Wool Picker Wood or split resistant species

[Archengine]

These are great ideas! Thanks. I will try to clarify a few things. I build furniture and architectural reproductions for a living, however, when I first moved my shop in the historic downtown I was approached by a large fiber arts company about building several things. These aren't my favorite jobs, but they keep me making money in between big jobs and keep the guys busy when I am working on paperwork and drawings. They usually order up a dozen pickers at a time, a few times a year. This is a wholesale account, so, while profitable, the retail price is already set, and therefore the wholesale price is as well. Introducing any more steps in this process eats into the bottom line. This rules out using epoxy on 400 nails times twelve machines at a time, or glueing up multiple layers of boards, even though that is a great idea. It would also change the nail projection and therefore the design of the machine would have to be changed to accommodate. Since so many people into fiber arts want an attractive piece of equipment (Lie-Neilsen comes to mind?) the company wants it from wood, so that rules out steel, plastic and even baltic birch. So I am on a quest to find a more suitable wood. I assumed hickory would be great since it is on so many hammer, axe and farm tool handles.....maybe I am mistaken? Is it not a split resistant wood? It certainly makes the machine weigh a ton, so I am happy to find something else. Generally, I make the entire machine from one species, mainly to conserve the steps and utilize the waste wood from one process and use it elsewhere. Im not totally wed to this process, but it makes it easier (more profitable) and gives the finished machine a continuity in appearance that the fiber arts company wants. I do see elm at my local sawmills, but it is usually in small quantities and has spotty availability. I now it is perfect for this from my timber framing experiences, but I need a species to switch over to that I can get when I need it in the quantity I require. Buying a large quantity and storing it is tough. My shop is tiny (for a commercial space) and I have maxed out all the goodwill any of my friends and family have, with stuff stored in basements, barns and garages already. And that stuff is far too nice to get rid of for a wholesale job. Sycamore is also under the same availability as elm. It grows everywhere in Kentucky, and I have a large stash of it, but the stash is quarter sawn and spalted, and belongs in a kitchen instead of a carding machine. It is just not commercially available on a constant basis, and I can't deliver the machines from a different species depending on availability. Swapping to something else will require the company to change the description on their catalog and the website. I had never thought of maple as a split resistant wood. Shock resistant (like a chisel handle) sure! If that is recommended I will give it a shot and try a few nailer plates. It certainly is easier to work with than is hickory that loves to tear out and get stringy. Does anyone have any other species that are worth testing out? Thanks so much for the input. This forum is great for making up the knowledge one lacks!

Rob

[MichaelMouse]

You have already had great advice - elm where split resistance is desired.  If it were not subject to wear, true poplar would also be a great choice.  Think someone mentioned cottonwood, which is one.  Yet another choice would be yellow birch, selecting flame stock for the backing, and using the straight-grained for the rest. 

American beech is not readily available because it misbehaves badly.  Similar woods are less likely to warp and twist.  The producer up the road steams it to let it relax a bit, and equalize color, but it's still known for its wear resistance, not split resistance.  Pretty easily split because of the ray figure.  Nice firewood, though.

[TomFromStLouis]

I understand that the end user wants an aesthetically pleasing product to use but I do not think that requires the same species of wood for all components, especially when use demands another. Hickory sounds like a fine choice for a loom or whatever other parts there are but it definitely splits easily so is not what you want for the carder. You knew this.

Give hard maple a try. It is a decent choice for all parts if you choose.

Have you heard about paragraphs? 

[Phil S.]

This site has some info on wood characteristics -

http://www.millerpublishing.com/naw/hw_glossary.html

and indicates those species that are resistant to splitting.  Most have already been mentioned here, but others (gum, tupelo, etc.) have not.  Not sure how available tupelo is in your neck of the woods, but you might find some leads there.

[BloomingtonMike]

Does it have to be wood?

[Bibliophile 13]

Another vote for elm if it has to be hardwood. A high-quality plywood wouldn't be a bad second choice.

But as has been said above, other materials might be even better. Some kind of plastic or hard rubber might be less prone to splitting as well as to catching on fibers.