Shagbark Hickory, is it worth the hassle

[Banjoec]

I was offered a shagbark hickory tree. About 5 or 6 truckloads, already cut up. I tried to split one of the largest of the logs from the base w/ a hand maul, and I felt like I was trying to split concrete.
Is Shagbark Hickory a good burning wood, like Oak? Is it known to be hard to split?
Thanks:bang:

 

[bwalker]

Hickory makes great firewood.

 

[rjh245]

It is a hard wood and a good firewood. I have found it hard to split but i think it burns well.
Rob

 

[458_lott]

It can be hard to split and can even stall some hydraulic splitters, but it has high thermal units. It takes a hot fire to burn it completely. My experience has been that slow burning it over night leaves big clinker ash. I don't cut much of it here in PA, but when I lived in Delaware there seemed to be as much shagbark hickory as smoothbark. No matter how hard it splits it is no where nearly as difficult as gum.

 

[ray benson]

Here is a chart for comparison.
http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/forestry/g881.htm#specs

 

[dingo]

Hickory makes nice flooring and burns well too

 

[ccicora]

Can you say BTU'S???

 

[dingo]

Oh, yeah, splitting, I take the chain saw and split the big chunks over half and hit them with a mall if I don't have the splitter. Sure it's slower, but easier. Lay the block on it's side, not straight up.

 

[dingo]

Sure can ccicora, British Thermal Units. How's that?

 

[ccicora]

Hickory and Oak keep me warm at night....

 

[Diesel JD]

Our hickory in teh south is hard..and I don't know if you work with teh same species of huickory in the ATL area as I do down in Ganiesville FL, but this hiuckory splits easily with a maul or a wedge as any other hardwood. the only tricky thing is when it is just out of teh green stage yet not quite seasoned, it is 10 hard to drive a wedge into(liek all hardwood) and 2) very fibrous which isn't that big a problem when it's green or fully seasoned. I like it...pretty wood, burns HOT...but pops a bit. The nuts are almost as tasty as pecans too...just a little more trouble to get at. And don't y'all complain about hard to split until you've tried some good southern live oak!

 

[Banjoec]

Thanks for your replies. Ray, thanks for the comparison chart.

 

[z4lunch]

Steve here...
Hickory and red oak for me.... white oak and hard Maple spit too much, for the fire place. Black walnut too when I can get it!!

 

[geofore]

gum difficult

The mills would not take gum if it sat for more than 3 days, too hard to cut, they wanted it fresh as possible as in get it here the day you cut it or we won't take it. Forget trying to drive a nail in it if it sat a few days. Hickory is a fine firewood, if it is Hickory take it, it'll keep outdoors, stacked, for two or three years if it's too much for this year.

 

[DanManofStihl]

I love to split hickory wood with my splitter it is about as easy as poplar but weighs more to roll over to it. Now gum on the other hand forget that it is a fight to split that you have to split it in 4 or 5 spots to get one piece to fall off. It usually is not worth the effort.

 

[Banjoec]

Would this Shagbark be easier to split now or if I wait a while.
Thanks

 

[TRUSSMAN]

It has been a long time since I split any Hickory, but I think you want it to dry out a good bit.
Jeff

 

[johnha]

It is one of the best firewoods you'll find in PA.

It is difficult to split by hand. Splitting shagbark convinced me to get a log splitter a few years back.

If you were closer I'd split it for/with you.

 

[Firewoodster]

My customers want ONLY Hickory and Oak. I whoop a little Ash and Black Locust sticks in there now and again.
Hickory is what my customers that Bar-B-Q pork and deer prefer.

 

[Mr.]

Leave it. If they took all the fun out by cutting it up, screw them. Tell them next time you cut and they split and stack.

These guys are right. If it's hard to split it's a hit.

Try some blackjack.

Fred