Butternut (Juglans cinerea)
General Information/History | Wood Identification | Working Properties | Uses in Woodworking | Cost & Availability
Walnut's kissing cousin. Most all woodworkers have heard of revered and costly black walnut, even if they might not have worked it. On the other hand, butternut. In fact, butternut has more renown as a nut producer than as a woodworking wood. Ever since the pioneer days, people have gathered its sweet, oily nuts with relish each fall. Early Americans also knew butternut as a dye. "Butternut jeans," homespun overalls dyed brown in the juice of butternut husks, were a common sight. And, like the hard maple, the tree was even tapped for its sweet sap, which was processed into syrup. Historically, though, carvers have always made the most use of butternut as a highly desirable wood. Its straight grain and softness translate into easy carving. For that reason, many intricately carved church altars turn out to be butternut.
Butternut (Juglans cinerea), also known as white walnut and oil nut, grows in a northern range from southern New Brunswick in Canada to the North Carolina mountains and west to eastern Minnesota. The tree never appears in stands, but occurs sparsely in rich, moist bottomland soils. A medium-sized tree, butternut generally grows 30-50' in height and to a trunk diameter of 1-3'. But in prime forest conditions, it can reach 80-100' and diameters of 4', For instance, the largest butternut on the Na tional Register of Big Trees stands 88' tall. At a distant glance, butternut resembles black walnut in shape, although it never grows as tall and tends to spread more. And the bark has a gray color instead of the dark brown of black walnut. The alternate, frondlike leaves are 15-30" long and have as many as 17 pointed leaflets, that on the underside, are sticky to the touch. Butternut trees produce oblong nuts with thick, leathery husks and sweet, oily kernels that squirrels love. The nuts drop simultaneously with the leaves in the the fall. Butternut's coarse, straight grained wood features a light tan color and a beautiful luster.
At 27 pounds per cubic foot air-dried, butternut weighs less than black walnut. It's also softer, less durable, and not as strong. In stability, the two are equal.
Butternut often becomes carved furniture and mantelpieces, as well as relief, figure, and sculptural carvings. Stained, it imitates walnut in furniture and paneling. Where it's plentiful, the wood becomes cabinets, molding, boxes, and crates. Even wormy butternut, which turns up on occasion, may prove worthy for use in certain projects, such as relief carvings or boxes.
Because today few woodworkers other than carvers demand butternut, it may be difficult to obtain except at large hardwood lumber dealers located within its range. But specialty suppliers catering to turners and carvers frequently offer butternut blanks. When you do find butternut stock, the boards usually won't run extra wide or long due to the lack of large, clear logs. This factor also contributes to butternut's relatively high cost-about $3 per board foot for select and better. Butternut veneer or plywood generally isn't available at retail because it is only made for the architectural trade. Butternut wood sometimes turns out to be wormy, the work of powder-post beetles and their larvae. Such damaged wood can be used for attractive projects, as long as the varmints aren't still working! Kiln-drying usually solves any potential problems, and a thoroughly applied, tough finish guarantee's any survivors' demise, but it pays to closely observe all wormy wood for pests before buying.
