Question for you folks that are woodworkers

[AnotherJarhead]

Figured I'd ask on the Journal because there is a wealth of knowledge here.

A few years ago my neighbor told me that the tree by my drive was a Black Walnut. Well, fast forward to today and I finally cut it down because it was pretty scraggly up top and there was a large branch that was dead hanging right over where my truck is parked. I rented a lift and dropped all the boughs and left the trunk standing. I figure that, if someone can tell me that he was correct, I'd board out the trunk and save the lumber for possible future projects. If he was incorrect then I'll just drop her and cut her up for firewood. Anyhow, I attached a couple pictures. I would greatly appreciate input. Is it good wood for boarding out or just firewood.

 

[kbs2244]

this is the king of thing that you will never know until you try it
wood grain grows in strange ways

 

[nadogail]

A local tree specialist will probably be your best resource. The size and shape of the leaves will mean a lot.

 

[BillK]

Black Walnut

Black walnut is a large tree with a straight trunk and rounded, open crown. The nuts, spicy odor, large feather-compound leaves, and chambered pith in the twigs help identify it. With a little practice, you can identify this common tree from a distance by the distinctive pattern of its branches...

mdc.mo.gov

 

[Bent Handle]

Any pictures of the trunk? It looks more like hickory. What kind of nut was on it? Are there still any laying around?

 

[The Cobbler]

the bark doesn't look rough enough for black walnut, also the wood doesn't look dark enough

 

[southalabama]

What part of the country are you?

I’d go with leaves over wood for identification.

 

[Skiff Builder]

I would slice up what you have there. It will help you decide if you want to put in the work on the main trunk. I did my fallen black cherry in 16' lengths. Pics below were a test of the top section, which was not as nice grain as main trunk.
Not sure on id of species. I know the smell of fresh cut hickory but can't describe it here.

 

[AnotherJarhead]

Any pictures of the trunk? It looks more like hickory. What kind of nut was on it? Are there still any laying around?

The sun should be coming up in a bit so I can take a picture of the trunk.

 

[AnotherJarhead]

Good morning all and thank you for the replies. I remember looking at the leaves a couple years ago and then going online to compare them to Black Walnut and, to my extremely NON green thumbed eye, they looked fairly close. I remember reading that they had a dark center where the branches attach which I'll try to shoot a picture of that also. BTW, northeast Ohio is my location.

On the lighter side of it all. I believe that I figured out that at 59, being up in bucket 45' that moves a bit more than I like, and working with a chainsaw, isn't something I really enjoy doing, lol.

 

[AnotherJarhead]

A few more pictures if that helps.

 

[AnotherJarhead]

I would slice up what you have there. It will help you decide if you want to put in the work on the main trunk. I did my fallen black cherry in 16' lengths. Pics below were a test of the top section, which was not as nice grain as main trunk.
Not sure on id of species. I know the smell of fresh cut hickory but can't describe it here.

That is going to make some beautiful pieces of furniture.

 

[Jackfre]

What is the diameter at the base? I’d suggest you have a chat with a local sawyer and see what kind of a deal you can get on having it slabbed out. I’ve done this a quite a bit over the years. Be aware that getting it cut up is one thing. You need to treat it carefully if you hope to get good boards out of it. I’ve seen a lot of people get excited at the cutting but then they don’t stack it properly and One day they lift the tarp on the pile and it is basically spaghetti. That log doesn’t look big enough to go for “slabs”. It will make some nice 4/4, 5/4 material though, but again, that is the question for the sawyer. I am not sure of the species. I have a lot of black walnut on my place. They tend to grow horizontally and can drop a lot of wood in early snow storms. I have two 54” diameter blacks around the house. One is 30’ from one corner and other is 12’ from the corner. Black walnuts make a hell of a mess. Unlike the good eating English Walnuts which I have two 24” on the driveway the husks are soft and turn to mush. Any sign of taht around the tree?

 

[brianh]

Looks like hickory to me. Very dense and hard to work with but worth it, tools need to be very sharp I was resharpening my planer blades a lot when making a bunch of tables out of hickory I milled. The tables are hickory the trees grew in the spot this dining hall was built. The chairs were a mix of woods also from the spot the building is now on.

I really like the color variations in hickory.

 

[matt_i]

Imo the easy features of a walnut (while still alive) are the multi-pinnate leaves and the nasty green nuts with that unending supply of stain just below the surface. I feel like you'd know it already from previous years.

What I see doesn't look dark enough for walnut, I have one in my yard at the fenceline and have sliced a few board feet up over the years.

The other feature of walnut (dried) is that you can take a block of it and repeatedly smash the end grain with a hammer and it will deform and crush down but will not splinter the block (grain separation) as other hardwoods would easily do. As I am told this feature makes it the first choice for long gun stocks if wood is to be used.

 

[AnotherJarhead]

Looks like hickory to me. Very dense and hard to work with but worth it, tools need to be very sharp I was resharpening my planer blades a lot when making a bunch of tables out of hickory I milled. The tables are hickory the trees grew in the spot this dining hall was built. The chairs were a mix of woods also from the spot the building is now on.

I really like the color variations in hickory.

Those are absolutely gorgeous. Well. if it does turn out to be Hickory. That may be a future project.

 

[jar944]

The bark in the first pictures isnt furrowed deeply enough for me to assume its black walnut.

Typical black walnut tree

 

[AnotherJarhead]

Imo the easy features of a walnut (while still alive) are the multi-pinnate leaves and the nasty green nuts with that unending supply of stain just below the surface. I feel like you'd know it already from previous years.

What I see doesn't look dark enough for walnut, I have one in my yard at the fenceline and have sliced a few board feet up over the years.

The other feature of walnut (dried) is that you can take a block of it and repeatedly smash the end grain with a hammer and it will deform and crush down but will not splinter the block (grain separation) as other hardwoods would easily do. As I am told this feature makes it the first choice for long gun stocks if wood is to be used.

I remember the green nuts from some years ago but I haven't seen any in quite awhile. Do they stop producing them I wonder? I know that this tree was in a line of trees prior to construction of the house. I've was told that trees get very stressed with and I'd be lucky if it even lived.

 

[AnotherJarhead]

The bark in the first pictures isnt furrowed deeply enough for me to assume its black walnut.

Typical black walnut tree

To my eye it all looks too similar. I'll take my phone out and try to compare it to this pic.

 

[jar944]

Black walnut firewood

 

[AnotherJarhead]

Spent most of the day burning the twigs and cutting up the large branches that fell. I left it standing about 25' tall and roped so that'd be easy to bring her down where I want her. I took another picture at the top cut and, to me, there seems to be quite a bit of color. Maybe this picture will make it easier to for sure that it isn't Black Walnut. My question would then be, "What is it"? If it's Hickory that would be fine with me. Again, I appreciate all the replies and help.

 

[AnotherJarhead]

Black walnut firewood

I hate to say this but that looks like what I've been cutting all day. But again, I can't tell a tulip from a daisy, lol.

 

[AnotherJarhead]

Here's a couple more of the trunk closer.

 

[engineer2]

As said, the key to black walnut is the golf ball size green nut pods. Not sure of these are for male and female versions.
The black sap is messy too.
Walnut is not particularly hard and tends to warp when drying.

 

[My Old Tools]

Black walnut heart wood is purple/maroon when first cut and will stain your hands.

 

[RPH]

I have two black walnut trees. They tend to produce every other year. You do need male and female trees to produce.

 

[AnotherJarhead]

I want to thank everyone for their help. Turns out it's Hickory. Not as thrilled as I would've had my old neighbor been correct but not disappointed either. Think I still may board it out, or have a heckuva lot of firewood.

 

[jar944]

I want to thank everyone for their help. Turns out it's Hickory. Not as thrilled as I would've had my old neighbor been correct but not disappointed either. Think I still may board it out, or have a heckuva lot of firewood.

If you've ever smelled black walnut it's unmistakable.

 

[Bent Handle]

I want to thank everyone for their help. Turns out it's Hickory. Not as thrilled as I would've had my old neighbor been correct but not disappointed either. Think I still may board it out, or have a heckuva lot of firewood.

Make some boards and fire up the smoker!

 

[Plump]

Yeah, hickory. You'd never forget having the black walnuts in your yard as the squirrels would have them hidden in EVERY nook and crany in the neighborhood and nothing grows beneath them due to the juglone they produce.

And as a side note, they produce MORE seeds when they're stressed. They know their time is coming and try and send out LOTS of babies. Goes for many plants/trees. Often this is why the tips of trees and limbs start to decline as they're putting as much energy into seed production as possible at the cost of leaves and limbs.

 

[Beau Nugget]

If you've ever smelled black walnut it's unmistakable.

Thats what I was going to say. Too bad there isn’t a scratch and sniff feature on the pics. I could tell you for sure