Don-
Sorry I'm so late responding- apparently I didn't receive notification of your post.
Hickory is not bad to work- just be sure you have sharp tooling. I'm making my kitchen cabinets with it- natural with no stain and a couple coats of Fabulon polyurethane.
Did Santa bring your drum sander? If he did, try making a face frame a little thick, then use the sander to achieve finished thickness. You'll be amazed!
Dave