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I'm using hickory for the first time for some cabinets, and have some left over that is almost perfectly flatsawn that shows some nice edge grain. I bent a scrap that was about .09" into a really tight radius before it started to fracture. Does it keep its shape well when bent with a form? Temperature suggestions?
I have a board that's a nice creamy colour, and one that is like coffee with a bit of creme, and one that is almost white. I'm hoping everyone says that it's great stuff! Thanks!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Hey Alex, I don't have experience using Hickory for binding. But I don't see any reason why you can't use it. Especially if you have put it through some bending test. I'd say go for it.

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
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House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
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I'm with Josh. Hickory is a pretty hard domestic wood. Go for it !!!

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Keep in mind that it also can be brittle. Bending might be a pain in the neck. It's also like Sapele where the fibers are long and ropey so using edge tools on it might be problematic.
Not to dissuade you from using it, I think it would be great, just be prepared for it to fight back a little.

I get the ropey aspect. I noticed that when ripping some boards, and last night when I was grooving panel parts - long wooly fibres at the routered edges. I could see it being a problem when using a router bit with a bearing.
I'll likely cut the bindings to .150", and thin them to required thickness as needed.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Hi, Alex,
As long as you do some testing and you're sure you are satisfied with those results, I see no reason why you shouldn't try it. Various hickories make up a huge percentage of the local forests where I live. It's tough and shock resistant (great tool handles) but as you already know it can be very fibrous and long splinters might rise up out of bent pieces. If you can solve that potential problem, then it ought to protect the corners of your guitar very well. If you bend it free-hand on a pipe, I think you should definitely use some kind of back material to hold those fibers down while they are bending.

Back in the days when the shafts of golf clubs were made of wood, hickory was the wood. Heads were persimmon.
Don't know if that has any significance in using it for binding.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

Might be a good candidate for veneer softener, Patrick. I'll be using a bending form and blanket, and touching up with a pipe.

Hickory clubs were the first ones that I learned on. They were my Dad's, but once I started swinging pretty good, there was too much twist in the shaft. I still used the niblick around the greens until I was about 20.
The shafts would have to have been made from split stock. Maybe that would be the way to go for bindings.
I still have a set of persimmon woods, Roger. I used to hit those really well, but there isn't much forgiveness if you missed the tiny sweet spot! If I remember, someone on the forum used some persimmon for a FB for a local woods challenge.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Hickory would be great for binding. I have made a fretboard and a bridge out of it also on the OLF #2 challenge. If your board is flatsawn then you can cut thin slices and they will be quartersawn. The way you want them. Hickory is a very hard wood, harder than most maples and used on many hand tools over the years like axes. Some hickory boards have knots and weird growth lines that can make them unstable. It really depends on the board. Color doesn't seem to matter. NO reason not to use it. Its hard, pretty and better than plastic.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

Hickory is one of the prefered woods for making the bowed backs on windsor chairs. With these you are steam bending 1" thick wood after being in a steamer for about an hour. I'm sure bending thin bindings will be just fine. it is also steam bent for canes and walking sticks.

Maybe use a little more water rather than less.

Kent

One of my early guitars had curly hickory binding. It worked fine.

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John

I also have several sets of solid persimmon woods (not laminated, most of the woods made after 1960 were laminated) , and I still play with them. I do use a metal driver, I need more forgiveness off the tee than I did when I was younger.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

My persimmons were made by Louiseville golf. https://www.louisvillegolf.com They still make them.
I had a set of their Classic 50's irons put together by a local clubmaker. I looked into getting them reshafted with regulars, but the cost was too high, and the clubmaker had passed away, so they sit in the garage.
I played with Ping i10's for a few years, but couldn't get used to graphite shafts, so I bought Ping s55 irons with steel shafts this past summer. A much nicer club, if you are used to the look and feel of forged!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

My woods are Macgregor Tournys from the late 60's, I've got two sets and so does my father.
I'm still playing with the irons I won in a tournament in 1970, also Macgregor Tournys. I've also got a set of aluminium shaft M/T irons, from 1968. They only made those for a couple of years.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

I've used hickory for bindings. The piece I used was very curly. It didn't bend as easily as curly maple but I did not have any problem with it.

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Michael F Smith
Goat Rock Ukulele
http://goatrockukulele.com