very light colored sapwood with a small area of dark heartwood. This wood was delivered to me in June. I split that round you see in the photo as soon as I got it and it was already 38% MC, and they told it they had just cut and bucked it that day. A heck of a lot drier than red oak, which would be up around 80% MC when first cut. This stuff is going in the stove this winter, even if it hasn't reached 20% It'll burn fine on those sub-zero January nights.

You hit a bigger trunk and its going to be pretty white all the way through.

 

[burntime]

I have split it in spring and burned it in fall. over 12 months is better like most woods, but a full summer should be fine.

 

[tpm1952]

I was hoping to be able to use it at 15 months (Nov 2011)

What would a good moisture reading be when ready ?

My guess is 20 to 25%

Welcome to the forum, Tom.

Hickory needs to get just as dry as any other wood to burn well. 20% MC is good to shoot for, but anything in the mid-20% range will burn reasonably well.

I've burned a lot of hickory over the last 25 years. Personally, I think it is the very best firewood I can get in my area. One of the reasons is that it is relatively low in MC when cut compared to many other high-energy woods like the oaks. I don't agree with others here who say it takes 2 years. I think it will get down to near 20% in one good drying season, but that's just my personal experience in my area. I have superior drying conditions (open and breezy), so others may find it different for them.

Below is a photo of some shagbark hickory. You can see the distinctive bark (there's some cherry mixed in with this as well) that peels off in long, shaggy strips. It is mostly composed of very light colored sapwood with a small area of dark heartwood. This wood was delivered to me in June. I split that round you see in the photo as soon as I got it and it was already 38% MC, and they told it they had just cut and bucked it that day. A heck of a lot drier than red oak, which would be up around 80% MC when first cut. This stuff is going in the stove this winter, even if it hasn't reached 20% It'll burn fine on those sub-zero January nights.

Yep, thats a pic of the Hickory Iam splitting right now. My rows will have good western exposure in an open area so I hope to have this wood ready to go by next fall.

Thanks to All for the hearty Welcomes and responses ...

 

[rdust]

Welcome! Where in Mid-Michigan? I was camping in Gladwin this weekend. I've found you can season shagbark in one year with a good summer. Mine has seasoned far better then my oak.

 

[DBoon]

I've put up cords and cords of bitternut hickory last spring and summer. It's been in an open meadow for 12 months and it is a dry as it needs to be - 20% moisture content. Even the 6" rounds are nicely dried. If you have the right location, it will dry well in one year.

 

[rwh442]

One year's worth of seasoning for shagbark hickory has been fine for me.

 

[tpm1952]

Welcome! Where in Mid-Michigan? I was camping in Gladwin this weekend. I've found you can season shagbark in one year with a good summer. Mine has seasoned far better then my oak.

Iam in MAson. A small town just south of East lansing about 20 miles

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum Tom.

In your area I'd say for sure it is shagbark hickory. We don't have but a few hickory around here that is not shagbark. As for drying time, I'd guess you could probably burn it by the fall of 2011 but I would not burn it during the spring or fall. I'd save it for the colder months. It's been a while since we've burned any but when we did burn it we were very pleased.