Black walnut? If so best way to mill please..

[cjk]

I have this tree that was dead/dying the last few years and finally took it down today. Is this black walnut? I do not have a wood shop yet, so I am just milling it to use sometime in the future or giving to woodworkers that I know. So what is the best way to mill this tree? I am guessing 5/4 lumber as wide as I can get? Start milling with my Alaskan and just keep making boards or split the log in half with the alaskan and use my minimill to make boards out of the half log? The tree is about 24" at the base, 12' straight then branches out all over. Might be some cool looking wood in there, but I have never really milled a nice tree so I don't want to screw it up.

The tree is down and I coated the end with a heavy coat of latex paint. Hope it dries with the cold weather. I should have it milled up and in the shed in a week or so.

Any other tips are welcome.

 

[mikeb1079]

that's not black walnut. doesn't really look like butternut either, although i don't have as much experience with that. my first thought was some type of oak...

 

[bigjohn1895]

looks like white oak but the rings are allot farther apart then i usually see it i may be wrong but if it smells like pickles it is white oak
if it is white oak the dark will disaper as it dries dont let that dicurage you mill it any way nice wood

 

[Sawmill_Bill]

I would say it is Burr Oak, a member of the White Oak clan. The dark spot (blueish black) means that there is iron close by. It might be up or down the trunk from that spot. Use a metal detector to find the rest of the metal in the log.

 

[Talltom]

Bark looks like chestnut oak (quercus prinus) but it's not listed as native to Wisconsin. More likely burr oak, which is native to Wisconsin and has similar, very rough bark. Definitely not white oak (quercus alba), but the lumber of chestnut and burr oak are in the white oak family. If it smells like buttered popcorn when cut, its in the white oak family.

 

[Talltom]

Fresh oak is VERY reactive with metal. The stain could be from contact with a metal wedge or even your chain, if it was in contact for a little while. I get staining from my planer when running fresh oak through it, and the contact time is minimal. Still, better safe than sorry.

Consider quarter sawing that log if you have the capability. You'll get some really nice ray fleck from the center boards and riftsawn further out. 5/4 is good for unknown future use. Riftsawn is better at 8/4, since it's usually used for legs or other pieces where 2 faces are seen.

 

[smokinj]

That could be walnut.....There is a lot of brown out there.

 

[Dave Boyt]

Check the inner bark

Cut into the bark with a knife. If the inner bark is chocolate brown, then you've got walnut. Walnut also has chambered pith in the center, if you have any twigs. Do you have honey locust up your way? If it is walnut, quartersawing won't give you the kind of figured grain that sycamore and oak have. Sawing slabs would be a good option for walnut. I often do that with my band mill, then reassemble the log with stickers for air drying (European method). This keeps the boards in sequence for bookmatching. If you can find someone with a band mill, it will save you time & sawdust. The crotch wood might have some really pretty grain in it. Turn the "Y" of the crotch horizontal for milling. View attachment 210618

 

[mikeb1079]

you guys are missing the most obvious smell of burr/white oak: whiskey!

if you cut it and it smells like whiskey it's in the white oak family, after all that's what gives whiskey is taste and smell.

 

[smokinj]

you guys are missing the most obvious smell of burr/white oak: whiskey!

if you cut it and it smells like whiskey it's in the white oak family, after all that's what gives whiskey is taste and smell.

Pretty sure your right.....But I would be holding out for walnut too! lol

 

[cjk]

Do other wood species react to metal by staining like oak does? If not then we know it is in the oak family.

 

[Talltom]

I'm sure that some other woods react with metal but not sure about walnut. It's the tannic acid that reacts with iron and oak has plenty. I've gotten minor burns on my forearms from carrying fresh oak boards without shirtsleeves. They used to make ink by mixing metal and oak shavings in water. Is that a split in the end of the log or just a ridge? The stain seems to be at the start of that.

Definitely wouldn't want to quartersaw walnut. You will want to cut the crotch through & through regardless of the species, so do this first & it will make identification easier. Whiskey smells like oak because it's aged in new oak barrels. Same with some wines. Best way to tell what this is is to buy a good bottle of California chardonnay that has been barrel fermented, take a sip of the wine, then smell the wood. Repeat as necessary. By the end of the bottle you will either know if its oak or won't care.

 

[WadePatton]

you guys are missing the most obvious smell of burr/white oak: whiskey!

if you cut it and it smells like whiskey it's in the white oak family, after all that's what gives whiskey is taste and smell.

and walnut smells like...gunstocks! (the old fashioned ones.)

 

[betterbuilt]

Do other wood species react to metal by staining like oak does? If not then we know it is in the oak family.

I have Walnut out in the shop that has nails in it and it reacts just like oak. I'll get some pictures if I get a chance.

 

[cjk]

Milled it up this weekend.



P1020045 by toycowfarm, on Flickr
P1020046 by toycowfarm, on Flickr
P1020047 by toycowfarm, on Flickr

More pics here.Flickr: toycowfarm's Photostream

 

[redoakneck]

Looks Nice. Man that does look like a light version of black walnut but could be oak.

 

[betterbuilt]

That tree is a hard one for sure. The log looks like butternut or walnut. The wood sure looks like Oak, With a hint of Butternut. The wood doesn't look like Walnut at all.

What does it smell like?

here's a butternut I milled

Your tree has to be Oak. The more I look at the grain.

 

[buzz sawyer]

I'm sure that some other woods react with metal but not sure about walnut. It's the tannic acid that reacts with iron and oak has plenty. I've gotten minor burns on my forearms from carrying fresh oak boards without shirtsleeves. They used to make ink by mixing metal and oak shavings in water. Is that a split in the end of the log or just a ridge? The stain seems to be at the start of that.

Definitely wouldn't want to quartersaw walnut. You will want to cut the crotch through & through regardless of the species, so do this first & it will make identification easier. Whiskey smells like oak because it's aged in new oak barrels. Same with some wines. Best way to tell what this is is to buy a good bottle of California chardonnay that has been barrel fermented, take a sip of the wine, then smell the wood. Repeat as necessary. By the end of the bottle you will either know if its oak or won't care.

Walnut reacts as does cherry, oak is probably the worst. That's one reason it makes good cutting boards. The acids kill bacterial naturally. Never lay fresh cut boards on your table saw for very long.

Those milled shots look like Butternut or walnut to me. Can we get a good close up of the face and endgrain?

 

[cjk]

I can't say exactly about the smell, it smells good, hard to describe. Here are some end views of the rounds on the firewood pile. Some of the sap wood is punky so the colors are not all the same.

P1020056 by toycowfarm, on Flickr

P1020055 by toycowfarm, on Flickr

P1020054 by toycowfarm, on Flickr

P1020052 by toycowfarm, on Flickr

 

[WadePatton]

walnut.

the dead give-a-way for me is the black staining from between the inner and outer bark.