Guys, My mother is having a hugh black walnut tree removed from her yard. Its at least 35 years old. Is it worth anything for gun stock?

It is worth money period! Whether just boards or stock blanks. As far as stock blanks make sure it is big enough is the biggest concern and then how it is cut, either quarter sawn or slabbed.

I don't know about Black Walnut specifically, but northern hardwoods bring more money because of harsher, longer winters causing larger growth ring separations. The dividing lines are generally below I-70, above I-70, and with above I-80 being the best (money-wise). But most of the Black Walnut gunstock industry was centered in Missouri for a reason.

I'll appreciate the more knowledgeable opinions! Also the same as far as English Walnut as it appears to grow better in the southland. I am in northern PA and work in a sawmill.

quote:

Originally posted by airgun1:
It is worth money period! Whether just boards or stock blanks. As far as stock blanks make sure it is big enough is the biggest concern and then how it is cut, either quarter sawn or slabbed.

I don't know about Black Walnut specifically, but northern hardwoods bring more money because of harsher, longer winters causing larger growth ring separations. The dividing lines are generally below I-70, above I-70, and with above I-80 being the best (money-wise). But most of the Black Walnut gunstock industry was centered in Missouri for a reason.

I'll appreciate the more knowledgeable opinions! Also the same as far as English Walnut as it appears to grow better in the southland. I am in northern PA and work in a sawmill.

In Short----the more stress the tree grows in the better the wood will be for a blank. That means Dry, Windy with very cold winters.... A tree grown in a yard with irrigation may be valuable for lumber but from what I have seen and the cutters I know stock blanks are marginal.

quote:

Originally posted by jeff h:
Guys, My mother is having a hugh black walnut tree removed from her yard. Its at least 35 years old. Is it worth anything for gun stock?

Jeff,

My favorite part of the tree for a full length stock like for a bolt action rifle is the part growing under ground. When she has the tree cut, don't cut the stump low. Have it left 2-3 feet off ground - Then harvest the stump amd have it sawed to include that part under ground..

35 years old ?? That's only a baby and hardly 'huge'. A black walnut is considered mature at 150 and can live to 250 years !! Give it another 50-100 years . At 35 you won't get much out of it as far as a rifle stock.
Mine is about 60 and is under 2' diameter.Even that after removing bark and sapwood wouldn't leave much fo stocks.

Around my neck of the woods here, the last I heard...was $1500.00 per tree (The logger pay you)and they knock it down for you.There are saw mills looking for black walnut tree's to buy. Unless you have the proper tools, it would be a PITA, you aslo have to wax them, properly store it and wait 7 to 10 years before useing, from my understanding of it.

quote:

Originally posted by mete:
35 years old ?? That's only a baby and hardly 'huge'. A black walnut is considered mature at 150 and can live to 250 years !! Give it another 50-100 years . At 35 you won't get much out of it as far as a rifle stock.
Mine is about 60 and is under 2' diameter.Even that after removing bark and sapwood wouldn't leave much fo stocks.

I would guess 20 to 30 inches in diameter. Maybe I got the age wrong. Look plenty big enough to make gun stocks to me. But I know nothing about sapwood.
Tree is coming down in any event.

A friend of mine in Memphis sold a Black Walnut tree. She thought they would come out and cut it down like any other tree. She got her first awakening when they unloaded the back hoe. They actually dug down several feet and cut the tree's tap root. As posted, the fellow buying the tree told her some of the best figured wood came from the root section.
I don't know how much she was paid for it.

Jeff , if that's the case do some research and find knowledgeble people who can deal with it properly.

There's no problem in kiln drying walnut except that if it's 2.5" thick it must be put in a kiln with other 2.5" wood and run a drying schedule for that thickness.

A lot of sawmills around here won't take trees from peoples yards. Too many spikes, clothes lines and tree houses over the years are hard on saw blades.

quote:

Originally posted by Rub Line:
A lot of sawmills around here won't take trees from peoples yards. Too many spikes, clothes lines and tree houses over the years are hard on saw blades.

exactly

quote:

Originally posted by mete:
Jeff , if that's the case do some research and find knowledgeble people who can deal with it properly.

There's no problem in kiln drying walnut except that if it's 2.5" thick it must be put in a kiln with other 2.5" wood and run a drying schedule for that thickness.

you dont want stock blanks kiln dried.Lumber guys I worked with told me the mills 'steam " walnut to make the color more uniform.
You want to have stock blanks air dry over a few years.

You get that beautiful "gray" color from steamed am. walnut.

Thanks guys

I have heard of Northern Black Walnut trees being stolen, because of their value.
One that was sold a few years ago, I think it was in the 100 year plus age bracket, sold for over $5,000 for that one tree.

The market is still down a bit, but 2 years ago top quality Cherry or Red Oak saw logs were going for over $1,000.00. Veneer quality even more. Black Walnut is always in demand. We don't cut it hardly ever; they make plenty just selling the logs to those who specialize in it.

Ah there is myth and lore tales and fables concerning every aspect of tree fodder . Some pretend to know

what's good and what's bad an others have experience on their side !.


(Juglans nigra) aka Black Walnut !.
Reports of black walnut trees being sold for hundreds or even thousands of dollars often cause homeowners to dream of huge profits from selling their backyard walnut trees. Unfortunately, while good quality walnut trees are often quite valuable, walnut trees grown in an urban setting usually are not. Only an exceptionally large, high-quality, urban-grown walnut or group of walnut trees would interest a timber or veneer buyer.

Several key characteristics determine the value of a black walnut tree for timber or veneer, including trunk diameter, Bole height, and how free the trunk is from defects.

If it's only 35 years old it's not going to be a sizable diameter for lumber or blanks .

Sap wood will be clearly evident just about any way you slice it !.

Try an discern some Facts ( http://ohioline.osu.edu/for-fact/0035.html ).

When I'm up and around next week , I'll show you what 175-225 year old Walnut trees look like

I'll go out side an take a picture of mine and post em for you .

I will tell you this much for certain ; Anyone who tells you NOT to kiln dry stock material and only Air

dry blanks will do , is living in the distant past !. Wood ( Regardless of thickness ) is far more sound

and stable with less stress when " Properly Kiln Dried " !. Argue as you may it's factual info .

Commercial lumber producers air dried material since the beginning of logging . They also lost HUGE

quantities to degradation 15-42% of yield . Due to splitting checking collapse shake rupture twist cant you

name it !.

Then along came Evaporation Kiln Drying technology or as we referred to it ,E Back units !. Now 1.5 -11%

are normal loss averages . Trees are a product of their environment .Soil has as much if not more to do

with wood condition ,density strength streaking marbling fleck ray appearances as does weather !.

quote:

Originally posted by mete:
35 years old ?? That's only a baby and hardly 'huge'. A black walnut is considered mature at 150 and can live to 250 years !! Give it another 50-100 years . At 35 you won't get much out of it as far as a rifle stock.
Mine is about 60 and is under 2' diameter.Even that after removing bark and sapwood wouldn't leave much fo stocks.

Unless it's a full 2' diameter at the trunk about five feet above the ground....you'll pay more to have the tree cut up than you'll get in lumber and you'll not likely get any fancy gunstocks...METE is right on here!

quote:

Originally posted by Doc224/375:
[b]I will tell you this much for certain ; Anyone who tells you NOT to kiln dry stock material and only Air

dry blanks will do , is living in the distant past !. Wood ( Regardless of thickness ) is far more sound

and stable with less stress when " Properly Kiln Dried " !. Argue as you may it's factual info .

That all may be true,however the lumber dealer I talked to(also a gun nut) about getting a stock blank or two told me they used a kiln that steams the walnut to blend the colors and stabilize it,a trait useful for making veneer or cabinet doors,but not what I would want to make a stock.

Jb ; Lumber dealers are sales people not sawyers , kiln operators or manufactures .

However what he told you about a particular sequence of events is true .

It is true that for different purposes lumber can be treated differently , an it's not uncommon to steam

various types of wood species . Two fold ; it can KILL any fungus Bugs or Borers and enhance certain species

of wood .It also can rehydrate interior portions of dry logs for a more " Uniform Evaporation " of that log

yielding better quality lumber . Example Veneering ;

As you would expect, wood veneers are made from real wood. Undoubtedly, they are extremely thin slices of tree--oak, walnut, cherry, aspen, to name a few--but when veneers are properly prepared using the finest trees, their natural beauty and luster is unmatched by any man-made faux wood product. Veneers are termed as either hard, soft, burl, exotic or domestic, depending on the original tree used. To begin the process of creating veneers, trees of the desired variety and size are selected. Limbs are removed, long logs (up to 12 feet long) are cut, and are then transported to a veneer manufacturing site. In preparation for the cutting process, the logs are soaked in 160 degree Fahrenheit water for a period of time.

Veneer can be sliced or rotary peeled paper thin 1/8" -1/64" , with 1/30"-1/42" being a common Std.

Then there's Lumber which again is different in regards to how it's processed .

Finally we get to specialty items Slabs Burls Crotch slabs Stock blanks Etc. .

An exceptionally beautiful Gun Stock blank or any of the above mentioned cuts , comes from the Diseased

portion of a Black Walnut tree .

I borrowed this .

Mature black walnut trees on good sites may reach 30 to 37 m (100 to 120 ft) in height and 76 to 102 cm (30 to 40 in) in d.b.h. (28). Trees 40 m (130 ft) tall and more than 244 cm (96 in) in d.b.h. have been reported in Wisconsin. In Indiana, black walnut trees were 46 m (150 ft) tall and 183 cm (72 in) in d.b.h. on the most favorable sites (43). Research and experience indicate that with proper care it may be possible to produce 41-cm (16-in) saw logs in 30 to 35 years, and by planting on good sites it may be possible to produce 51 cm (20 in) veneer logs in 40 to 50 years. By applying some basic cultural practices, such as release and pruning, to established trees, growth and quality can be greatly increased in only a few years.

This is from experience and as I have NO Scientific factual study to back it up , it's my opinion !.

There are several insects which can damage Black Walnut and animals . An open wound from a tractor ,chain

broken branch or ,is an inviting place for insects , which leave food stores and produce fungi .

Important stem diseases caused by fungi are the Fusarium cankers caused by several species of Fusarium and

the perennial target canker (Nectria galligena) commonly known as Nectria canker . Cankers are usually

found on the main trunk where a branch broke off and left an open wound. Mineral in the soils account

in large part for colorization streaks ,as do they for determining wood fiber strength .

Now for Blanks the object is to have a beautiful stable thick enough dried slab of diseased wood .

an again " Proper Kiln Drying " for that purpose is IDEAL . What stock factory doesn't control temp

humidity in regards too their stock inventory !. There is Nothing wrong with Air Dry ,however it can

take a long time and in some cases produce an undesirable product !.

quote:

Originally posted by Bob Nisbet:
I have heard of Northern Black Walnut trees being stolen, because of their value.
One that was sold a few years ago, I think it was in the 100 year plus age bracket, sold for over $5,000 for that one tree.

About 20 years ago my parents in Northern Idaho cut down a large black walnut tree. We cut the tree (about 3 feet in diameter at the base) into three "logs" about 8 feet in length each. We had these loaded with an end loader onto a truck and took them to a local lumber mill to get cut into 3 inch planks.

Came back two weeks later and the mill claimed that they could not find them and that some one must have "stolen" them from the lot. Yah. Sure.

Barstooler

quote:

Originally posted by Barstooler:

quote:

Originally posted by Bob Nisbet:
I have heard of Northern Black Walnut trees being stolen, because of their value.
One that was sold a few years ago, I think it was in the 100 year plus age bracket, sold for over $5,000 for that one tree.

About 20 years ago my parents in Northern Idaho cut down a large black walnut tree. We cut the tree (about 3 feet in diameter at the base) into three "logs" about 8 feet in length each. We had these loaded with an end loader onto a truck and took them to a local lumber mill to get cut into 3 inch planks.

Came back two weeks later and the mill claimed that they could not find them and that some one must have "stolen" them from the lot. Yah. Sure.

Barstooler

WHAT!?!?!? A crooked person in the logging business??? Say it aint so!