Black walnut has always been prized as a custom furniture and cabinetry wood.  It can be highly figured: crotches, burls, fiddle back, butts, and stripes.  Found in North America, black walnut is exceptionally stable once seasoned, and takes a high polish when finished.  Walnut is famed as the gunsmiths wood.  In addition to its beauty, its straight grain will not warp, guaranteeing accuracy.  Black walnut is toxic to other plants, a mature tree produces a substance called jug lone in its roots that kills neighboring trees.  It is also toxic to animals.  Its shavings should never be used for bedding.

  Black walnut is steamed to make the color more even between sap and heartwood. The grain is straight to interlocked or curly or wavy, with a medium to coarse texture.  Black walnut is moderately heavy, hard, and strong.  It is used for furniture, cabinetry, and carvings and is sliced into veneer. Walnut is sold in three classes; natural, curly (Burled) and select. Natural walnut is mostly heartwood cuts with the full range of character and knots as it comes from the log, popular for small projects. Wane (bark), pith (degrees of rot), and large knots will be cut out. Curly walnut is cut from crotch sections of the tree and is popular for gun stocks and turnings. Select walnut will be 95% clear wood on the prime face with an occasional pin knot in some boards. Lumber is sold by the board foot which is a volume measurement equaling 144-cubic inches after drying but before machining processes. Allow about a 10% loss for edge straightening and other machining.

Packaging and Pricing for small orders:

Packaging will be done in units of 10 to 15-board feet wrapped in Kraft paper and banded with plastic strapping. The lumber may be purchased sawmill rough or surfaced, and it may be ordered with or without a straightened edge and sanded to 100-grit. Board widths will be 5-inches or wider and the lengths will be from 3-foot to 8’. Lengths and widths may be specified in your order but it may effect the price, especially if all wide and/or long lengths are requested. Please email or call for special pricing. UPS freight will be calculated at the time of the order.  Orders over 100-board feet will be shipped by common carrier without wrapping.