Last week I cut 3 pieces of hickory for handles. I managed to get 3 pieces with pretty straight grain. They have marbling, but no knots. Not sure if I got any sapwood or not. Hard for me to tell. I had my table saw outside and was sawing some stock from a white oak slab, so I cut these from a 2"x8" chunk of hickory at the same time. Haven't had a chance to cut the pine stock for the heads yet. I'll cut them from some reclaim I have. I'll snap a pic when I can.