Walnut
Main Uses
Furniture, cabinets, architectural millwork, doors, flooring, paneling,
and gun stocks. A favored wood for using in contrast with
lighter-colored species.
Relative Abundance
1.9 percent of total U.S. hardwoods commercially available.
General Description
The sapwood of walnut is creamy white, while the heartwood is light
brown to dark chocolate brown, occasionally with a purplish cast and
darker streaks. The wood develops a rich patina that grows more lustrous
with age. Walnut is usually supplied steamed, to darken sapwood. The
wood is generally straight-grained, but sometimes with wavy or curly
grain that produces an attractive and decorative figure. This species
produces a greater variety of figure types than any other.
Working Properties
Walnut works easily with hand and machine tools, and nails, screws and
glues well. It holds paint and stain very well for an exceptional finish
and is readily polished. It dries slowly, and care is needed to avoid
kiln degrade. Walnut has good dimensional stability.
Physical Properties
Walnut is a tough hardwood of medium density, with moderate bending and
crushing strengths and low stiffness. It has a good steam-bending
classification.
Availability
Reasonable availability with regional limitations.
|
Home