Species – Domestic
Top portion is finished with water-base finish; bottom with oil-based finish
Appearance
Color: Pecan heartwood is reddish brown with dark brown stripes; sapwood is white or creamy white with pinkish tones. Hickory heartwood is tan or reddish; sapwood is white to cream, with fine brown lines.
Grain: Pecan is open, occasionally wavy or irregular. Hickory is closed, with moderate definition; somewhat rough-textured.
Variations: In both hickory and pecan, there are often pronounced differentiations in color between spring wood and summer wood. In pecan, sapwood is usually graded higher than darker heartwood. Pecan and hickory are traditionally mixed by flooring mills.
Workability
Sawing/Machining: Hickory’s density makes it difficult to machine and work with hand tools.
Sanding: Difficult to sand because of density, and because light color makes sander markers show more than on darker woods.
Nailing: Has a tendency to split the tongues.
Finishing: May be difficult to stain
Comments Origin: North America
Properties
Hardness/Janka:1820; (41% harder than Northern red oak). Pecan is slightly softer than true hickories.
Dimensional Stability: Pecan, average (8.9; 3% less stable than Northern red oak.
Durability: Availability
Readily available.
