Hickory/Pecan

Hickory and pecan are close enough relatives in the genus Carya that the lumber trade sells them interchangeably — the properties and appearance overlap too much to bother separating. Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) alone tests as hard as 1,880 lbf on the Janka scale, putting it among the hardest woods native to North America.

Working Properties

Hickory doesn't make this easy: it's dense, and tearout shows up fast unless your cutting edges are genuinely sharp. What it's actually built for is toughness and shock resistance, and it takes to steam bending better than almost anything else domestic. Once you're through machining it, gluing, staining, and finishing all go smoothly.

Typical Uses

Tool handles (especially striking tools like hammers and axes), ladder rungs, drumsticks, and other high-impact applications, plus flooring and furniture.