What is So Great About Black Walnut?

Let’s get this kicked off. Welcome to our shop! This is our first post here at Hoboken Wood Company, but it feels like our story is already so long and rich. We hope you actually read this, so we will keep it punchy and helpful.

Walnut. American Black Walnut. When people first look for custom tables and desks the American hardwoods are the first natural materials that come to mind. There are really 3 reasons that Walnut stands out from the rest of the domestic pack:

Color. American Black Walnut has an incredible dark brown, sometimes reddish-purple color that is hard to find in any of the other hardwoods. While the heartwood is dark brown, the sapwood is lighter, almost white in some cases, and provides and incredible natural two-tone effect in a single piece of wood. This gives craftsman the ability to create a lot of stylistic contrast in each piece and table or desk. We get our walnut from a variety of mills in the US and have a variety of color options available for your table, desk or countertop project.

Longevity. Black Walnut has been consistently popular over the years and has the durability to handle wear and tear over many decades. This is a great attribute when purchasing a family heirloom or something that you are still going to be proud to show off in 20 years. Walnut has a rich history of use in the United States and we carry on that tradition today.

Workability. Walnut is a hardwood, but not so hard as to be punishing to woodworkers and their tools alike. This supreme workability means that you can make almost anything out of Walnut, from tables to chairs to bars to pens… you get the idea. Walnut handles steam bending very well which opens a huge variety of options for wood sculpture. It is also supremely stable over time and resists warping which is great for obvious reasons.

If you can’t tell, we absolutely love American Black Walnut at this shop. It was the first hardwood that I used in my professional woodworking career, and I’ve kept it as a staple since then. Check out some of our best Black Walnut projects here. We’ll leave it there for now, until next time.

-Patrick