Hickory Chairs: Hard by Nature, Rustic by Making

    Hickory chairs often have a highly rustic feel that is perfect for a place where you want to get away, and it's that aesthetic appeal that typically draws people to purchasing hickory chairs. But during my visit to Old Hickory, I found that while the look of the hickory chairs is nice, it's the quality of wood that is far more fascinating.
    While chatting with Rocco Liott, I discovered that hickory wood is incredibly durable, and it's the wood's strength that makes it a great option for a chair.
    "Hickory is the strongest wood in North America," Liott said. "It will last forever. Babe Ruth hit his 60th home run with a hickory baseball bat. They used wagon wheel spokes out of hickory. It's because of its durability. It's resilient. It doesn't really break. It flexes more than an oak wood. Hickory is a very strong wood and durable."
    When you purchase a chair made of hickory, you won't have to worry about the wood cracking in half if you gain a few extra pounds. It's strong, sturdy and according to Liott can take quite a beating.
    "There was one quality test they used to do years ago, when the company first started," Liott said. "They would take a chair and literally hurl it across the room to see if it survived."
    In shock I asked, "Did it pass?"
    "Absolutely," Liott said. "It's very durable stuff. In fact a couple years ago a fellow was delivering a rocker from here up to Indianapolis and it was in the back of a pickup truck. It fell out while they were going 70 miles per hour while on 1-74 and very little damage happened to it. It had a scrap that needed to be sanded and refinished and that was it."
    While hickory chairs may seem unbelievable, they do have one weakness. If the hickory wood is not cut at the proper time of the year, the bark can fall right off - and that would completely ruin the rustic look so many people are drawn too.
    "All of the hickory saplings have to be harvested when the sap is down -- when the leaves change on the trees," Liott said. "If you cut it when the sap is up, and it dries out, it creates a gap and the actual whole sleeve of bark will slip off."
    To avoid purchasing hickory chairs made of hickory cut at the wrong time of year, always look at the cut edges of the hickory to make sure there is not a gap between the bark and the core of the wood. Quality hickory chairs have a seamless finish and apparently can be thrown across a room without breaking. But I don't think I'd try that - at least not in the furniture showroom.