Q: I heard a caller on your radio show ask when to cut trees so the bark would stay on after the wood dries. I sell Amish bent hickory furniture to stores in north Georgia. The gentlemen who make the furniture answered the same question for me. The hickory must be cut in the fall and winter when the sap is down in the tree. When this is done the bark becomes part of the wood and will never loosen. They also steam the hickory to make it pliable so they can bend it into the shape needed. The steam process also kills powder post beetles and larva that might be in the hickory.

A: I have two attractive bent hickory chairs in my sunroom and have wondered how they were made. Thanks for the great information!