Andrew Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Hey guys new to the forum. I have been wanting to make a bedroom set for my wife and being a bit of a baseball fan I wanted to use hickory or ash. I am leaning toward the hickory but wanted to see if you guys have any experience or recommendations between the two. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Unless you REALLY enjoy sharpening, use ash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Capwn Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 No practical experience, but from all I have read, Hickory can be a nightmare to work with. I would also suggest Ash if workability is a primary concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Beds are significantly different than baseball bats. Suggest using material that looks great to you and your wife rather than having some nostalgic tie to baseball. Your wife may not like the look of either one? Welcome to the forums! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Welcome to the forum. Ive worked with ash before and it works well. Never used hickory but heard that its not the greatest to work with. My vote is ash. Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Dknapp34 Posted December 29, 2015 Popular Post Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 After building a roubo out of hickory, I can say with confidence that hickory should only be used for smoking meat. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeslayer Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 hickory, cutting boards and smoking meat, stick with ash if you must choose, my vote is cherry or walnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles11we Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 I love ash and after the bettles came through i had a crap ton of it and its still really cheap around me. Hickory is pretty crap to work with but i think its nice looking and if you need something to be strong, well thats your wood. I made a bed recently mostly out of clear ash, i think it looks very nice and it was pretty easy to work with. The hollow beams i made out of hickory on the other hand... i still have splinters and nightmares from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Hickory takes a special mental approach and needs sharp, but it is much easier to work than some exotics I like. You just cannot act like it is pine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Hickory is a dullard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 7 hours ago, TIODS said: Beds are significantly different than baseball bats. Suggest using material that looks great to you and your wife rather than having some nostalgic tie to baseball. Your wife may not like the look of either one? Welcome to the forums! Yeah I'm totally with Kev. I don't get why your love of baseball means you should build furniture with baseball bat wood. Do you wear leather pants because baseball gloves are leather? Put pine tar on your pancakes? Rosin on your baby's butt after a diaper change? Sunflower seeds for dinner? Adjust your package during a meeting at the office? Build the bedroom set with cherry or walnut...then buy a lathe and turn a bat out of ash. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 I would have to agree with Eric and Kev, use walnut or cherry, a lot of baseball players today use maple bats. So that gives you your tie to baseball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barron Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Ash and oak work about the same and ash can look quite nice. Cherry and walnut are easier to work and look great, but tend to cost more. If you are building mission or shaker style furniture and using power tools the ash won't be a problem. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenMasco Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 I'm just finishing my Roubo work bench with an Ask top. I never want to work with Ash again. Grain running in every direction, hard as nails, tool dulling. I've been surprised to see people (in other posts) recommending Ash. Perhaps my Ash is unique, back to Walnut, Cherry and Mahogany for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 I'm sure your ash is unique Ken 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strasberry Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 One of the nicest kitchens I've ever seen was made of Hickory. I didn't make it or have anything to do with it, but it was great looking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Hickory makes good fire wood on a really cold night. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osgw380 Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 I guess I would be in the minority but between the two choices it would be hickory in my house. I use hickory quite a lot and we like the different colors in it and all the character. It to me has a rustic feel when finely finished. I'd say go for it!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 I'm with ya OSG, I've made a coffee table out of hickory and didn't notice any sort of trouble that everyone is talking about. I get that it's hard to work with but it's no where near as difficult as zebrawood, purpleheart, jatoba, or the likes. Heck it thickness planed easier than figured maple for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenMasco Posted February 6, 2016 Report Share Posted February 6, 2016 Tiods, I bought this as Ash. Is it not Ash? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 7, 2016 Report Share Posted February 7, 2016 pics look like Ash to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenMasco Posted February 7, 2016 Report Share Posted February 7, 2016 Hmmm. Thank you. It's makes a great 3 1/2" thick work bench top. But I found this stuff to be very unruly and difficult to work with. Switching grain in 2*3 spots along eight feet, tearing out, hard as heck. Tool dulling and generally difficult. My tools are sharp and tuned. This is my first time working with Ash, it was a good price so I got it for the top of my workbench. My question is, if this is ash, why is everyone else so hot for ash? What am I missing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted February 7, 2016 Report Share Posted February 7, 2016 I've worked with ash and it was more pleasant than working with oak or maple. If you get any wood with wavy grain it's going to be a PITA have to watch which direction it's going. I don't know if it's right but i generally switch directions when the grain direction changes when working with hand tools. Power tools i just try and use a smaller cut and more passes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted February 7, 2016 Report Share Posted February 7, 2016 Looks like ash to me. Keep in mind, not all of any wood is a dream. The ash cut for my bench planes like crap because the grain undulates often. A 3 foot section of great with the grain planning cam quickly terminate with a few 1/2"x1/2" plugs pulling out when the grain sweeps up then back down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post tombuhl Posted February 17, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Late to the party here. I scanned the first few replies and seems that folks have more experience with ash than hickory. I am big fan of hickory. It finishes readily to nice luster and feel. Ash, not so much. Used it for my Roubo Bench, but would not consider it for nice furniture. Hickory can be splintery and tough stuff, but not super abrasive to cutting edges. Plan well and you'll be rewarded. A bed might be a big project for hickory. My experience says it is not readily available in wider widths if that matters. Being sort of an out of favor wood it is not too expensive. Not sure how it compares to ash for price. Something as long lasting as a bed price is not hopefully the biggest concern. Attached is image of wine cabinet. Hickory with Mahogany for horizontal elements. Leg detail is my computer desk with hickory legs. Hickory is my favorite light colored material. Good luck with your build. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.