Anyone used hackberry?

[Christopher Charles]

Hello all,

I have several slabs of hackberry that I milled with a friend a couple of years ago. Much will be used for some tables and desks, etc. However, I'm also needing some secondary wood for some small drawers in a sofa table (sides and solid bottoms).

I have some rift sawn poplar that I'm considering for the drawer sides and bottoms, but could use some quarter sawn hackberry.

Thoughts?

C

[Rick Whitehead]

I haven't worked with it personally, but a good friend of mine has used it.
He used it for the blades of some wooden swords he made for this kids. He said that it held up better than any other wood he'd used for that purpose!
I think that the hackberry would be fine for drawer sides and bottoms, but so would the poplar. Your choice!
Rick

[Dennis Ford]

Hackberry has two drawbacks that I know of: it tends to warp and it is not rot resistant. If the wood dried fairly straight, it will likely stay that way. Rot should not be an issue in interior furniture. The wood is very tough and strong (perfect for drawers).

[Bob Jones]

I believe drawer sides were typically something softer than the runners. This way the drawer sides wear more because they are more easily repaired. Use the hackberry for the runners and the poplar for the sides.

[William Adams]

Any interest in archery? It's a bow wood --- might be useful in trade.

[Christopher Charles]

Thanks all. I pulled some of the planks last night and have several of the hackberry that haven't moved since milling and are straight-grained. Plan to go ahead with the hackberry. William, thanks for the tip as I do know a couple of folks who are very into traditional bow making. The scraps will also be candidates for weapons, as a few of those get made at my house.

Thanks,
C

280570