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.