11+ cords of Black Walnut

[ddown]

Just started burning it, seems to burn slower and less intense than other wood but seems OK. I've never burned Black Walnut "Opinions"?

 

[JerseyWreckDiver]

Just started burning it, seems to burn slower and less intense than other wood but seems OK. I've never burned Black Walnut "Opinions"?

Cryin shame...

Might as well burn money, or an antique desk or something...

Hopefully it was just low grade branch wood? Otherwise it's like taking a vintage 1969 Camaro and smashing it into a wall to drive a nail. Sure it drives the nail in, but what a dam waste.

 

[ddown]

Got it from a friend. He Sold a bunch Huge trees for furniture. THey left everything under 24" across great dry wood been cut and stacked 4 years.

 

[SmokinPiney]

Shame is that noone's willin to pay what walnuts worth anymore. We've got a huge walnut layin next to the woodpile just waitin for someone to buy it. If it don't get picked up soon it's destin for the stove!


It does burn pretty good though!

 

[chad3]

Have one in the back yard. If the wife ever asked me to take it down, I would try very hard to talk her out of it. It is only about 12" dia. but as of right now the squirrels like it and so does the dog.

 

[burntime]

You will definitely see some steady btus off that stuff.

 

[Wood Duck]

My pile is about 1/4 Black Walnut. Around here there are lots of Black Walnut in fence rows, scrubby woods, roadsides, remnant prairies (where I get mine) etc. that don't seem likely to ever become marketable trees because they are oddly shaped. I hope it burns well. I definitely is nice looking wood out there in the wood pile - stays a dark color even when dry.

 

[NitroDave]

I SURE hope it burns well....I have about a 15 cord pile of Black walnut tops myself. :coolsmile:

 

[Jags]

I find black walnut to be a middle to upper end wood. Less than oak, better than soft maple. I also find that it does produce more ash than many flavors of wood. Makes a good stove chow for sure.

If dried properly, it will ignite fairly easy and burn evenly.

 

[Jack Straw]

In the 1980's I worked in a sawmill and when we cut B.W. the owner of the mill would come and oversee the cutting of the wood. I can't remember what it sold for, but it was a big deal whenever we did anything with it. I even had to coat the ends to prevent checking. I cut a big Hickory tree down today and I measured each piece to length. I didn't want to waste any of that either.

 

[Risser09]

I'm really surprised that people with those WoodMizer portable sawmills wouldn't jump at the opportunity to make lumber out of nice wood. Does anyone know why they don't?

 

[ansehnlich1]

I black walnut all over my property but nothing big enough for lumber.....maybe in a hundred years or so it'll be ready!

I burn black walnut, seems for me it's harder to get going, and doesn't burn as well as hickory or oak, but it's still a pretty good firewood.

 

[JerseyWreckDiver]

In the 1980's I worked in a sawmill and when we cut B.W. the owner of the mill would come and oversee the cutting of the wood. I can't remember what it sold for, but it was a big deal whenever we did anything with it. I even had to coat the ends to prevent checking. I cut a big Hickory tree down today and I measured each piece to length. I didn't want to waste any of that either.

I spent the better part of my life as a professional woodworker. Walnut is pretty much the most expensive domestic hardwood we have. A pleasure to work with too, if you can get somebody to pay you to work with it. Mostly cheap asses with no taste whatsoever, "Make it outa pine or oak, then stain it dark like walnut"... Last several years of my career I started refusing to stain wood ever again. Told people, if you want it the color of Walnut, your going to have to buy Walnut. Stain is an abomination in my world. Take a piece of Walnut and sand/plane it good and smooth then put some thinned out Linseed oil on it and let it soak in a bit, couple more coats full strength, beautiful depth & color... Interestingly enough you can make a good dark stain from the ripe walnut hulls & a really good anti-parasitic medicine from the unripe hulls.

 

[Cutter]

I totally agree with you Jersey. Have you ever forgotten a batch of that stain for a while and then try to figure out "What in the heck is that nasty stinch comming from the shop?"

 

[Tedsokol]

I'm a woodturner and have done many craft shows selling my turnings and have worked with all kinds of wood. From exotics like purple heart and cocobolo to native species like maple, red cedar and yes even black walnut. Believe it or not, black walnut sells the poorest. I don't know why, but my guess is it's out of style. Go to your local Home Depot or Lowes and look at the kitchen cabinets. They are all light colored woods. Cherry, Maple, oak, hickory...These are the trees in "Fashion". I can sell items made of these species quicker than Black Walnut. It's a shame, but that's what's in style. I visited Frank Lloyd Wright's home..Falling waters and all the wood work was black walnut. That was built in the mid 1900's. That was the style then. So for now I burn the black walnut I come across. It burns a lot like soft maple and has about the same density. One note of caution though, if you cut black walnut PLEASE wear a dust mask. You can develop serious respiratory illnesses from the dust. Many woodworkers I know are allergic to it from working with it.

 

[d.n.f.]

I thought there was good money in the oil. Black walnut makes the best walnut oil for cooking.
It costs a freaking fortune.
A guy out my way was actually thinking of planting a few acres of black walnut to get into this but then he realized his grand kids would be rich and not him.

 

[Duetech]

ddown,
(broken link removed to http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/howood.htm) A wood chart that lists bl. walnut at 20.2 million btu per cord and red oak at 24 million.. Have used it primarily for the last three winters in a gasifier. My supplier was a saw mill that rejected stuff with iron in it (fence posts, spikes, fencing etc.) I lost a few chains but heated my house at a real discount. What you have would last me two winters with a 24-7 fire.

 

[ddown]

thanks for the links interesting

 

[Duetech]

My pleasure. I've used that link a lot to help me figure where what wood goes where for the burning season. I really can't remember where I got it from but I share it as often as I can to say thanks to who ever it was. As a LOL disclaimer though.. if you find anything wrong with the information in the link it's not my fault it's the guy who gave it to me...Happy splittin'

 

[ddown]

right now i'm moving it truckload by truckload I think it's going to take 26+ truckloads to move it and lot's of splitting. Most is 18-20" rounds over a foot across I should get a lot of varied size splits out of this job.

 

[jdinspector]

In the 1980's I worked in a sawmill and when we cut B.W. the owner of the mill would come and oversee the cutting of the wood. I can't remember what it sold for, but it was a big deal whenever we did anything with it. I even had to coat the ends to prevent checking. I cut a big Hickory tree down today and I measured each piece to length. I didn't want to waste any of that either.

I spent the better part of my life as a professional woodworker. Walnut is pretty much the most expensive domestic hardwood we have. A pleasure to work with too, if you can get somebody to pay you to work with it. Mostly cheap asses with no taste whatsoever, "Make it outa pine or oak, then stain it dark like walnut"... Last several years of my career I started refusing to stain wood ever again. Told people, if you want it the color of Walnut, your going to have to buy Walnut. Stain is an abomination in my world. Take a piece of Walnut and sand/plane it good and smooth then put some thinned out Linseed oil on it and let it soak in a bit, couple more coats full strength, beautiful depth & color... Interestingly enough you can make a good dark stain from the ripe walnut hulls & a really good anti-parasitic medicine from the unripe hulls.

Jersey, I'm guessing that late in your career (when you started to refuse to stain wood) you also began to get less business?