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WALNUT, MISC

Juglans spp

Juglans spp. of the family Juglandaceae.

The more common walnuts have their own pages on this site: All other Juglans species, and any wood listed as walnut but for which I cannot identify the species, goes on this page.

A note about Bastogne walnut; this is a hybrid between English walnut and claro walnut. It is harder and stronger than either one and is known for having great figure (particularly a VERY strong, attractive curl in some pieces). It's popular for gun stocks (as is all figured walnut).

my samples:
NOTE: these pics were all taken in very bright incandescent lighting ("soft white" at 2700K)
colors will vary under other lighting conditions


both sides of a sample plank of Arizona black walnut / Juglans major --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. This species is also called Mexican walnut. I can't see much that would allow you to tell this from normal American black walnut


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of Arizona black walnut / Juglans major --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. NOTE: this is purportedly the same species as the sample directly above, but the end grain characteristics of this piece are obviously wrong for Juglans. This wood is (Diffuse porous instead of semi-ring porous, it has lozenge shaped aliform parenchyma, which Juglans does not, and it has noticeable banded parenchyma, which Juglans does not. I would normally simply declare this as mis-identified but the I corresponded with the vendor (who is quite reliable) and he is positive, based on the botanical characteristics of the tree (leaves, bark, etc) that this IS Juglans major. The face grain DOES look like Juglans major, so I'm at a loss to explain the considerable inconsistencies with the end grain characteristics.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of Texas walnut / Juglans microcarpa --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of little leaf walnut / Juglans microcarpa --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of flat cut Japanese walnut / Juglans ailanthifolia --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of flat cut Japanese walnut / Juglans spp. --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was contributed to the site by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and HIGH GRIT END GRAIN CLOSEUP of the piece directly above


both sides of a sample plank of quartersawn Japanese walnut / Juglans spp. --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was contributed to the site by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and HIGH GRIT END GRAIN CLOSEUP of the piece directly above


both sides of a sample plank of little walnut / Juglans microcarpa --- HUGE enlargements are present.


end grain and HIGH GRIT END GRAIN CLOSEUP of the piece directly above


first face and the end grain of a sample of walnut / Juglans spp. This part of a collection which is discussed here: COLLECTION B


the second face, before and after slicing off 1/8" showing how the patina from aging is only surface deep. This piece doesn't show much color difference (most collection B samples do)


end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above.


a little stick of bird's eye walnut (probably American black)


end grain of the piece directly above


birdseye black walnut sent to me by Tor Chantara, whom I thank. Tor also sent me some pics of his own, both of a larger section of a sheet which is sister to the one from which this sample was cut and also of a marquetry work in which he used some of this veneer. I have color-corrected Tor's images as best I could given that I have a sample in hand, and posted them directly below. The marquetry piece has more green tint than is natural, but that's what I got when I corrected to make the walnut come out as correct as I could get it. I have only rarely seen such a figure in any variety of walnut and I don't know by what process it occurred, but I agree with Tor that it is validly designated "bird's eye". Since this is black walnut, I probably should have put the pics in the black walnut section. There are some more pics of another vendors bird's eye black walnut just inside the "web pics" section below.


Tor's marquetry, using the birdseye walnut for the stars --- when I color corrected for the walnut I may have messed up some of the other colors in the piece.


Tor's images of the larger sheet from which the sample above was cut


2 pics of a sheet of walnut swirl veneer --- pics by Danny Tjan whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. Danny tells me that the translation from his Dutch name for it is "flower veneer". HUGE enlargements are present.


walnut veneer --- HUGE enlargements are present. These are both part of a collection which is discussed here: COLLECTION D. These are from the old collection but since the labels were not there I don't know how they designated them. I'd guess the first one is claro walnut burl and the second one is a crotch of American black walnut


walnut veneer pic contributed by Danny Tjan, whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. This is a cluster burl piece, probably from a stump area. HUGE enlargements are present



The Wood Book pics


flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
California walnut (Juglans californica) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are available for each of the 3 views


flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
Arizona walnut (Juglans rupestris, also listed as Mexican walnut) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are available for each of the 3 views

web pics:

The next 4 pics, provided to me by exotic wood importer Patrick Dean, are of a HUGE slab of marvelously figured Bastogne walnut and some closeups from various slabs cut from the same gigantic log. The log was 18 feet long and it was slabbed to 4 inch thick pieces. HUGE enlargements are present. My thanks to Patrick for this and other contributions to the site.




pics from Don Restall (thanks Don) of a piece of walnut which he tells me is a grafted of English and claro walnuts, called "Franquette Walnut". Don adds that when first cut, it shows these light almost white streaks but after exposure to air and moisture outside it changes (he did not say what it changes TO but I assume it's a darker brown). This piece is burly, curly, and swirly, which is pretty neat. The curl is intense enough to be called fiddleback. The first pic shows it moistened and the pair is shown as it was drying off (and in a different light and looking very washed out).


unknown variety of walnut --- first two planks and then a veneer sheet, and they are NOT necessarily the same species


American black walnut with birds eye figure --- very rare


crotch planks, probably all black walnut but they were just listed as walnut so I've put them here with the "misc" walnut


quartersawn curly veneer --- the first 3 are probably black walnut and I'm not sure about the last one. See also directly below


quartersawn curly veneer listed as Russian walnut.


quilted veneer


figured veneer


curly veneer


listed as bee's wing veneer but really it's just a nice tight curl (unless it looks significantly different up close than it does in the pic)


swirl veneer


moistened figured walnut plank and closeup, pics contributed by William Brooke


Russian walnut burl veneer


oriental figured walnut veneer


burl veneer


quartermatched burl veneer


bookmatched burl veneer


crotch veneer


figured planks


tropical walnut


listed as Caribbean walnut, all from the BogusColorVendor so the orange color is likely just their standard dishonesty, although I haven't seen this variety so can't say that for sure (it's just more likely than not with them). This is NOT actually a walnut and does not belong on this page ... I'll move it some day.


"measled" walnut veneer


bastogne walnut with wet and dry sections


planks all from the same vendor and all listed as bastogne walnut


figured "bastogne" walnut (a hybrid cross between black walnut and claro walnut)


figured bastogne walnut croch bookmatched pair, pic submitted by Todd Levy ... check out the enlargement on this one; it's stunning.


figured bastogne walnut planks that show up better in the enlargements


curly bastogne walnut planks


bastogne walnut planks


These are all pics of Bastogne walnut burl contributed by Don Restall, whom I thank for these and other contributions to the site.


a particularly pretty crotch piece, bookmatched, and a closeup


walnut crotch veneer dry and wet





pistol grips listed as fiddleback walnut


bowls just labeled as walnut


two views of a bowl just labeled as walnut (probably black walnut)


two views of a bowl just labeled as walnut


walnut crotch "winged" bowl shot at a woodworking show. I put winged in quotes because I'm used to true winged meaning that the wings touch the support surface rather than the bottom of the bowl supporting it. HUGE enlargements are present.


wing bowl just listed as walnut


urns just listed as walnut


hollow form listed as Arizona walnut burl --- color seems obviously wrong (way too orange) but I don't know if that's due to a finishing agent, weird photography, or mis-identification. Whatever it is, it's pretty.


hollow form just listed as walnut (probably is American black)


nut cracker made by SR Murthy who provided the pics. Thanks SR for this and other contributions to the site. SR was told that this is Swiss / European walnut, which seems likely but since there's not a positive ID, I've put it here on the misc walnut page.


thinwood for guitar back, listed as just "walnut"


hollow form, raw and finished, just labeled as walnut


two more views of the hollow form shown directly above





several kinds of walnut in a carved bedside table, listed as having been done by master carver Paul Smith on commission from a buyer who wanted something with a "draped" look. I'd say he succeeded in a way that makes it clear why he gets to put "master" in front of the word "carver".