Walnut is one of the beautiful hardwoods that are used by Amish craftsmen in well-designed and elegant home furniture. This wood has been a favorite with carpenters for hundreds of years because of its strength and its deep brunette character. This chocolate brown wood stands out against other lighter woods, making a stunning contrast. This contrast has been highly sought after in parquetry, marquetry and inlay. An ancient tree found from Italy to Europe and in North America, the walnut has enjoyed use for thousands of years. In many cultures the tree and nut has been heralded in folklore and superstitions. The name walnut is actually from Old English and meant “foreign nut” because it was introduced from Gaul and Italy. England’s Queen Anne’s reign on the throne was often called The Age of Walnut.

Grown in North America in mainly the Eastern and Central United States the tree averages a height of 100 to 150 feet. The “Juglans nigra” or walnut tree produces some of the world’s most highly revered hardwood. This versatile tree is a producer of delicious nuts, high in nutrition and health benefits. Even its simple shell is used in paints as thickeners, oil well drills as lost circulation material, dynamite as filler and abrasives from commercial metal cleaners to home laundry soaps and facial cleansers. Walnut tree timber is used in furniture, cabinets, and architecture elements like doors, flooring and paneling and in weaponry like gun stocks.

The best walnuts are considered the peer of the finest mahogany woods. Walnut develops sapwood that is creamy white. The heartwood is a milk chocolate brown that ranges to a chic dark chocolate brown. Some walnut when exposed to different moisture levels and soils displays variations in color like an occasionally purple tinge with darker streaks. The walnut is famed for its graceful aging and patina qualities which gain a rich luster. Walnut is straight-grained, but has a reputation for some wavy, curly, striped, mottles, crotched and burled grains. The walnut produces more of these figures than any other tree and these specimens are highly sought after by craftsmen and artists.

Pennsylvania, a state renowned for its Amish communities, was the largest consumer of walnut in the 1700 and 1800’s. Amish furniture builders have always found the tough and durable walnut to be an exceptional wood to work with. Despite its elegant look walnut can withstand moisture and insects better than most wood. The walnut holds stain very well and looks exceptional when finished with ARESISTOVAR.

Tags: amish craftsmen, Amish Furniture Styles, hardwood, juglans nigra, marquetry, parquetry, resistovar, walnut, Walnut nut, walnut tree

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 at 12:42 pm and is filed under Amish Furniture Styles, History of Furniture Making, Understanding Hardwood and Furniture Construction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.