brocpuff responds:
Hickory is harder than maple.
Birch shouldn't be harder than hickory, but it sounded like the OP was working some kind of pecan, instead of true hickory: both are Carya, but the true hickories (shagbark, shellbark, mockernut, pignut) are considerably harder with shagbark and shellbark the hardest.
Pretty, though. Sharp tools help a lot.
Charlie Self
"Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft." Theodore Roosevelt
It's harder than many rocks!
Add my 2c here. The hickory I have in my garage is nothing like the local Pecan I have pulled from some houses around here.
"Lawrence A. Ramsey"
Hickory seems to be tough in the exact opposite of ash. Ash absorbs and redistributes energy making it great for bats. Hickory is the opposite it is just plain energy resistant. Maybe I am wrong but that's what if feels like.
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