Static_23 Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 I'm a little new to cabinetry and i am wondering if hickory is a good material for kitchen cabinets. when i say new i mean to the fact that i am now jointing and plaining my own boards instead of buying them from a home center. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 hickory is a fantastic wood for kitchen cabinets. it's very strong and beautiful as well. i like it ten fold over oak. personal preference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlamulle Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 I'm a little new to cabinetry and i am wondering if hickory is a good material for kitchen cabinets. when i say new i mean to the fact that i am now jointing and plaining my own boards instead of buying them from a home center. My home has custom hickory cabinets throughout and I love them. They are durable as all get go and I love the contrasting colors and grain patterns. My only advice is get good carbide cutters and prepare to sharpen them several times during the project. I think we had to sharpen all our cutters and planer blades three or four times before we got finished. We finished them with clear lacquer. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Hickory is very trendy right now. At least in this part of the country it is highly sought after for cabinets. It can also be a very bold look. In my opinion you have to be a little careful with it. Hickory can vary from almost white to a very rich brown. Now you can build beautiful cabinets with just one variation of these colors, and that will be a very conservative approach. But today it is very trendy to have cabinet doors built showing a mixture of these colors. I personally love that vibrant look of the varied Hickory colors mixed together. But, one day that mixture may not be so trendy. At that point you may wish you had been a little more conservative and blended slightly fewer hues together in your cabinet doors. I’m not saying that will happen to you, but it is a risk you may want to consider. Think of it this way, back in 1989 the Pontiac Bonneville came out in forest green with gold colored pin stripes and gold rims. It was the hottest color combination there was for about two years. But if in 1995 you were driving a forest green Bonnie with golden rims… Well, let’s just say that trend only had a slightly longer lifespan than parachute pants. Again, I’m not saying you should avoid the bold look. I’m just saying you have to remember that Hickory last for freaking ever. (Certainly longer than a Bonneville.) And you’d better like the style because you are not going to wear them out. However, as far as Hickory’s strength, it is almost legendary. I’ve read that it has nearly the tinsel strength of steel. I will second the comment that you will have to be prepared to dull your tools when working with it. Be sure to post some photos after you build your cabinets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Mc Jones Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 I competed a hickory kitchen recently. Its a great wood, but very hard and splinters, so pre-drill especially if your using pocket holes for face frames. It stains up nice and if done right it really shows the beauty of the deep dark grain in the wood. Enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DALSAW Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 I done 45 or 50 sets of hickory cabinets, at my last job. So its a safe bet that hickory is a good wood for cabinets. Be shure to post some photos when your done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jusfine Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 I don't know if I have ever seen a set of cabinets in hickory, can anyone post photos please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Pants Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 hickory is a fantastic wood for kitchen cabinets. it's very strong and beautiful as well. i like it ten fold over oak. personal preference. Yup agree on all of this. I like oak, especially white and european but I am so over oak kitchens at this point. Seems like where I live every single builder uses red oak plywood for carcasses and red oak for the drawer/doors. It's oak overload. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Mc Jones Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 I done 45 or 50 sets of hickory cabinets, at my last job. So its a safe bet that hickory is a good wood for cabinets. Be shure to post some photos when your done. seek and ye shall find http://www.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&oe=UTF-8&q=hickory+cabinets&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=nBg_TcbbJIuisAPY0PmUBQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CC8QsAQwAA&biw=1920&bih=1080 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jusfine Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Wow, that is an amazing group of photos! thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Static_23 Posted January 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 thanks guys i'm going to start on this next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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