Everything I need to know about Carpathian walnut...Cause there is lots coming

[Brian Brown]

When I was about 11, my mother planted a Carpathian (English) walnut tree because she always wanted a walnut tree. After about 3 years, we had a really hard winter, and the tree winter killed. She couldn't bear to cut down her beloved walnut tree, just in case it came back. Well, the next summer the crazy thing did come back from below the graft. There were 4 shoots that came up. We weren't sure what kind of tree would grow, but it turned out to be a Carpathian walnut. The local squirrels feast every fall on it's bounty. Fast forward 40 years, and the thing is huge. It is 35-40 feet tall, and about 60 feet in diameter. All 4 shoots grew into huge trees. Well, this year one side of the tree cluster started dying, and their arborist told them the treatment to save the tree would be about $400-$500, and there was no guarantee it would work. So in July, down comes the tree. 3 of the trunks are about 18-20 in at the base, and one is almost 24 in. it has enormous "flatish" crotch pieces. They are too big for my little MIDI. I got a three inch branch from the tree a few years back, and cut it into small planks, and it was all cream colored except a tiny brown pith line. I have seen a couple of turnings made from carpathian, and the wood looked to be creamy, with chocolate brown heartwood.

My question is has anyone turned Carpathian walnut, and what did you think? Was it worth it? How did it look? Do you have any pics of finished pieces? Anything special I need to do to it besides wax the ends? Anybody need some fresh cut C Walnut? I'll try to get our local club involved. If it is good for turning, I'm sure they will want some. Guess I better order some Anchorseal. Who has the best price?

[Ryan Mooney]

I picked up some a few years back when a friend had his (heavily overgrown) tree trimmed. Nothing huge, I think the biggest limb was maybe 6" across.

It was awesome to turn, really fun stuff especially while green. I had 10-15' streamers of shavings peeling off of it, I haven't found any other wood that cut just quite like it and admit a couple of the pieces ended up smaller than they needed to be because I was enjoying making the shavings so much.

Not sure what you need to do to save it, anchorseal is probably best, I never had enough to worry about it just turned up the little bit I had right away.

Here are a couple of "finished" shots - these aren't glamor shots but sort of in progress, I seem to have not gotten around to taking any of the actual done done work.

I used two finishing techniques, the first was simply General WTF right on the wood. This seemed to keep it pretty pale and the pieces I've seen since seemed to mostly stay that way.

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The other finish was walnut oil top coated by wtf. I inadvertently "sun tanned" these a for a week or so and they developed some really interesting character. I saw one of the pieces about a year later when I visited the recipient and it had continued to darken but had kept the neat looking bands. I don't know if other oils would act the same or of the walnut oil somehow activated some juglone or what exactly but it was a cool effect. I realize that it perhaps looks a little blotchy there but it didn't really seem that way in person (and these are horribly unflattering pictures in poor light).

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If you were a smidge closer I'd have to drop in to visit

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

I would go visit a site: www.woodbarter.com and ask there as well.

if the whole tree is coming down, that will be A LOT of wood. It doesn't look like it now, but it will grow when it hits the ground.

if the trunks of the tree end up being more like normal walnut - you'll have about 1.5-2" of light sapwood, and the rest will be that brown walnut color you're expecting.

chance are you'll end up with more wood that you can handle - and it could end up going bad before you have a chance to process it into blanks. So consider giving/selling/trading it to people that have a sawmill and can mill it for you. Some folks do milling by the hour, and some will trade a portion of the milled lumber for their services.

[robert baccus]

Google it up. Sells much higher than our black walnut with equal grain. Very unique streaks and muscle looks in the heartwood.

[Ron Rutter]

Seeing as this can probably be done somewhat at your leisure cut the sections long enough ( 3-4' at least ) before splitting lengthwise to minimize end cracking loss. I have some butternut ( white walnut) and it is beautiful wood! Ron.

[Mark Greenbaum]

Read articles on harvesting green wood to use for wood turning. AnchorSeal the ends to prevent moisture rapidly leaving the logs, and keep off of the ground. If you're really planning to disperse the wood to turners, rip cut some of the logs either side of the pith, and then cut into bowl blanks. Weigh them and date, then AnchorSeal the whole blank. If you ell them as green wood, turners will know to rough turn, then set aside for air drying, when weight stops lowering, they can finish turn them. Sticker the split logs to allow air drying slowly, and to prevent mold and spalting from setting in. Allow 1 year per inch of thickness to air dry is the rule I've heard. Good luck.

[Dave Fritz]

I'm curious, if the tree grew back from below the graft would it be the same as above the graft? In the case of some apple trees, different species are grafted onto the same root stock yet produce unique species of fruit. Could that also be the case with nut trees?

Not suggesting not using the wood, just curious.

Dave Fritz

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

if it grew back from the graft, it is likely whatever the rootstock was.

[Brian Brown]

I'm curious, if the tree grew back from below the graft would it be the same as above the graft?

Dave Fritz

That is what made me wonder also. The are usually grafted to a black walnut root ball. This is definitely not black walnut, but does produce walnuts. Maybe the growth was still high enough to be technically above the graft. Who knows?

[Bruce Pratt]

Best price on anchorseal. Buy it by the 2 gal direct from the company, get classic Anchorseal, not Anchorseal II.

[Brian Brown]

Buy it by the 2 gal direct from the company

Unfortunately, they can't ship to Idaho. I found it at Highland woodworking for $19.95 plus $8.00 shipping. Their price is slightly better.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I turned some Carpathian Walnut, wasn’t planned, but a early heavy wet snowfall with the tree still with leaves on it, had the tree split into two halves down the middle of the tree, not very large at all yet I used what I could.

Turned a couple of small bowls from it, turned just like any green wood does that is not very hard or dense, like Black or white Walnut/Butternut.

It has also quite a bit of light colored sap wood, and the inner wood is not dark like Black Walnut but darker than Butternut.

Here are a couple of pictures of the turned pieces an from a piece of the wood with drying splits in it.


Carpathian Walnut bowl.jpg Carpathian Walnut bowl bottom.jpg Carpathian Walnut.jpg Carpathian Walnut branchwood.jpg