Official Luthiers Forum!

Is there a source for Black Walnut at a reasonable price? I would especially be interested in Black Walnut from the Arkansas or southern Missouri. I'm not that familiar with other areas but Walnut from Arkansas seems to be fairly hard and dense. Hopefully the price will be resonable since it's domestic.

_________________
Formerly known as Adaboy.......

I see a lot of sets popping up on ebay. They're usually 50 bucks or less. I'm not sure where it comes from though. I just tore apart an old dresser made from black walnut, and some of the drawers were really well quartered. I think I'm going to build my next flat top mandolin out of it. I'm in Minnesota, and there's lots of hardwood stores that stock it here. If I had the equiptment to resaw my own sets I would.

Notable Woods http://www.notablewoods.com/

_________________
I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

You can also check with a local hardwood dealer if you don't mind resawing your own.

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Wood density can be all over the place with no two trees alike, but generally the more annular rings per inch, the harder, stiffer, and denser it is. For those in the Northern Hemisphere, trees that grow in "the South" have long summers and lots of rain - their distance between annular rings is greater than trees grown in "the North". So, I tend to think of wood from further up north than what you're thinking, as being harder/stiffer. I think of Indiana as being the 'epicenter' of American Black Walnut, with excellent Walnut also coming from Ohio, Illinois and surrounding states.

If you can find air-dried American Black Walnut, you'll find the palette of colors jumps far beyond the kiln-dried and especially steamed Walnut (look for creamy off-white sapwood, not gray or tan, to know that it was not steamed).

I think Bruce Creps (Notable) has just the west coast Walnuts (Oregon and Claro, maybe English), but not American Black.

Good luck on your hunt for American Black Walnut guitar sets or boards, especially well-quartersawn stuff with curl. I've looked for years, and have only found a little bit of it. I have also been on the hunt for perfectly flatsawn 5/4" stock that is at least 8" wide, to use for laminated necks, and have found it difficult to find as well. I wish I knew some folks in the prime growing areas for Walnut that would be willing to visit small wood mills, as I'm sure the wood is being sliced up just the way we want it (even if it is only the middle slice or two from a log, to get our quartersawn material.)

Dennis

_________________
Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

You could check with Tim McKnight. I remember that he tried to sell a large number of sets on the last swap meet (the listing is still there). Maybe he still has some sets left...

Christian

Darryl,
Try contacting Cecil. Click on his name and leave a PM or write him a letter. I bought some Black Walnut from him last February and they were $55.00 bucks a set for QS B&S. He claims he cut it over five years ago.

Cecil
Ozark Luthiers
8485 Co. Rd. 6750
West Plains, MO. 65775

Hope this helps,
Hutch

_________________
"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

Too bad you folks dont live up in Ontario Canada .. I was at the Woodstock wood/tool show this weekend and there was a lot of flatsawn walnut in 2 inch boards, some quartered as well - the local farmers/wood lot guys cut it up all the time. Didnt find any great curl (or it would be in my basement), but got some 12 inch wide 1 inch curly maple (rift), and some unreal african hawg, 6/4 quartered with figure. Just have to resaw it myself ....

_________________
Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

I have a fair amount of black walnut boards with and without figure. Also some quartered. I have a whole lot of Claro walnut slabs and billets. There are only two issues. One is that I won't be getting my new bandsaw for about another two to three weeks and two the stuff has only been air drying for 14 months. Feel free to contact me for pictures etc.

Chuck, did the Walnut you bought from Cecil look pretty nice? Some dark stripes would be nice.

_________________
Formerly known as Adaboy.......

Darryl,
If I remember right, it was just a nice deep rich dark chocolate brown. I would post a picture but I'm stuck down here in Ft. Benning, GA right now till next May.
I bet Cecil could get some pictures on here of what he has.

Hutch

_________________
"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

I have lots and lots of old quartered black walnut for guitar sets. Many pieces fiddlebacked nicely. The fiddleback I generally get 100+ for and the plain 50-75/
You can email me if interested at LMMCGRAIL@BELLSOUTH.NET
Mike

sawyer

_________________
It is better to try and fail, than never try at all

_________________
Freeborn Guitars
and home of BeauGuard©

Darryl,

Check your PMs.

Cecil

I've got 11 Blk Walnut logs that have been downed for about 12 years now. Avg about 11'-12' in length and 28 - 32" diameter. I've just never gotten round to processing them yet. About 3 of them look to be veneer quality. One of these days I'll get around to blocking them up and resawing them. I also have a lot of Claro billets, some fiddleback, but have only resawn one billet of sides and one of backs as of yet. The billets have been drying for well over five years and are at 6% moisture content thus thoroughly dried. Hadn't really thought of selling any though but I would consider it.

_________________
Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!