Thread: Advice on milling pecan (hickory)

Hi there millers

I've got access to timber from a mature pecan orchard that is being removed (the white cockeys won the battle against the nut farmer).

A couple of hundred trees with diameters between 30-70cm with most around 45. The form is what you would expect from trees managed for nuts rather than timber.

Pecan is a very close relative of hickory and I have heard the timber is very similar. I've heard they both have lots of tension and are hard to mill and dry straight.

All my milling to date has been on native hardwoods so these little american buggers are a new challenge for me. Any advice or suggestions on cutting patterns (backsawn, quartersawn, slabs . . . ?) and or likely end products that the timber would suit (tool handle blanks maybe, although with all the branches there would be more hatchet handles than axe handles, furniture/cabinet, turning pieces . . . ?).

thanks v much

Darkwood