Is old growth Walnut desired?

[Craig D Peltier]

I have a guy who wants to sell me a boatload of wood. His selling point is the Walnut is old growth. My opinion is who cares? I have heard old growth being desired for 2 reasons, tight rings and wide boards.
So why would walnut be great if old growth if it weren't extra wide? Should it be more clear? I understand it will be darker if air dried 50 years ago and kept out of light.

I was told by my friend about his family having a bunch of 30 yr old walnut and at least one guy said he didnt want it due to it being old. It could possibly be brittle or twist and turn after cut.

[Chip Lindley]

Of course, older, larger trees yield wider, clearer boards. Old growth trees grew in stands that rise straight and tall to compete for available sunlight. Lower branches died and fell off when the trees were young, so that the trunk has a much greater volume of wood free of knots. Conversely, open-grown trees have short trunks and many branches. Those may yield some nice crotch wood.

As for the guy who said he didn't want OLD wood, let him keep thinking that. One less to compete against you! Old wood does not get brittle unless perhaps subjected to extreme heat. If stored flat and kept dry, it's premium wood, compared to most of what is available to be sawn today. If "old" wood is flat and straight now, there is a 95% chance it will be after you mill it also.

[Craig D Peltier]

Thanks for clarifying. He did say it was very clear stuff.

Of course, older, larger trees yield wider, clearer boards. Old growth trees grew in stands that rise straight and tall to compete for available sunlight. Lower branches died and fell off when the trees were young, so that the trunk has a much greater volume of wood free of knots. Conversely, open-grown trees have short trunks and many branches. Those may yield some nice crotch wood.

As for the guy who said he didn't want OLD wood, let him keep thinking that. One less to compete against you! Old wood does not get brittle unless perhaps subjected to extreme heat. If stored flat and kept dry, it's premium wood, compared to most of what is available to be sawn today. If "old" wood is flat and straight now, there is a 95% chance it will be after you mill it also.

[Myk Rian]

ANY wood will twist and turn after/during cutting.

[johnny means]

let me know where this guy is and I'll go check it out for you

[Frank Drew]

ANY wood will twist and turn after/during cutting.

Well, any wood can twist and turn after cutting but that doesn't mean that every wood will.

[Larry Edgerton]

Walnut is one of the best sellers at "The Powderpost Cafe" so may want to keep an eye out for diners.

Larry

[Rich Engelhardt]

Quite a few people have little or no idea of the real value of things.

Walnut is one of them.

I know one guy that has 8 or 9 "old walnut trees" growing on his property.
He plans to finance his retirement with them...

[Frank Drew]

I know one guy that has 8 or 9 "old walnut trees" growing on his property.
He plans to finance his retirement with them...

Maybe he doesn't plan on living very long.

[Ole Anderson]

I know one guy that has 8 or 9 "old walnut trees" growing on his property.
He plans to finance his retirement with them

Now if they were big 'ol teak trees, or better yet, ebony...

[Jim Matthews]

Is there a premium attached to his asking price?

I don't visit private sellers that quote retail prices, it just leads to sore feelings and an empty roof rack...

[Cody Colston]

"Old Growth" means different things to different people. I would definitely inspect the wood before committing to a purchase to evaluate it's worth. If the wood is wide, clear, flat and free of bugs, then I would consider it...just like any wood purchase. Walnut is a semi-ring porous wood so it can benefit from slow growth, unlike ring porous hardwoods such as Oak where the wood is actually weaker/less stable if it is slow-growth.

PPB's were mentioned and they are a definite possibility in Walnut. You might consider having it kiln dried if yo purchase it, just to ensure any infestation if killed.

The bottom line answer is that "Old Growth" doesn't mean a lot to me. It's the actual wood grade that matters most.

[Greg Portland]

Craig,
Walnut in the PacNW can grow to a very large size and can have a lot of chatoyance due to the minerals in the soil. Old growth accentuates these qualities. Kiln drying has been known to kill the color in the wood so be careful tossing the wood in a dryer. There is some debate between the "air-drying only" camp and the "some types of kiln drying is OK" camps w.r.t. local walnut; a test piece may be warranted before drying the entire batch.

[Jim Becker]

Some folks would almost kill for old-growth hardwood...

[Chuck Harris]

OK so where do I go to pick up this wood...