American Walnut

American Black Walnut is a premium cabinet and furniture making timber, native to the eastern regions of North America. Availability in Australia is generally limited to the upper grades.

Common Names:   American Walnut, Black Walnut, Virginia Walnut, Canaletto, Black Hickory Nut

American Black Walnut is a medium to large hardwood, native to the eastern regions of North America. Its heartwood ranges from a golden to rich chocolate brown colour, sometimes with narrow streaks of a darker purplish-brown. Sapwood is a distinctive creamy white colour. American Black Walnut is a fine and generally straight-grained timber, although sometimes it has an attractive wavy or curly grain, giving it a highly decorative figure.

By virtue of its appearance, durability and ready workability - being only moderately hard - American Black Walnut is an excellent cabinetmaking timber. It performs well with both machine and hand tools and can be polished to a high finish. It is also an excellent timber for carving and turning and is suitable for steam bending. It glues satisfactorily if conditions are carefully controlled. It is suited to high-end cabinetwork, and is a timber of choice for gunstocks. Other applications include general furniture and joinery work.

In Australia, commercial availability of American Black Walnut timber products is generally limited to the upper grades, in which knots and sapwood commonly occur. It is most readily available in Australia as a veneer.

Botanical Name:   Juglansnigra Ash

Preferred Common Name::   American Black Walnut

Other Names:   American Walnut, Black Walnut, Virginia Walnut, Canaletto, Black Hickory Nut

Species type :   Hardwood

Appearance: American Black Walnut heartwood ranges from light to dark chocolate brown in colour, sometimes with narrow streaks with a purplish or darker brown tone. In comparison, sapwood is a distinctive creamy white. Black Walnut is a finely grained timber, often with attractive swirls and wave patterning, especially around knotty areas. The heartwood lightens in colour as it ages, especially when it is exposed to UV light.

Common Applications: American Black Walnut is an exceptional cabinet and furniture making timber due to its attractive appearance. The timber is also used for doors, flooring, joinery, mouldings and turnings. In Australia, Black Walnut is typically available as a veneer and used for paneling and cabinetry.

Common Form: Veneer

Workability: American Black Walnut performs well with both machine and hand tools, and takes a very high polish. It is an excellent timber for carving and turning and is suitable for steam bending. It glues satisfactorily if conditions are carefully controlled. Black Walnut also has good dimensional stability.

Flooring: Whether for structural or finished flooring applications, timber offers durability, versatility and adaptability. The warmth, strength and natural beauty of timber flooring has proved enduringly popular in a wide variety of interior settings.

Interior Rails and Balustrades: With its natural beauty and inherent strength, timber is a popular material choice in internal balustrade construction. Commonly built from treated softwoods and durable hardwoods, interior balustrades and handrails are typically finished with a clear lacquer to generate the most natural result.

Interior Stairs: Timber should be the material of choice for designers seeking internal staircases of strength, beauty and durability. The construction procedure described here applies to most general type stairs of either conventional or contemporary construction.

Internal Paneling: Timber paneling creates interiors as warm as they are stylish. Commonly utilising an MDF or plywood substrate, internal timber paneling is natural and versatile and comes as either solid natural timber panels or as sheets of engineered wood products.

Timber Joinery Products: Timber joinery products offer a classic, unique and stylish touch to any interior design.

Timber Mouldings: Mouldings are extremely versatile and durable, enhancing the aesthetics of any interior and functioning as the icing on the cake for designs with a focus on beauty and splendour.