Walnut

Characteristics

Walnut is a hardwood with a straight-grain that ranges from chocolate brown (center of the tree) to yellow (outer portion of the tree). Walnut is typically a top pick for head-boards, ornate antique-style dining tables, and mantels, walnut is typically clear-coated or oiled to bring out its color. It is typically considered one of the more expensive woods.

Availability

Although there are many varieties of walnut trees, just a handful are native to North America. Of them, the Eastern Black Walnut, also called the American Black Walnut or American Walnut, is the one typically used for woodworking

Style

It's a very strong and stable wood that can take intricate carving. The color can be beautiful. Some may not like the variation from dark to light that's sometimes found on a single wide board.

Finishes

Black walnut wood is dark, hard, dense and tight-grained. It's prized by woodworkers for its strength, grain and color.