Walnut
Short Description
Deciduous wood
Description
Walnut wood comes from the walnut tree (Juglandaceae). Despite its good properties and the additional use of its fruit, the walnut tree is not forested commercially. Walnut trees are widespread in temperate climates and have been cultivated from early on. The walnut is said to originally come from Asia. The European walnut wood is generally lighter than that of its American cousin. A speciality is the use of the tuber for making walnut-root-veneer.
The heart and sapwood are easily distinguishable: The sapwood is 5-10cm wide, grey-white to reddish-white, the heartwood is light grey, mouse-grey to dark brown occasionally with coloured stripes (watermarks) depending upon age and location. Its irregular grain and cloudy colouring lends itself to use as a decorative wood, and this is due to the clear structure of the growth rings, the relatively large pore-structure and its intense dark colour.
Properties
Walnut wood is relatively heavy and hard and resilient. It is resistant to warping and is subject to only light shrinkage. It has good strength but only limited durability when exposed to the weather.
Usage
Walnut wood is easy to work and smooth, especially for turning, carving or profiling. Surface finishing is straightforward. Surface blemishing can occur when wet and in contact with iron.
Dimensions
Walnut is available as round or sawn timber as well as veneer.
Applications
- Solid wood or veneer: Furniture and musical instruments
- Interior Decoration: Bekleidungen, Treppen und Türen
- Flooring and parquet,
- Carving and turning
- Rifle and shotgun handles
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