American Walnut

The heartwood can be light greyish-brown, dark chocolate or purplish-black. The sapwood is whitish- to yellowish-brown, unless stained or steamed to match the heartwood. The slightly open grain is typically straight, but can be curly or wavy. The texture is usually coarse, but develops a lustrous patina in time. Burrs (burls), stumpwood and crotches produce notable mottled, curly and wavy figure.

Properties:

This hard, tough wood has moderate crushing and bending strength, low stiffness, and steam-bends well. It works well with machine and hand tools, with a moderate blunting effect. It generally planes well, but irregular grain can be tricky. It turns, carves, mortises, nails, screws, sands and paints well. Bluing is satisfactory. It stains and polishes easily to a high finish.

Seasoning:

The wood seasons slowly and is fairly difficult to dry. It is highly prone to surface checking and there is a slight tendency to distort. Wengé exhibits small movement in use.

Durability:

It is a durable wood and resistant to fungi and termites. The sapwood is permeable for preservative treatment, but the heartwood is highly resistant.

Typical Uses:

Furniture, turnery, carving, exterior and interior joinery, violin bows, block and strip flooring, boatbuilding and construction work. Decorative veneers are used for cabinetwork and marquetry.

Juglans nigra (Juglandaceae)

Also called:

American black walnut, eastern black walnut, gunwood, walnut, Virginia walnut

Grows:

Congo, Cameroon, Gabon, Tanzania and Mozambique

Weight per Board Foot:

3.4 lbs

Typical dry weight:

40lb/ft3 (640kg/m3)

Specific Gravity:

.64

Typical Height:

50-60ft (15-18m)

Trunk Diameter:

2ft 6in-3ft (0.75-1m)**4'x8' 10mm Paper Back Veneer
10 bf min