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[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

> >For  
> the best furniture wood I prefer a slow-growing tree with tight grain.  
> These are candidates but I will refrain from cutting them as long as  
> possible.
> 

I use quite a bit of black walnut in my craft.  A walnut log will have that 
black (hence its name) heartwood and a white sapwood layer.  The sapwood is 
much softer wood and shrinks and checks a lot as it dries.  A young tree, a 
tree 
less than thirty years old, and a tree that has had quick growth will have a 
small heartwood and a large white sapwood.  It will not make good furniture 
(or 
instruments).  Very old trees (sixty or so) , or trees that have grown slowly 
will have a very small sapwood and mostly dense heartwood.

The denisty of the wood varies greatly from tree to tree.  For most 
applications the denser the better, but I can make best use of the less dense 
wood, and 
fortunately for me this usually makes the lumber #2 grade.  If it has a few 
knots, checks, and/or sap pockets AND its less dense, I can most of the time 
get it for #3 grade.

The closely related butternut wood is ideal as it is almost always lighter 
weight and it's not very expensive by rather rare.


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