# Working with Pecan, hardness?



## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

I have a great source for a very large load of pecan that had to be cut down due to old and rotted. Very large tree, and I'm wanting to use it to make bandsaw boxes out of, my question is how hard is it compared to Red Oak and or mesquite ?

Thanks


----------



## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

I think it is in line with hickory. Harder than red oak. Not sure but probably not as hard as mesquite.

Edit janka rating red oak was 1290, pecan 1890, mesquite 2300+.


----------



## HerbC (Jul 28, 2010)

Janka Hardness Scale values

Mequite - 2345
Pecan - 1820
Red Oak - 1290

So, Pecan is harder than red oak but not as hard as mesquite…


----------



## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

I work at lumber liquidators and was recently reading a document that the National Wood Flooring Association put out regarding woods. They grouped pecan and hickory together saying flooring mills often times mix the two of them together. The janka rating for hickory is 1820 and pecan is somewhere in the same area so I'd say go for it and if you can't use it all up send some of it on over this way. Hickory is the hardest domestic we sell.


----------



## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

1820 would that be a bit hard for bandsaw boxes or should I go for it? These are 12" and larger logs that I'd have to run through my 14". I also know where I can get 15" and larger Red Oak as well.


----------



## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

Pecan is in fact a hickory. There are two sub-groups in the hickory genus, the true hickories and the pecan hickories. I have sawn a bunch of it, and I worked with the wood. It is very hard and requires very sharp jointer and planer knives. It will be harder on your knives (or inserts as the case may be) than red oak. It is harder to sand just because it is harder. Absolutely beautiful wood, though.

Here is a picture of some quartersawn pecan that a friend and I sawed this summer. I love the look, but there is a price to pay. For scale, these boards are 11" wide.


----------



## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

I'm kind of new to this spalting and know there are some woods that won't spalt but if I were to try it on this pecan would that soften it up a bit?


----------



## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

Spalting a log is tricky. There is a fine line between spalt and rot as spalt is the first stage of rot. You can do it if you want the spalted look, otherwise, it is not too hard to work, just challenging.


----------



## tenontim (Feb 24, 2008)

Blackie, is your source going to be selling off this lumber and do you know how old it is?


----------



## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

I still have a great deal of hackberry in my inventory already spalted just trying to find the time to slice it up.


----------



## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

Tim, the Pecan is free to me, only it's an hour and 1/2 drive from me so thinking of taking a trailer, since I don't have access to a saw mill and this is very large lumber I'm going to have to cut the logs up in like 24 - 30" portions.

Due to the size of the tree I'm guessing 40+ years, it died and fell over. He has another in his front yard about the same size that is also dead and he is going to be cutting it down as well. I see you are in San Saba, the town I am getting the wood from is in Bartlet Tx.

I know he is going to keep some for burning if there still some left over and if you are interested in buying some he may sell it to you, just let me know and I'll ask him then get back to you with a PM.

Blackie


----------



## tenontim (Feb 24, 2008)

Thanks, Blackie. I thought he might have it already sawed up. I don't have access to a saw mill either. There are a lot of trees in the San Saba area, it's just a matter of getting them cut up. There is a sawmill in Llano, but it's a little pricey, unless you've got some special logs. He also carries most native Texas hardwoods anyway.


----------

