For my next project, I have been commissioned by the wife to build a
matching bedroom set. Headboard, 2 dressors, maybe 2 nightstands. The wife
wants the furniture a dark color (which I personally don't like, but it will
go good with how the room is decorated). I have experimented with a variety
of pigment stains, dyes, and gel stains on oak and pine but I don't like the
results. I was thinking of using black walnut for this project instead.
I havn't used walnut before, so I have a few questions for the learned
woodworkers out there.
1) I was thinking of finishing as follows: oil, shellac, wax. Any comments
on this or better ideas? What is your preferred oil for walnut? What is
your preferred finish for walnut?
2) I will use plywood for parts of this project. Will walnut faced plywood
finish the same as solid walnut? I know sometimes this can be an issue
with some species, but I think it is mainly when it is stained?
3) I expect walnut to be more expensive than oak, but how much more is it?
I can get kiln dried red oak for $3.50/bdft. Am I in for major sticker
shock with walnut?
Any other advice or opinions are appreciated. Anyone who would care to
share pictures of completed walnut projects is greatly appreciated.
Frank
Walnut has been my favorite wood for around 50 years. All my living room
furniture except those damn overstuffed sofas is walnut that I made.
Here's what I do (there may be better ways, but don't tell me):
1. I use Behlens pore filler mixed with walnut stain to bring up the figure
and give me a smooth surface for finishing. I do that because the grain is
somewhat open and this makes the final look better.
2. I have finished with oil, gloss varnish, satin varnish, beeswax and
probably some other stuff I have forgotten. Depends, not on the wood, but
how it will be used. Something that will be handled a lot needs varnish.
Salad bowls need mineral oil. For furniture I like oil because it can be
retreated in a few years after the kids stop putting cokes on the damn
coffee table.
3. Price? I don't buy enough other woods to be able to compare. last time,
I think it was $4.50 a board foot. It does pay to shop around several
sources if they are in your area. Even when drunk I would not buy by
catalog or internet. I want to see what it looks like.
Bob Moody
ps. I also turn the stuff and it looks great.
For what its worth...I use Arm-R-Seal on Black Walnut. It's the best I've
found and VERY easy to use....
"Grant P. Beagles" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
>
>
> "patriarch <" wrote:
>
> > "Frank Ketchum" <[email protected]> wrote in
> > news:[email protected]:
> >
> > <snippage>
> > >
> > > 1) I was thinking of finishing as follows: oil, shellac, wax. Any
> > > comments on this or better ideas? What is your preferred oil for
> > > walnut? What is your preferred finish for walnut?
> >
> > (Opinion follows:) Walnut was made for an oil finish. Watco, Tried &
True,
> > etc., all look great. Oh, wait, you want to put stuff on it? I'm not
> > nearly as fond of walnut with a film finish... But I love shellac & wax
on
> > cherry and maple. I haven't tried it yet on walnut.
> >
>
> I like to use a coat of orange shellac on kiln dried walnut. It takes on
a
> rich, warm character.
>
> Grant
>
"Frank Ketchum" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> For my next project, I have been commissioned by the wife to build a
> matching bedroom set. Headboard, 2 dressors, maybe 2 nightstands. The wife
> wants the furniture a dark color (which I personally don't like, but it will
> go good with how the room is decorated). I have experimented with a variety
> of pigment stains, dyes, and gel stains on oak and pine but I don't like the
> results. I was thinking of using black walnut for this project instead.
Good idea. SWMBO has a platform bed for the guest bedroom on my
list o' projects, and because of the decor in that room, walnut seemed
like the lgocial choice for me as well.
> I havn't used walnut before, so I have a few questions for the learned
> woodworkers out there.
>
> 1) I was thinking of finishing as follows: oil, shellac, wax. Any comments
> on this or better ideas? What is your preferred oil for walnut? What is
> your preferred finish for walnut?
I love oil followed by shellac and wax on walnut. And you know
what oil looks particularly good, IMHO? Appropriately enough, walnut
oil. :-) I've used BLO (my standard oil finish) and walnut oil, and
it seems that the walnut oil doesn't darken things quite as much. It
brings out the grain but it seems to bring a better clarity to the
wood. YMMV.
Follow that with either blonde or orange shellac. (Personally, I
like blonde, but I believe our dearly-missed shellac guru, Paully Rad
was an advocate of orange for the warmth it brings to the wood.)
> 2) I will use plywood for parts of this project. Will walnut faced plywood
> finish the same as solid walnut? I know sometimes this can be an issue
> with some species, but I think it is mainly when it is stained?
Stained or not, you have to be careful trying to match ply with
solid wood of the same species. I don't know if it's because the ply
is made of thin veneers and thus accepts a finish differently, but I
would most definitely try whatever finish you plan to use and test it
on both solid and ply for a color match.
> 3) I expect walnut to be more expensive than oak, but how much more is it?
> I can get kiln dried red oak for $3.50/bdft. Am I in for major sticker
> shock with walnut?
Probably so. :-} It's been a while since I made any walnut
purchases, but IIRC, down here in Taxsuss it's about $5-6/bf for 4/4.
> Any other advice or opinions are appreciated. Anyone who would care to
> share pictures of completed walnut projects is greatly appreciated.
My work with walnut has been confined to small projects where I've
used it as an accent wood, and several bowls and trays that I made as
gifts. The only decent-sized project I can think of is a chisel
storage cabinet in my shop where I used it for the panels:
http://uweb.txstate.edu/~cv01/chicabinet.jpg
IMHO, walnut is a joy to work. It saws and planes very nicely, and
if you have really gnarly stuff, it responds pretty well to a scraper.
It also has such a really interesting variation in grain and figure,
and I even like the look of a bit of sapwood in my projects.
If you can get over the sticker shock, I think you'll really enjoy
working it.
Chuck Vance
"Frank Ketchum" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> 1) I was thinking of finishing as follows: oil, shellac, wax. Any
comments
> on this or better ideas? What is your preferred oil for walnut? What is
> your preferred finish for walnut?
>
I simply went with General Finishes ArmRSeal. I woul be happy to post he
picture if you like.
> 2) I will use plywood for parts of this project. Will walnut faced
plywood
> finish the same as solid walnut? I know sometimes this can be an issue
> with some species, but I think it is mainly when it is stained?
I find that ply wood finishes the same as long as you are using a clear
finish. I find that stains will often look different. Basically the
plywood tends to have a repeative grain that is often book matched or
repeating from a rotary cut. The more consistant grain pattern in ply wood
will be the tell tale sign between it and a solid board IMHO.
> 3) I expect walnut to be more expensive than oak, but how much more is it?
> I can get kiln dried red oak for $3.50/bdft. Am I in for major sticker
> shock with walnut?
Price varies from place to place. In SE Texas Walnut is about 50% more than
Red Oak.
> Any other advice or opinions are appreciated. Anyone who would care to
> share pictures of completed walnut projects is greatly appreciated.
Walnut is fun to work with. Relative soft compared to Oak but still hard.
Looks great with a clear finish. Look at a.b.p.w. for pictures of a couple
of night stands that I bouilt out of Walnut.
"patriarch <" wrote:
> "Frank Ketchum" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
> <snippage>
> >
> > 1) I was thinking of finishing as follows: oil, shellac, wax. Any
> > comments on this or better ideas? What is your preferred oil for
> > walnut? What is your preferred finish for walnut?
>
> (Opinion follows:) Walnut was made for an oil finish. Watco, Tried & True,
> etc., all look great. Oh, wait, you want to put stuff on it? I'm not
> nearly as fond of walnut with a film finish... But I love shellac & wax on
> cherry and maple. I haven't tried it yet on walnut.
>
I like to use a coat of orange shellac on kiln dried walnut. It takes on a
rich, warm character.
Grant
"patriarch <" wrote:
> "Frank Ketchum" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
> <snippage>
> >
> > 1) I was thinking of finishing as follows: oil, shellac, wax. Any
> > comments on this or better ideas? What is your preferred oil for
> > walnut? What is your preferred finish for walnut?
>
> (Opinion follows:) Walnut was made for an oil finish. Watco, Tried & True,
> etc., all look great. Oh, wait, you want to put stuff on it? I'm not
> nearly as fond of walnut with a film finish... But I love shellac & wax on
> cherry and maple. I haven't tried it yet on walnut.
>
I like to use a coat of orange shellac on kiln dried walnut. It takes on a
rich, warm character.
Grant
Yep. Nobody has figured a way to get the nutmeats out of a black walnut as
economically as white.
Up near Yuba City, where the floor of the valley is still basically flat
adobe, they simply flood the sections of orchard periodically as if they
were rice paddies. Since they shake the trees, they like to keep 'em low
and dense, so there's not more than about 4-5 feet from graft to branches.
What you want are the grafts and root balls.
"J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Leon wrote:
>
> >
> > "patriarch [email protected]>" <<patriarch> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> >> Walnuts are grown commercially in northern California. Orchards have
an
> >> economic lifespan, which pretty much guarantees that some nice woods
find
> >> their way into the hobbyist market from time to time.
> >>
> >> Really spectacular grain patterns command higher pricing.
> >
> > Are these actual Black Walnuts? I understand that there is a
"California
> > Walnut" in addition to the common Black Walnut.
>
> Check out <http://www.walnuts.org>. Tell you more than you ever wanted to
> know about walnut production in California. Turns out all the commercial
> species of walnut (the nut, not the tree) are varieties of Juglans Regia
> (aka "English walnut"), although often grafted onto Juglans Nigra ("Black
> walnut") root stock.
>Yep. Nobody has figured a way to get the nutmeats out of a black walnut as
>economically as white.
When I was a kid in the 60s we used to gather up bushels of black walnuts. We
laid them out in a dirt driveway and ran over them a few times with the car to
loosen the outer hulls then we took off the outer hulls and laid the nuts out
on the ground to dry awhile. After gathering them we all spent coutless hours
all winter with a brick and hammer cracking these things and filling quart jars
(not many) with the meat. To this day there are no brownies or tollhouse
cookies that taste right because you just can't get black walnut meats at the
store and those english (or California) walnuts might as well be peanuts or
something 'cause they ain't even close to a black walnut. BTW no matter how
well you gloved up, you had stained hands and other body parts for weeks after
a session taking the outside hulls off of these things but so did all the rest
of the neighborhood kids so it didn't really matter.
Dave Hall.
On Tue, 18 May 2004 21:38:57 GMT, "Frank Ketchum"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>For my next project, I have been commissioned by the wife to build a
>matching bedroom set. Headboard, 2 dressors, maybe 2 nightstands. The wife
>wants the furniture a dark color (which I personally don't like, but it will
>go good with how the room is decorated). I have experimented with a variety
>of pigment stains, dyes, and gel stains on oak and pine but I don't like the
>results. I was thinking of using black walnut for this project instead.
>
>I havn't used walnut before, so I have a few questions for the learned
>woodworkers out there.
>
>1) I was thinking of finishing as follows: oil, shellac, wax. Any comments
>on this or better ideas? What is your preferred oil for walnut? What is
>your preferred finish for walnut?
>
>2) I will use plywood for parts of this project. Will walnut faced plywood
>finish the same as solid walnut? I know sometimes this can be an issue
>with some species, but I think it is mainly when it is stained?
>
>3) I expect walnut to be more expensive than oak, but how much more is it?
>I can get kiln dried red oak for $3.50/bdft. Am I in for major sticker
>shock with walnut?
>
>Any other advice or opinions are appreciated. Anyone who would care to
>share pictures of completed walnut projects is greatly appreciated.
>
>Frank
>
I don't know where you live (freight costs) but Wall lumber
(http://www.walllumber.com) has been running specials on walnut.
Where do you buy your Walnut in the Bay Area??? I live in Oakley which is
inland from Oakland about 50 mi. When I bought my house, the tract was
surrounded on three sides by Walnut orchards. Come to find out that I was
alergic to Walnut trees, but that is another story. Anyway, almost all of
the Walnut orchards in the immediate area are gone now (replaced by housing)
and I never saw a stick of it for sale in the area other than a little
firewood. I have been looking for a good place to buy good hardwoods
including Walnut.
Wayne
"patriarch [email protected]>" <<patriarch> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Frank Ketchum" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
> <snippage>
> >
> > 1) I was thinking of finishing as follows: oil, shellac, wax. Any
> > comments on this or better ideas? What is your preferred oil for
> > walnut? What is your preferred finish for walnut?
>
> (Opinion follows:) Walnut was made for an oil finish. Watco, Tried &
True,
> etc., all look great. Oh, wait, you want to put stuff on it? I'm not
> nearly as fond of walnut with a film finish... But I love shellac & wax
on
> cherry and maple. I haven't tried it yet on walnut.
>
> <snippage, due to no experience>
>
> > 3) I expect walnut to be more expensive than oak, but how much more is
> > it? I can get kiln dried red oak for $3.50/bdft. Am I in for major
> > sticker shock with walnut?
> >
>
> Walnuts are grown commercially in northern California. Orchards have an
> economic lifespan, which pretty much guarantees that some nice woods find
> their way into the hobbyist market from time to time. And if your family
> happens to know a grower or two, then the commercial price isn't really
> relevant. But it runs about $4.50/bf 4/4 S3S in the Bay Area - sometimes
> less, sometimes more. Depends on width and figure. Red oak, same places,
> $3.25.
>
> Really spectacular grain patterns command higher pricing.
>
> If I was investing all that time into the pieces you mentioned, I think I
> would start with a small chest of drawers, and get very comfortable with
> cutting and using my own veneer. It's consistent with the teachings of
the
> acolytes of St James Krenov (tongue in cheek), makes a stronger piece, and
> conserves 'good' wood.
>
> And in my case, I could probably justify the new purchase of a new drum
> sander. ;-)
>
> Patriarch,
> whose 150 bf stash of 10 year air dried flame figured claro is waiting to
> be made into floor standing clocks. Waiting for the skills to be worthy
of
> the wood....
"Frank Ketchum" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
<snippage>
>
> 1) I was thinking of finishing as follows: oil, shellac, wax. Any
> comments on this or better ideas? What is your preferred oil for
> walnut? What is your preferred finish for walnut?
(Opinion follows:) Walnut was made for an oil finish. Watco, Tried & True,
etc., all look great. Oh, wait, you want to put stuff on it? I'm not
nearly as fond of walnut with a film finish... But I love shellac & wax on
cherry and maple. I haven't tried it yet on walnut.
<snippage, due to no experience>
> 3) I expect walnut to be more expensive than oak, but how much more is
> it? I can get kiln dried red oak for $3.50/bdft. Am I in for major
> sticker shock with walnut?
>
Walnuts are grown commercially in northern California. Orchards have an
economic lifespan, which pretty much guarantees that some nice woods find
their way into the hobbyist market from time to time. And if your family
happens to know a grower or two, then the commercial price isn't really
relevant. But it runs about $4.50/bf 4/4 S3S in the Bay Area - sometimes
less, sometimes more. Depends on width and figure. Red oak, same places,
$3.25.
Really spectacular grain patterns command higher pricing.
If I was investing all that time into the pieces you mentioned, I think I
would start with a small chest of drawers, and get very comfortable with
cutting and using my own veneer. It's consistent with the teachings of the
acolytes of St James Krenov (tongue in cheek), makes a stronger piece, and
conserves 'good' wood.
And in my case, I could probably justify the new purchase of a new drum
sander. ;-)
Patriarch,
whose 150 bf stash of 10 year air dried flame figured claro is waiting to
be made into floor standing clocks. Waiting for the skills to be worthy of
the wood....
"J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> Check out <http://www.walnuts.org>. Tell you more than you ever
> wanted to know about walnut production in California. Turns out all
> the commercial species of walnut (the nut, not the tree) are varieties
> of Juglans Regia (aka "English walnut"), although often grafted onto
> Juglans Nigra ("Black walnut") root stock.
Some of the grafts, particularly on older trees, yield pieces 5 to 8 ft
above the ground line. And the root ball (term?) often has the best grain
patterns, not even counting any burls....
Patriarch
[email protected] (Scott Lurndal) wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> "NoOne N Particular" <[email protected]> writes:
>>Where do you buy your Walnut in the Bay Area??? I live in Oakley
>>which is inland from Oakland about 50 mi. When I bought my house, the
>>tract was surrounded on three sides by Walnut orchards. Come to find
>>out that I was alergic to Walnut trees, but that is another story.
>>Anyway, almost all of the Walnut orchards in the immediate area are
>>gone now (replaced by housing) and I never saw a stick of it for sale
>>in the area other than a little firewood. I have been looking for a
>>good place to buy good hardwoods including Walnut.
>
>
> The walnut native to california is Claro Walnut. See
> <http://www.bakerhardwoods.com/> for a source of Claro walnut in the
> (south) bay area.
>
> Claro grown for nut production generally doesn't produce good
> furniture wood[*], so the walnut from the former orchards was probably
> sold as firewood.
>
> There are a couple of wholesalers in the Livermore/Pleasonton area who
> carry eastern black walnut, and I suspect you could find some in
> Stockton, were you to look hard enough. Check with the local cabinet
> shops.
>
> scott
>
> [*] few long boards, anyway.
>
The Woodsman, Custom Milling/Drying, 2701-A North Alpine Rd., Stockton,
209-931-3293. This fellow comes highly recommended by the folks at Diablo
Woodworkers, with whom I affiliate. I haven't personally done business
with him, but folks I respect think he's a fine fellow. You might give him
a try. He's pretty close.
My family, on my father's mother's side, came to the Modesto area in the
1850's. I've lived most of my life near Walnut Creek. So I'm familiar
with Oakley.
A close friend of my parents has orchards in Stanislaus County. Around
1990, he pulled out an old, declining walnut orchard, and replanted in
almonds. He and a partner had the black walnut portions of the trees
milled, and stored to dry in an old barn. A very small portion of this
marvelous wood found it's way to me, through a fairly circuitous route. I
found out, after acquiring the wood, that the orchard was less than five
miles from the place my grandfather ran his blacksmith's shop, in the early
days of the Depression.
This friend has a small number of bolts available, which may or may not
still be good, from some ungrafted black walnut trees that came down last
winter. For family health reasons, in his family and in ours, not much has
been done with these yet. They may, at this point, yield only a few good
bowl blanks. We'll have to see.
Long boards, and the lack of them, leads me to understand why veneering is
going to be how I best use this great stash of wood. Or small boxes &
short clock cases...
Patriarch
"patriarch [email protected]>" <<patriarch> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Walnuts are grown commercially in northern California. Orchards have an
> economic lifespan, which pretty much guarantees that some nice woods find
> their way into the hobbyist market from time to time. And if your family
> happens to know a grower or two, then the commercial price isn't really
> relevant. But it runs about $4.50/bf 4/4 S3S in the Bay Area - sometimes
> less, sometimes more. Depends on width and figure. Red oak, same places,
> $3.25.
>
> Really spectacular grain patterns command higher pricing.
Are these actual Black Walnuts? I understand that there is a "California
Walnut" in addition to the common Black Walnut.
>
> If I was investing all that time into the pieces you mentioned, I think I
> would start with a small chest of drawers, and get very comfortable with
> cutting and using my own veneer. It's consistent with the teachings of
the
> acolytes of St James Krenov (tongue in cheek), makes a stronger piece, and
> conserves 'good' wood.
>
> And in my case, I could probably justify the new purchase of a new drum
> sander. ;-)
>
> Patriarch,
> whose 150 bf stash of 10 year air dried flame figured claro is waiting to
> be made into floor standing clocks. Waiting for the skills to be worthy
of
> the wood....
"NoOne N Particular" <[email protected]> writes:
>Where do you buy your Walnut in the Bay Area??? I live in Oakley which is
>inland from Oakland about 50 mi. When I bought my house, the tract was
>surrounded on three sides by Walnut orchards. Come to find out that I was
>alergic to Walnut trees, but that is another story. Anyway, almost all of
>the Walnut orchards in the immediate area are gone now (replaced by housing)
>and I never saw a stick of it for sale in the area other than a little
>firewood. I have been looking for a good place to buy good hardwoods
>including Walnut.
The walnut native to california is Claro Walnut. See <http://www.bakerhardwoods.com/>
for a source of Claro walnut in the (south) bay area.
Claro grown for nut production generally doesn't produce good furniture
wood[*], so the walnut from the former orchards was probably sold as firewood.
There are a couple of wholesalers in the Livermore/Pleasonton area who carry
eastern black walnut, and I suspect you could find some in Stockton, were you
to look hard enough. Check with the local cabinet shops.
scott
[*] few long boards, anyway.
> Walnuts are grown commercially in northern California. Orchards have an
> economic lifespan, which pretty much guarantees that some nice woods find
> their way into the hobbyist market from time to time.
They grow black walnuts commercially? Black walnuts trees have an economic
lifespan??!
Boy, they must be really different than the black walnut trees we have
around here; must be a dwarf variety. Do they have much wood in them?
Bob Moody wrote:
> Walnut has been my favorite wood for around 50 years. All my living room
> furniture except those damn overstuffed sofas is walnut that I made.
> Here's what I do (there may be better ways, but don't tell me):
>
> 1. I use Behlens pore filler mixed with walnut stain to bring up the
> figure
> and give me a smooth surface for finishing. I do that because the grain
> is somewhat open and this makes the final look better.
>
> 2. I have finished with oil, gloss varnish, satin varnish, beeswax and
> probably some other stuff I have forgotten. Depends, not on the wood, but
> how it will be used. Something that will be handled a lot needs varnish.
> Salad bowls need mineral oil. For furniture I like oil because it can be
> retreated in a few years after the kids stop putting cokes on the damn
> coffee table.
Apropos of cokes on the coffee table, froogle "JCA350" and "JCE350".
Convenient, keeps soda (or beer) cold for hours, and no condensation rings.
> 3. Price? I don't buy enough other woods to be able to compare. last
> time,
> I think it was $4.50 a board foot. It does pay to shop around several
> sources if they are in your area. Even when drunk I would not buy by
> catalog or internet. I want to see what it looks like.
>
> Bob Moody
>
> ps. I also turn the stuff and it looks great.
--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
Leon wrote:
>
> "patriarch [email protected]>" <<patriarch> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Walnuts are grown commercially in northern California. Orchards have an
>> economic lifespan, which pretty much guarantees that some nice woods find
>> their way into the hobbyist market from time to time. And if your family
>> happens to know a grower or two, then the commercial price isn't really
>> relevant. But it runs about $4.50/bf 4/4 S3S in the Bay Area - sometimes
>> less, sometimes more. Depends on width and figure. Red oak, same
>> places, $3.25.
>>
>> Really spectacular grain patterns command higher pricing.
>
> Are these actual Black Walnuts? I understand that there is a "California
> Walnut" in addition to the common Black Walnut.
Check out <http://www.walnuts.org>. Tell you more than you ever wanted to
know about walnut production in California. Turns out all the commercial
species of walnut (the nut, not the tree) are varieties of Juglans Regia
(aka "English walnut"), although often grafted onto Juglans Nigra ("Black
walnut") root stock.
>> If I was investing all that time into the pieces you mentioned, I think I
>> would start with a small chest of drawers, and get very comfortable with
>> cutting and using my own veneer. It's consistent with the teachings of
> the
>> acolytes of St James Krenov (tongue in cheek), makes a stronger piece,
>> and conserves 'good' wood.
>>
>> And in my case, I could probably justify the new purchase of a new drum
>> sander. ;-)
>>
>> Patriarch,
>> whose 150 bf stash of 10 year air dried flame figured claro is waiting to
>> be made into floor standing clocks. Waiting for the skills to be worthy
> of
>> the wood....
--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
On Tue, 18 May 2004 21:38:57 GMT, "Frank Ketchum"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>For my next project, I have been commissioned by the wife to build a
>matching bedroom set. Headboard, 2 dressors, maybe 2 nightstands. The wife
>wants the furniture a dark color (which I personally don't like, but it will
>go good with how the room is decorated). I have experimented with a variety
>of pigment stains, dyes, and gel stains on oak and pine but I don't like the
>results. I was thinking of using black walnut for this project instead.
>
>I havn't used walnut before, so I have a few questions for the learned
>woodworkers out there.
>
>1) I was thinking of finishing as follows: oil, shellac, wax. Any comments
>on this or better ideas? What is your preferred oil for walnut? What is
>your preferred finish for walnut?
>
>2) I will use plywood for parts of this project. Will walnut faced plywood
>finish the same as solid walnut? I know sometimes this can be an issue
>with some species, but I think it is mainly when it is stained?
>
>3) I expect walnut to be more expensive than oak, but how much more is it?
>I can get kiln dried red oak for $3.50/bdft. Am I in for major sticker
>shock with walnut?
>
>Any other advice or opinions are appreciated. Anyone who would care to
>share pictures of completed walnut projects is greatly appreciated.
>
Walnut is expensive, and hence walnut-veneered plywood tends to have
very thin veneers. THis can affect the way it looks.
If parts of your projects must be veneered I would lay sawn veneers on
rather than using already-veneered plywood, just on the basis of one
unfortunate result. But, I have seen walnut plywood that looked
perfectly ok.
Rodney Myrvaagnes J36 Gjo/a
Ask not with whom the buck stops . . .
You haven't tried hard enough. I just made a shelf out of dyed and stained
hickory. Attached directly to a teak headboard, it looks like teak. (No,
really! I can show you a picture of it. Okay, considering the time I put
into it, it might have been cheaper to use teak, but it was a challenge.)
There are plenty of nice woods that sell for half the price of walnut. With
a little experimentation you can come up with something dark that looks
good.
I don't particularly like walnut; either to work with or to look at. But
that is just me I am sure.