Walnut slabs, this seems like a really good deal...

[Jim Becker]

Steve, if they don't steam the walnut, the effect of KD on the color will be much, much less, if at all. It's the typical steaming that's used to make the sapwood "brown" that muddies things up with commercial black walnut.

[Tim M Tuttle]

Purchased!

[Steve Schoene]

i would think strongly about kiln drying, albeight with only the minimum steaming to avoid issues such as case hardening. The issue is TCD, thousand canker disease. This disease spreads with the movement of walnut. For example in Pennsylvania, Hearn Hardwoods says it can only sell walnut with bark removed, and kiln dried. I'd investigate this issue with local hardwood dealers and or extension services.

[Tim M Tuttle]

i would think strongly about kiln drying, albeight with only the minimum steaming to avoid issues such as case hardening. The issue is TCD, thousand canker disease. This disease spreads with the movement of walnut. For example in Pennsylvania, Hearn Hardwoods says it can only sell walnut with bark removed, and kiln dried. I'd investigate this issue with local hardwood dealers and or extension services.

Would it behoove me to remove the bark as soon as I get them? I dont want it on for any of the uses I can foresee.

Moreover, what are the steps I need to take to properly care for these slabs? I watched some videos by Matt Cremona who mills and dries a ton of lumber. He recommends sealing the end grains and drying them in a basement with a fan on them (and a dehumidifier in the warmer months).

[Bill Adamsen]

Though a Yankee pretty much all my life, I lived for awhile in Wichita, Kansas and was always amazed at the incredible large hardwoods when driving through Missouri especially west towards Kansas City.

To Steve's point, while rapidly disappearing from pests and pathogens, the US still has some of the greatest diversity of woods especially hardwoods. Moving wood that has not been treated for pests and pathogens puts that at risk, and should be avoided at all costs. Buy local. https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/

[Steve Demuth]

Steve, if they don't steam the walnut, the effect of KD on the color will be much, much less, if at all. It's the typical steaming that's used to make the sapwood "brown" that muddies things up with commercial black walnut.

Black Walnut is easily the most common tree on my place, and I cut my own. I've both air dried and had some other that I've cut kiln dried. The difference is, at least in my experience, worth the wait. I've also steamed some (for bending), and yes steam really muddies the color. With just "dry" kiln drying the color variation loss is much less, but not in my experience, minimal - particularly if the wood goes in the kiln with significant free water content. The color in walnut seems to move with the water, and the more rapidly you move the free moisture out, the more dilution of natural color variation I see.

But I'm a small hobbiest, not a professional sawyer or kiln operator, so others' mileage may vary.

[Jim Becker]

Oh, I'm very much a fan of air-dried black walnut...all of it that came off my property over the years was dried stacked on-site.

[Danny Hamsley]

I never kiln dry 2" thick walnut slabs green off the saw. It is best to air dry them for a year or so, then when the moisture content is 25% or below, you can kiln dry them to below 10%.