Trade Names
Walnut, Black Walnut, American Walnut
Similar woods
French Walnut, Boire, Laurel
Origin
North America between latitude 32° and 42° north.
Range
Best known felling areas for high quality veneer wood are the Eastern States in the USA with Delaware in the east, New York in the north, Iowa in the west and Kentucky in the south with the main centre in Ohio and Indiana. As a general rule American Walnut mostly grows in mixed forests.
Uses
Sliced veneer and lumber for architectural woodwork and high class furniture making. Due to its high strength and elasticity suitable also for production of chairs and seats. Used especially for gunstocks and aircraft propellers. Traditional wood for upright and grand piano making.
Properties
Dark brown, frequently with figuring. American Walnut is unique for “bird pecks”, fingernail size knots, which occur in the veneer as stain streaks with a small hole in the middle, which degrade the wood.
Machining
There is no difficulty to working this wood with all hand or machine tools. Walnut is excellent for molding.
Seasoning
Drying should be carried out very slowly to avoid possible cell damage. The wood is prone to checking and warping. Good results can be achieved only by drying very carefully.
Finishing
The very smooth wood takes all stains well, especially nitro and water stains. Thorough polishing of the wood is necessary when using fillers.
Jointing
Screw, nail and glue joints are easily made and of normal tensile strength. Alkaline glues, however, can cause reaction stains.