Yes, I know that Claro (Juglans californica) is actually just California black walnut, but it is different than American black walnut (Juglans nigra). There is also a special subspecies of Claro called the Northern California black walnut (juglans californica hindsii) of which I know where two are growing.

I typically do not like English walnut. Yes, I am odd, but its the truth. So I want to keep this to the black walnuts.

What are the differences for stockmaking? What about the woods being sold that are from Am.black walnut grown in Oregon and Washington? What about walnut from the mid-West?

Thanks for helping out. I know it is hard to drop the thin-shelled walnut to discuss its poorer cousin, but I really like the black walnuts, either Claro or American

claro, on the whole, is coarser grained, more dramtic figure, and softer than ANYTHING else in the walnut family

jeffe

That is one of the reasons I was looking at this "Western" black walnut. It is actually just the eastern American black walnut grown in the west. Basically Oregon and Washington. It is supposed to be denser and finer textured.

Dressel's description of of wood types. Doesn't include all the specifics you're looking for, though.

Jaywalker

okay..
let's try this a different view...
west coast hardwoods, specifically walnut, grow in a wet soil ... coastal rains right to the mountains...

they grow far faster than more rugged locations

I've turned oregon black (that look NICE) and missori black (that looked okay) and the west coast wood is S O F T E R

338 win and down for that wood for me

jeffe

jeffe, not so with Walnut grown in the Chico area. It has a very arid climate and not even close to the Willamette Valley in Oregon where a lot of the northern wood comes from. The California English grows in the same orchards in Chico and it is very dense, it is most often grafted onto Claro rootstock. The english walnut trees that are sold around Wenatchee are grafted the same way because the root stock from Claro is so hardy and resistant.

333_OKH, It is my understanding that Claro is Juglans Hindsii, the stuff found around Chico and it is a separate species than Juglans Californica that grows in Southern California (commonly known as California Black Walnut, California Walnut and California Black Walnut. Juglans Hindsii was discovered in Northern California around the Sacramento Valley by a botanist named Richard Hinds in the early 1800's and as well as being named after him, is also known as Hind's Walnut. There is also a separate species that grows in Arizona, Juglans major.

333_OKH,

I've cut both kinds of wood. Had good and bad experiences with both. The major determining factor on wood quality is where and how the tree grew. Slower growth = better wood. I can tell you to date the hardest peice of walnut I have ever cut is the piece of black walnut on my .222 Rem. It was a very old stick and was so hard my power checkering tool burned the wood rather than cut it no matter what speed I set it too. I eventually switched to hand tools and even with new cutters it was a time consuming effort.

I have had more bad luck with Claro than anything else. While its flashy I have found it too be more porous and chippy. Good black walnut is a bargain in my opinion and it gets passed over for english a lot of the time. I've also cut some english that IMHO should have been tossed in the wood stove. It really depends on the tree.

Chic,
thanks for that... your are right, of course.. where it's not wet, the wood grows slower...


speaking of wood

What about black locust? wood has strong grain and seems fairly dense...

jeffe

Everyone!

Thanks for the great discussion. Where I live the rainfall is 60-72 inched, but just over the mountains we have an area that is frequently in the 100s in the summer and goes over 100 inches of rain a year. This year they are way over that. You may remember the burl walnut I have been cutting. That tree appears to have not grown very fast since it was not in an area of direct sun, but the next tree I got a hold of was an ornamental walnut of unknown species. Liked like a bastogne/paradox type, but the wood was all wrong. None of that wood will be cut towards a gunstock. It is so light I cannot believe it.

Chic is correct about Chico and the climate. Isn't that where Preslik's is? I have viewed the woods from the Willamette Valley, and Wenatchee (WA) and I love a lot of the color and figure as well as the grain colorations that show up. I believe that this is where Goby and also Dressels get their black walnuts?

I was just asking since I also see wood coming from areas like Oklahoma [Watts Walnut] and was wondering how they all compared to each other?

quote:

What about black locust? wood has strong grain and seems fairly dense...

jeffe

My little sister dared me to climb a black locust tree once when I was a kid in Texas. My grandpa had to get me out with a ladder and a saw. I've never seen a thornier tree. They seemed to grow fast in my grandpa's empty lot.

NOW! If one was to want a walnut blank that was red in color, with a light amount of dark mineral streaks i nthe grain, but overall had a nice fiddleback pattern to the wood; what walnut would be the best? RED, do not forget the red color!

Odd that it is now called English walnut, up until maybe twenty years ago it was French or Circassian, one thing for sure, none of it grows in the UK.

Yeah Yeah, I am looking at a few English blanks too that I have not posted here. I think there are a few I could fall in love with.