Hickory wood is renowned for its exceptional strength, durability, and distinctive grain pattern, making it a popular choice for furniture making. However, due to its increasing cost, limited availability in some regions, and challenging workability, many woodworkers and furniture makers seek hickory wood alternatives for furniture making projects.
This comprehensive guide explores viable substitutes that offer similar benefits while addressing the limitations of hickory.
Why Consider Hickory Wood Alternatives for Furniture?
Hickory is prized for its remarkable hardness, shock resistance, and attractive appearance. However, several factors might lead you to explore alternatives:
- Hickory can be difficult to work with, especially with hand tools, due to its density
- Limited availability in many regions, particularly outside North America
- Higher cost compared to some other hardwoods
- It can be challenging to finish due to its varied colouration
- Requires sharp tools and can cause excessive wear on equipment
When searching for hickory wood alternatives for furniture, it’s essential to consider properties like strength, appearance, workability, and cost to find the best match for your specific project needs.
Premium Hardwood Alternatives to Hickory
Walnut
Walnut stands as one of the premier hickory wood alternatives for furniture, particularly for high-end pieces.
- Strength: While not as hard as hickory, walnut offers excellent durability for furniture applications
- Workability: Significantly easier to work with than hickory, making it ideal for both machine and hand tools
- Appearance: Rich, dark chocolate-brown colour with straight grain and occasional figuring
- Cost: Premium-priced but justified by its beauty and workability
- Best for: Fine furniture, cabinets, decorative pieces, where appearance is prioritised
“Walnut and genuine mahogany are probably the easiest hardwoods to work in general,” according to experienced woodworkers discussing hickory wood alternatives for furniture.
White Oak
White oak provides exceptional durability while being more widely available than hickory.
- Strength: Very dense and strong, approaching hickory in durability
- Workability: Moderately difficult to work with, but planes easily compared to some hardwoods
- Appearance: Light to medium brown with distinctive ray flecks when quarter-sawn
- Cost: Moderately expensive but typically less than hickory
- Best for: Tables, chairs, flooring, and outdoor furniture due to its natural rot resistance
However, some woodworkers caution: “White Oak… You’ll go through a lot of saw blades and router bits, “though still not as demanding as hickory.
Hard Maple
Hard maple (sugar maple) provides excellent durability with a cleaner, lighter appearance.
- Strength: Very hard and dense with good shock resistance
- Workability: Can be challenging for beginners to plane properly
- Appearance: Pale cream to light reddish-brown with subtle grain
- Cost: Moderate to high, depending on grade and figure
- Best for: Furniture requiring a lighter aesthetic, kitchen pieces, tables and chairs
Ash
Ash is frequently mentioned as one of the closest hickory wood alternatives for furniture, particularly for applications requiring strength.
- Strength: Excellent strength-to-weight ratio, good shock absorption
- Workability: Carves easily with good screw and nail holding properties
- Appearance: Light colored with prominent grain similar to oak
- Cost: Generally more affordable than hickory
- Best for: Furniture frames, chairs, tables, and sporting equipment
“Ash is cheap, pretty strong, has attractive grain, and carves easily”, compared to hickory, making it an excellent alternative.
Cherry
Cherry provides a premium appearance with good working properties.
- Strength: Moderately strong, though not as hard as hickory
- Workability: Excellent working properties, cuts and finishes beautifully
- Appearance: Reddish-brown colour that deepens with age, smooth grain
- Cost: Premium pricing, especially for wide boards
- Best for: Fine furniture, cabinets, decorative pieces.
Budget-Friendly Hickory Wood Alternatives for Furniture
Poplar
Poplar represents one of the most accessible and affordable hickory wood alternatives for furniture.
- Strength: Moderate strength, suitable for many furniture applications
- Workability: Very easy to work with using both hand and power tools
- Appearance: Pale green to yellowish-brown, often painted due to inconsistent colouration
- Cost: Very affordable compared to most hardwoods
- Best for: Painted furniture, interior structural components, drawer sides
“In my area, another option is popular. Depending on the supplier, they might offer planning and joining services for a small fee. Poplar takes stain well and works beautifully for painting projects”.
Red Oak
Red oak provides a more affordable alternative to white oak with similar working properties.
- Strength: Good strength and durability, though less dense than white oak
- Workability: Relatively easy to work with for a hardwood
- Appearance: Reddish tint with prominent grain pattern
- Cost: Among the more affordable hardwoods
- Best for: Furniture, cabinets, interior woodwork
“If I were just starting and learning, I’d probably do a lot of practice with poplar and red oak until I was more confident.
Sassafras
Sassafras offers an interesting aesthetic alternative at a lower price point.
- Strength: Moderate strength, less durable than hickory
- Workability: Works easily with most tools
- Appearance: Resembles white oak in appearance
- Cost: Often less expensive than premium hardwoods
- Best for: Decorative furniture pieces, accent elements
“I can find sassafras for a lower price than pine. It resembles white oak in appearance, though it’s not as durable or costly. Plus, it has a pleasant fragrance”.
Alternative Hardwoods with Special Characteristics
Mahogany
Genuine mahogany provides exceptional working properties with a beautiful appearance.
- Strength: Moderate to good strength with excellent stability
- Workability: Exceptional ease of working, considered among the best
- Appearance: Rich reddish-brown colour that deepens with age
- Cost: Premium pricing, especially for genuine varieties
- Best for: Fine furniture, cabinetry, detailed carvings
Pecan
Pecan is a species of hickory, offering similar properties with some distinctions.
- Strength: Very similar to hickory in strength and durability
- Workability: Slightly easier to work than true hickory
- Appearance: Light to medium brown with pronounced grain patterns
- Cost: Often more available in certain regions at competitive prices
- Best for: Furniture requiring hickory-like properties with slightly improved workability
“Pecan is hickory, if you have access to that”, making it one of the closest hickory wood alternatives for furniture.
Black Locust
Black locust offers exceptional durability, particularly for outdoor applications.
- Strength: Extremely durable with natural rot resistance
- Workability: Moderately difficult to work, but takes fasteners well
- Appearance: Greenish-yellow to brown, darkening with age
- Cost: Variable depending on regional availability
- Best for: Outdoor furniture, structural components requiring extreme durability
Less Traditional Hickory Wood Alternatives for Furniture
Alder
Alder provides good working properties at a moderate price point.
- Strength: Moderate strength, less durable than true hardwoods
- Workability: Excellent working properties, cuts and finishes easily
- Appearance: Light tan to reddish-brown with subtle grain
- Cost: Moderately priced, more affordable than many hardwoods
- Best for: Cabinets, interior furniture, pieces requiring uniform appearance
Birch
Birch offers good strength with an attractive appearance.
- Strength: Good strength, though some varieties can be “too flexy/springy”
- Workability: Works well, but can burn during machining if not careful
- Appearance: Pale yellow to reddish-brown, often with an attractive figure
- Cost: Moderately priced, varies by grade
- Best for: Furniture, plywood, veneer applications
Pine (Select Grades)
While not a hardwood, higher grades of pine can serve as economical alternatives for certain applications.
- Strength: Lower strength than hardwoods, prone to denting
- Workability: Very easy to work with all tools
- Appearance: Light colour with distinctive knots (depending on grade)
- Cost: Very affordable, especially compared to hardwoods
- Best for: Casual furniture, country-style pieces, painted furniture
“There is such a thing as furniture-grade pine”, though many caution against using construction-grade lumber: “Stay away from box store construction lumber. 2x4s, etc., they’re prone to twisting and warping after trimming to smaller sizes”.
Conclusion: Choosing the Right Hickory Wood Alternatives for Furniture
When selecting hickory wood alternatives for furniture, consider these key factors:
- Intended use: For high-stress applications like chairs, prioritise strength (ash, white oak, hard maple)
- Visual aesthetics: For showpiece furniture, consider walnut, cherry, or mahogany
- Budget constraints: Poplar, red oak, and select pine offer economical alternatives
- Working methods: If using primarily hand tools, walnut and cherry are more forgiving than maple or oak
- Finish considerations: Some woods like cherry and walnut develop beautiful patina over time
The best hickory wood alternatives for furniture ultimately depend on your specific project requirements, budget, and woodworking experience. By understanding the properties of each alternative, you can make informed decisions that balance strength, beauty, workability, and cost for your furniture projects.