Butternut AKA White Walnut bowl

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Butternut or as it is also called White Walnut is an endangered species, being killed by the Butternut cancer disease.

http://rvca.ca/programs/green_acres/...nut/index.html

I got the Butternut wood from the London woodlot years ago, the tree was removed for street widening and dumped at the cities wood-dump lot, found another one there again a few years later, it was shortly before the woodlot was totally cleared and from then on all trees went to a recycling place where all trees were chipped up, no matter what it was, what a waste

Anyway I have rough turned several bowls from the wood and a couple finished, this one just a week or so ago.

It is a softer wood but turns and finishes well and is a nice looking wood IMO, see the shimmer in the wood.

This one is about 10” X 3"

Any and all comments welcome
Butternut bowl.jpg Butternut bowl inside.jpg Profile endgrain.jpg Profile sidegrain.jpg Butternut bowl bottom.jpg

[Paul Girouard]

Nice work Leo!

[Chris Gunsolley]

Beautiful bowl, Leo! I agree with you about the nice shimmer in the wood. I love that you are securing the legacy of the Butternut trees as they become more scarce.

[Reed Gray]

I only ran across it once. Storm damaged tree, tied for largest in North America with an 8 foot diameter trunk. The color is a shade of brown that people just love like the Olive Ash. It did turn a bit fuzzy, and smelled like vinegar. Would love to find some again. I don't work regular walnut any more, makes me sneeze and itch.

robo hippy

[daryl moses]

Love it! Interesting color and grain. Especially like the rim detail.

[Bruce Wilson]

nice bowl Leo. I really like the detail on the rim, simple, nothing overstated, but really adds a lot to it in my opinion.

[Roger Chandler]

That is one pretty bowl, Leo! A fine example of good form and finish.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Nice work Leo!

Thanks for commenting Paul

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Beautiful bowl, Leo! I agree with you about the nice shimmer in the wood. I love that you are securing the legacy of the Butternut trees as they become more scarce.

Thanks Chris , yes hopefully they are able to prevent the Butternut from becoming extinct, we are loosing too many as it is .

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I only ran across it once. Storm damaged tree, tied for largest in North America with an 8 foot diameter trunk. The color is a shade of brown that people just love like the Olive Ash. It did turn a bit fuzzy, and smelled like vinegar. Would love to find some again. I don't work regular walnut any more, makes me sneeze and itch.

robo hippy

Hi Reed, thanks , as there are few Butternut trees around where I used to live, the ones I did see where mostly around 2 feet diameter or less, over here where I now live, it is basically just evergreens with a few Black Ash, some Poplar species and White Birch, Red maple that are after 50 years still only 5 or 6 inches thick, and mostly shrubs that shoot up after the clearcutting that was practised here.

It was good that I did have so many rough turned pieces that I was able to bring along, and now can pick and choose whatever and whenever I want to turn.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Love it! Interesting color and grain. Especially like the rim detail.

Thanks for commenting Daryl , yes it is a nice wood even if a bit soft.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

nice bowl Leo. I really like the detail on the rim, simple, nothing overstated, but really adds a lot to it in my opinion.

Thanks for commenting Bruce , it’s appreciated.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

That is one pretty bowl, Leo! A fine example of good form and finish.

Thanks for commenting Roger .

[Mark Greenbaum]

I have luckily gotten a few pieces of English Walnut from a grandson of the founder of our woodturning club. He's cleared a suburban lot for a new house, and graciously invited the club to get whatever wood from the roadside we wanted. I was late to the party, but got 6 nice pieces to make bowls from (about 10-12" across, and 20" long, split and painted to save for when I can get to them). I think it's the same as butternut, but not sure. I also got a couple pieces of Black Walnut and Black cherry.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I have luckily gotten a few pieces of English Walnut from a grandson of the founder of our woodturning club. He's cleared a suburban lot for a new house, and graciously invited the club to get whatever wood from the roadside we wanted. I was late to the party, but got 6 nice pieces to make bowls from (about 10-12" across, and 20" long, split and painted to save for when I can get to them). I think it's the same as butternut, but not sure. I also got a couple pieces of Black Walnut and Black cherry.

Hi Mark, and thanks for your reply .

As for the “English Walnut” it is a bit of a misnomer, something alike to you getting some Persian Walnut nuts and planting them in TN and then calling it Tennesseean Walnut, as that is actually what happened.

Walnut was not native to England, but is able to grow there, so someone brought Walnut nuts from the continent and planted them in England, calling that English Walnut, not really right, but it persist even when they know that.

Now Butternut is a Native American Tree and yes in the same Juglans species as Black Walnut and Persian Walnut, Butternut (Juglans cineria) has different wood and nuts, than the other ones, you are probably familiar with the Walnuts sold in the food/grocery stores, I have a picture here from hulled Butternut nuts, where you can see easily that these pointy nuts are not alike with either Black Walnuts or the Persian Walnut nuts.

Hulled Butternut nuts.jpg