WOOD SPECIES:
Walnut, Black Walnut
SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Juglans nigra
OTHER COMMON NAMES:
American Black Walnut, American Walnut, Black Walnut, Eastern Black Walnut, Nogal, Nogal Blanco, Nogal Silvestre, Nuez Meca, Tocte, Tropical Walnut, Walnut
TYPICAL USES:
Black Walnut lumber is a popular hardwood for a number of woodworking projects and applications, including furniture, cabinetry, gunstocks, paneling, veneers, turnery projects and more.
SOURCES:
United States, Canada
AVG BENDING STRENGTH:
14,700 psi
SPECIFIC GRAVITY:
0.55
AVG WEIGHT:
40 lbs/cu.ft.
SAPWOOD COLOR:
The sapwood of Black Walnut lumber is typically a pale yellowish brown color.
HEARTWOOD COLOR:
Walnut’s heartwood can vary in color from a light brown to a darker chocolate hue to almost purple.
GRAIN:
Walnut’s grain is generally straight, though sometimes irregular. Black Walnut stock can often be found with highly figured grain patterns resulting from burls or crotches in the timber.
TEXTURE:
Uniform, medium to coarse texture with medium open pores.
LUSTER:
Walnut’s surface is initially dull, developing a more lustrous finish with age.
MOVEMENT:
Extremely stable, Walnut exhibits very little dimensional movement.
DURABILITY:
Very durable with a high natural resistance to decay, although it can be vulnerable to insects.
BLUNTING EFFECT:
Walnut exhibits an above-average blunting effect on cutting tools.
CUTTING RESISTANCE:
Relatively easy to cut.
PLANING:
In general, Walnut planes easily, though care must be taken when machining stock with wild or irregular grain patterns.
TURNING:
Walnut is a prime choice for wood turning applications, responding well to being worked on the lathe.
BORING:
No known issues.
GLUING:
Walnut exhibits good gluing characteristics.
NAILING:
Pre-drilling is recommended for the best results.
SCREWING:
Pre-drilling is recommended for the best results.
POLISHING:
Walnut stock takes a nice polish.
STAINING:
Though rarely stained or dyed, Walnut generally responds well to most finishing applications.
