Complimentary Woods w/ Walnut

[alex grams]

My wife has deemed/commissioned/decreed I build her a nice executive style desk for her study, along with a side writing desk (so she can make them an L shape, or have her desk perpendicular to the wall and the narrow one against the wall) and a wall mounted bookshelf above the narrow writing desk.

She gets it in her mind that this is her revenge for me buying more tools and being in the garage all the time, but if this is punishment, I don't want to go to Heaven when i die.

Anyways, she wants a darker desk along the lines of walnut. I would like to have a two tone style, with the paneling of the desk being one wood, and the framing/molding being another. I am 50/50 if i want the walnut to be the panel or the frame, but i am trying to find a good wood that will compliment the walnut and really make the color of it pop. I don't think I want solid walnut, as that may get monotonous.

Thoughts, suggestions?

[Don Abele]

A while ago I built a kitchen table from walnut and curly maple. Real nice contrast. This table has been converted to a large coffee table (new apron/legs).





Be well,

Doc

[Sam Yerardi]

Before I saw what it was your are going to build I was going to suggest maple or some other light-colored wood. It sounds like you want something a little more formal, a little darker. Here are a few that would go good with walnut:

butternut - A cousin to walnut, very similar in grain but a lighter brown
cherry - I have seen this with walnut and it does look good
sassafrass
mahogany
padauk

Myself I think I butternut would make an interesting contrast while being similar woods.

[Larry Fox]

If I had three choices and an alternate they would be, in order of preference;

1) Tiger maple
2) Tiger maple
3) Tiger maple

Alternate - Tiger maple.

[Thom Sturgill]

I think the answer depends in large part to 'how dark dies she want it?'

If you don't like the look of large panels of maple, think about inlaying a (tiger) maple stripe in the border of the top, inset drawers with an applied maple bead and maple pulls and of course the drawer sides, etc being soft maple.


If you want it lighter just a bit lighter, band the top in (curly) maple and use maple legs and pulls. Lighter still, then frame and panel with maple frames and walnut panels or reverse for even lighter still. Remember that flame maple is very expensive compared to most other domestic woods.

Quilted maple is generally darker than curly and would give less contrast, but a really beautiful desk top.

[Jim Becker]

My contrasting wood of choice for walnut is generally maple. Do note that walnut gets lighter and more amber with age, so you don't want to pick a "contrast material" that is too close to that color...as there will be no contrast down the road.

[Greg Cole]

She gets it in her mind that this is her revenge for me buying more tools and being in the garage all the time

Never justify a new tool with any "I will make you this, that and the other thing"..... 'cause she'll hold ya to it! Then again, thats what the tolls are for anyway. FWIW, my LOML calls the garage shop my "apartment" quite often.
For contrasting woods, count my vote as another for maple. Straight grained, curly/tiger, birds eye or quilted. I'm itching to get some weastern big leaf maple some year, some of that quilted-blistered stuff is AMAZING.
Sam's point about butternut (aka white walnut) is a good one as well, as the grain looks very very similar. Both are easy to work as well (unlike some of the figured maple varieties many will vote for).
I have a writing desk to build "one of these days" as well. Either will be mahogany & curly maple... or walnut & curly maple.

Cheers.
Greg

[alex grams]

She doesn't want it too light, so would have to be a maple frame with a walnut panel style, though it would seem to fit better with a dark frame and lighter panel. Need to find some pics to get a good idea.

Greg-
I was actually the one who suggested the side writing table and wall mounted bookshelf. I've been doing small projects around the house, some decent sized ones and more intricate small ones, but this will give me a chance to do a large scale project of a higher quality that I have been itching to jump into.

With every project I do, I try and add another new challenge to learn and do so I can add it to my bag of tricks. I suspect dovetails and inlays will be the new tricks on this project.

A nice flat walnut top with a maple inlay around it and then a walnut edge would be really nice. Then I could possible continue that on the drawer fronts and such and do a largely walnut face on them with a band of maple beading.

So much to consider. Now to also get a dovetail jig (that process is a monster in of itself).

[Brian Penning]

2 woods that I feel DON'T go with walnut are cherry and mahogany.
I have several pieces made with the above combinations and they end up almost looking the same colour. Walnut gets lighter while cherry gets darker.
It amazes me when I look at photos of when these pieces were new and what they look like now.

[Brian D Anderson]

I've been on the walnut/maple kick with my basement. Here are my stairs:



And here are my Columns:



-Brian

[Don Abele]

Brian, that's beautiful - I love it. The walnut/maple contrast is my favorite. Congrats on a great job.

Be well,

Doc

[Greg Cole]

Alex,
I'm thinking we live in eerily parallel worlds... bought the same BS 'bout the same time. Ya just took delivery on the parallelogram jointer of which I have the non p'gram unit. And now oddly enough, we're both about to embark on a writing desk & matching wall unit. Your LOML's name isn't Frances too is it? Least I know ya don't drive a Toyota truck too...LOLOL
I have a pic of the insipration for the writing desk, came from a fairly recent post here or the other pretty popular wood related "net" forum.

Brian,
What Don said about that basement & stairs. That's very very nice indeed!

Greg

[Brian Effinger]

My vote is for figured maple as well. Although, I'd like to see the exact opposite too - a walnut field and an ebony border. I think that would be interesting too, especially if the walnut was highly figured.

Also, Brian, that's an incredible basement. What's the flooring? It's good to see another Rochestarian here - I'm originally from right next door in Henrietta.

[Brian D Anderson]

What's the flooring?

Cheap laminate from Mr. Seconds!! The basement is my shop (but I finished it so that if I ever move, you can throw down a carpet and call it a finished room). The floor isn't even a year old and I've already taken a bunch of chunks out of it . . . even routed a few holes in it by accident too.

A shot of the landing might help too:

[alex grams]

Greg,
The only thing stopping me from getting a truck is the fact that my car is paid off. But i was shopping for one a few months ago, and a Toyota Tacoma was what I had/have decided on when the time comes. What tool should we buy next? My next investments will be a benchtop mortiser and a dovetail jig!

Does your wife think you are as crazy as mine thinks I am?

I am dragging my wife to the wood store this weekend to let her look and decide on what kind of wood she likes. I am leaning towards a maple/walnut, and i believe she is too. But it is her desk, so her choice!