SCIENTIFIC NAME
Jugums nigra. Derivation: The genus name is the classic Latin name for walnut, meaning nut of Jupiter. The specific epithet means black, referring to the dye in the fruit husk or the dark brown wood.

FAMILY
Juglandaceae, the walnut family.

OTHER NAMES
American walnut, eastern black walnut, American black walnut, gunwood.

DISTRIBUTION
From Massachusetts to southern Ontario and Nebraska, southward throughout the eastern half of the United States, except the Atlantic coastal plain south of Virginia, the Gulf coast and the lower Mississippi valley.

THE TREE
Black walnut reaches 100 feet in height with a diameter of 3 to 4 feet. The clear bole can be 50 to 60 feet in length. Trees require deep, rich, moist but well-drained soils. Its nuts are found in a very hard and deeply grooved shell.

THE TIMBER
The heartwood is a rich purplish-brown shade. In most cases, wood from less mature trees has a chocolate-brown tint. The narrow sapwood is nearly white. The wood has a mild persistent odor. The texture is moderately coarse but uniform. Black walnut produces a greater variety of figure types than any other tree including crotches, swirls, stumpwood, stripe, ribbon, mottle and snail and occasional burls. Black walnut is a strong wood with more than adequate properties for its usual uses. For many purposes, it is stronger than white oak (Quercus alba WDS 230). Average reported specific gravity is 0.51 (ovendry weight/green volume), equivalent to an air-dried weight of 39 pd.

SEASONING
Black walnut should be dried slowly, and air or kiln drying produces satisfactory results. Average reported shrinkage values (green to ovendry) are 5.5% radial, 7.8% tangential and 12.8% volumetric. Once seasoned, it will remain exceptionally stable, with only negligible movement.

DURABILITY
The heartwood is highly resistant to decay. The tree is relatively resistant to fungus and insect attacks.

WORKABILITY
The timber works with ease in all hand and machine tool processes. The wood leaves the sander with an excellent surface and worked edges remain sharp. The species is excellent for turnery, spindle molding, routing and carving. Drilling, mortising and similar operations cause no problems. There is very little tendency to split when using nails or screws. It finishes to a velvety sheen but requires filling due to the open grain. Glues adhere satisfactorily, and the wood stains uniformly.

USES
Black walnut is the foremost American wood for cabinetwork. It is superior to all other woods for gunstocks because it keeps its shape, is light weight and absorbs recoil better than any other wood. It finds much use as fine figured veneers and cabinets, furniture, novelties and moldings.

SUPPLIES
Black walnut lumber is available but supplies are not as abundant as they once were which has increased the price.

Information from A Guide to Useful Woods of the World, Second Edition, James H. Flynn, Jr. and Charles D. Holder, Editors. Forest Products Society, Madison, Wisconsin, 2001.

Photographs from MDArtworks