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Blunting Effect Boring Carving Comments Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Schedules Luster Mortising Moulding Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing Product Sources References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Steam Bending Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Veneering Qualities		Scientific Name Carya myristicaeformis Trade Name Nutmeg hickory Family Name Juglandaceae Common Names Hickory, Nutmeg hickory, Pecan Regions of Distribution North America Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] United States Common Uses Building materials, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Fuelwood, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Handles, Hatracks, Interior construction, Interior trim, Kitchen cabinets, Ladders , Living-room suites, Millwork, Office furniture, Paneling , Parquet flooring, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Rustic furniture, Shafts/Handles, Stools, Sub-flooring, Tables , Tool handles, Truck bodies, Utility furniture, Vehicle parts Environmental Profile Status has not been officially assessed Distribution Overview Scattered from South Carolina west to eastern Texas and south eastern Oklahoma, possibly even eastern Mexico. Growsn on banks of rivers and swamps in rich moist soils, occasionally on higher ground and often on limestone. Heartwood Color Brown Yellow Well defined Reddish brown Pale brown Brown Sapwood Color Brown Yellow White Pale brown Grain Even Straight Generally straight, but not always Generally straight, but not always Texture Fine Even or uniform Hard Coarse Combination of relatively coarse texture and semi-ring pores has been known to yield an attractive but subtle figure on flat sawn surfaces Luster High Medium Natural Durability Perishable Non-durable Very little natural resistance Not nearly as resistant to decay as walnut Odor No specific smell or taste Kiln Schedules T8 - D3 (4/4); T6 - D1 (8/4) US Drying Defects Checking Slight surface checking Slight end splitting Poor air circulation while slow drying may cause chemical sapwood stains Ease of Drying Moderately Difficult to Difficult Special attention required Fairly high risk of shrinkage Easy Carefully control drying conditions to minimize degrade May check and warp if dried improperly Tree Size Tall, straight bole Product Sources The lumber trade generally separates the dozen or so Caryas native to North America into two groups: Hickory and Pecan. Nutmeg hickory is possibly the least plentiful of the Pecans because its growth range is sporadic and also because it is cultivated selectively for nut production. It is, however, sold in a mixture with other members in the Pecan group, which makes its scarcity unnoticeable. Comments Nutmeg hickory belongs to the Pecan group of hickories. The principal timber producing species in this group are Pecan (C. illinoensis ), Bitternut (C. cordiformis ), Water hickory (C. acquatica ), and Nutmeg hickory (C. myristicaeformis ). Members in this group are generally less dense, easier to work, and are darker in color, which make them a better choice for furniture Blunting Effect Severe effect Boring Easy Carving Very Good to Excellent Results Poor results Mortising Good mortising properties Some effort required Moulding Requires special attention. A reduction in cutting angles is recommended for best results Movement in Service Small High High dimensional stability after properly dried Nailing Satisfactory nailing properties Planing Special attention required Difficult to work Wood is hard, cutting edges dull rather rapidly Resistance to Impregnation Wood is moderately resistant to treatment Response to Hand Tools Easy to machine Sanding Hand sanding difficult Good sanding qualities Screwing Good screw holding properties Turning Very Good to Excellent Results Very good Special attention required To keep finished product from checking and distorting, thoroughly dry the wood Veneering Qualities Can sometimes be sliced into highly decorative veneers for paneling Nutmeg hickory logs may sometimes be sliced into decorative veneers for paneling Steam Bending Good Polishing Very Good to Excellent Results Excellent finishing and polishing Very suitable for oil finishing, as it polishes to a nice ,soft luster Strength Properties Heavy Compression strength (parallel to grain) = high Bending strength (MOR) = high The wood has very high bending strength, and is much stronger than Teak in the air-dry condition (about 12 percent moisture content). Maximum crushing strength, or compression strength parallel to grain, is also high. It is a very heavy wood Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 8918 16268 psi Crushing Strength 745 1539 psi Impact Strength 53 inches Maximum Crushing Strength 3900 6772 psi Shearing Strength 1009 psi Stiffness 1264 1666 1000 psi Work to Maximum Load 23 25 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.52 0.56 Weight 44 36. lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 5 % Tangential Shrinkage 9 % Volumetric Shrinkage 14 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 627 1143 kg/cm2 Crushing Strength 52 108 kg/cm2 Impact Strength 134 cm Maximum Crushing Strength 274 476 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 70 kg/cm2 Stiffness 88 117 1000 kg/cm2 Work to Maximum Load 1.61 1.75 cm-kg/cm3 Specific Gravity 0.52 0.56 Weight 705 576. kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 5 % Tangential Shrinkage 9 % References Arno, J.1991. Carya myristiciformis - Nutmeg hickory. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 87-89. Boone, R. S., C. J. Kozlik, P. J. Bois, and E. M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Woods: Temperate and Tropical. USDA, Forest Service, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. Little, E.L. 1980. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Eastern Region. Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York. Panshin, A. J. and C. deZeeuw. Textbook of Wood Technology. McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. Rendle, B.J. Editor. 1969. World Timbers, Volume Two - North & South America (Including Central America and the West Indies). Published by Ernest Benn Limited, Bouverie House, Fleet Street, London. USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material. Agriculture Handbook No. 72. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Madison, Wisconsin. USDA. 1988. Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.