Replies

1. 
   troys | May 10, 2008 07:25am | #1

   I don't think you will notice that big a difference after you finish it I think you will find a bigger difference between individual pieces of walnut of the same variety. I did a entry door and all of the pieces except on where "Claro" walnut and the other piece was black walnut and after the finish (marine spar varnish) was applied you could see no difference in color.

   Good luck

   Troy

2. 
   ring | May 10, 2008 07:56am | #2

   Are you really 14 years old?

   David Ring

   http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e

3. 
   BrianDerr | May 10, 2008 08:15am | #3

   So by "walnut", you mean claro walnut?

1. 
   coltfanru | May 10, 2008 04:04pm | #5

   I'm not really sure. I've seen walnut labeled as walnut, Black Walnut, and Claro Walnut. thats the confusing part to me. not sure of the difference in color between all of them.

1. 
   SteveSchoene | May 10, 2008 07:37pm | #6

   Walnut and Black Walnut are exactly the same variety.  But, different trees can have different colors.  This depends on where they are grown for one thing. There is also a big difference in how the lumber has been dried.  Lot's of commercial lumber has been steamed as a part of the sequence  of kiln drying.  That tends to homogenize the colors, making the creamy colored sap wood look more like the heartwood.  Walnut which as not been steamed or which has only been air dried can have a wider variety of colors ranging from near purple to orange.  Claro Walnut gemerally comes from the hybrid of black walnut roots and english walnut tops.  It often has much more color variation and figure. 

1. 
   [email protected] | May 11, 2008 04:25am | #7

   Steve, "Claro" is not a hybrid. 

   "The common name "claro walnut" is usually used to refer to the wood cut from the lower bole (stump) of orchard walnut trees, especially on the West coast of the US. These trees are a mixture of species, created by grafting an English walnut (Juglans regia) scion to a rootstock of one of our native walnut species -- either black walnut (Juglans nigra) or California walnut (Juglans hindsii). The wood near the graft tends to be variegated in color, with beautiful marble-like, dark brown and tan swirls in the figure. It is a favorite wood for making gunstocks."

       "There is some confusion about the term "claro", since the lumber trade sometimes uses it to describe the wood of ordinary California walnut, which is more like black walnut, rather than the marbled variety cut from orchard trees." 

   The wood in the graft area is typically highly figured.  The younger brother, who is an arborist, tried explaining the reasons, and lost me with the jargon.  But, basically the two parts of the grafted tree don't tolerate each other all that well, and there is a lot of figure generated in the boundary, as the "tree" tries to dominate the root, and the root tries to become the tree. 

1. 
   SteveSchoene | May 11, 2008 05:04am | #8

   You are right of course, it is not a hybrid in the sense of biological crossbreeding. 

   But the word hybrid is used in many ways.  I confusingly chose to call the grafting of two walnut species mechanically in a way that forms a different looking wood in the graft area a hybrid.  I'd say that's about as hybrid as the use in hybrid car, only in that case, there isn't the chance of confusion with the biological crossbreeding definition of hybrid.       

2. 
   BrianDerr | May 12, 2008 08:24am | #9

   I think I do notice a difference in color at my lumberyard. Claro is lighter, browner overall, and with less contrast. I forget the difference in price. My father-in-law says Claro refers to the Californian walnut. Thats all I know; interesting discussion, though.Brian

4. 
   SteveSchoene | May 10, 2008 12:53pm | #4

   Since you are on the east coast the wood they are calling Black Walnut is almost certainly the same as what you are calling walnut.  The latin name for walnut is juglans nigra which just means black walnut and both common names are applied to the same species. 

   There are other varieties of walnut, for example English walnut juglans regia.  The Claro walnut mentioned by others is a hybrid of the English walnut onto our native black walnut stock, and is available more readily on the west coast. Claro walnut usually commands a premium price and would be quite unlikely to just be sold as just as plain walnut, especially in the East.   

5. 
   mrfu | May 12, 2008 05:39pm | #10

   Like the others have said in your normal hardwood lumberyard walnut and black walnut are the same thing. Generally the only place you will find the claro or california walnut is at a specialty dealer like Hearne Hardwoods and places like that and it will tend to be figured material and also the grain has a lot more contrast than kiln dried and steamed black walnut.
   Pricing of the two is very different also black walnut will be roughly around $7 a board foot and claro is anywhere from $15 to $50 a board foot or more.
   Tom Stockton