Two different colors in black walnut boards used

[Michael Yadfar]

This actually worked out fine, but I was just curious of why there was a color variance. I had two boards of 4/4 walnut and one board of 12/4 walnut from the same lumber yard, then a board of 6/4 from a different lumber yard. The two 4/4 boards were a much deeper color, almost a dark brown/purplish color. The 12/4 and 6/4 boards were both the same color, despite being from different lumber yards, and were more of a true brown, and much lighter. This worked out, because the 12/4 was used for legs, the 6/4 was used for breadboards (it was a junk board so I only ended up getting less than an 1", so that's how that worked out), so they actually match and contrast well. I was curious though what causes the color variance.

[Prashun Patel]

Three factors:

1) Natural variation between trees
2) Drying. Steam and kiln drying can cause the wood to become lighter vs air drying.
3) Age: Walnut will naturally lighten with time.

[Chris Padilla]

The same species subjected to different environments (weather, soil conditions, etc.) may also look different.

[David Helm]

And where I live, the dark purplish is more valuable than the drab brown.

[John Schweikert]

The variations make walnut a much more interesting wood to me. It's quite boring when it's all dark and similar straight grained. Using the variations to complement a design is a visual strength in many final pieces.

[Michael Yadfar]

The variations make walnut a much more interesting wood to me. It's quite boring when it's all dark and similar straight grained. Using the variations to complement a design is a visual strength in many final pieces.

That's the way I thought about it as well. The two breadboard ends being a different color added a good contrast which I think actually works well. I think the only issue would be if the two ends didn't match.

[Brian Tymchak]

As others have said, wood has a lot of variety. When building a nicer project, wood workers like to source material all at once from the same supplier, and even then, taking time to color match or even flitch-match the lumber to assure panels and table tops have consistent color and grain.

[Jon Nuckles]

To add to what Prashun wrote, steaming walnut darkens the sapwood, which is otherwise light enough to make the boards containing sapwood less valuable. Therefore, most suppliers steam their walnut. The steaming process also turns the rich purples and other dark variations of the heartwood a more uniform brown color, which I find less attractive. I had thought that the steaming leached some of the color from the heartwood to the sapwood, but a little online research indicates that it is a chemical reaction within each type of wood. That is, sapwood steamed without heartwood will still darken. It is striking how much darker a bowl turned from green walnut will end up than a piece made from kiln dried wood. I need to find a good local supplier of air dried walnut.

[Prashun Patel]

To be clear, (John and I both made this slip):

Drying and steaming are 2 different processes. After steaming, you can air or kiln dry the wood. KD lumber hasn't necessarily been steamed, and air dried lumber hasn't necessarily NOT been steamed.
In fact I know of one supplier who uses the kiln for bug-killing even on wood it plans to air dry.

If natural color variation is something you want, then you should ask for 'unsteamed' walnut.

[Cody Colston]

KD lumber hasn't necessarily been steamed...

Absolutely. There are probably more dry kilns in operation than any other kind.

The cabinet-on-stand I'm working on has the stand made from Black Walnut. The legs came from some (dry) kiln-dried walnut I bought about three years ago, intending to use for another project. They have been inside my shop since then. They are a dark chocolate brown. The stretchers on the stand are from a local tree that I sawed up and dried in my solar kiln. They are QS stock and show the light/purple grain variations very well.

You can get different colored boards from different trees or even different boards from the same tree. Every board is unique.

[Keith Pleas]

I got some inexpensive ($6.85/bf) "Common" walnut at Seattle's Crosscut Hardwoods for a project where I can program around the issues. Here's a picture compared to a piece of teak.

Edit: it's really more purple than the image shows. Look just above the teak - it looks more like that.

[Jim Dwight]

Always color variation in boards of all species. I don't know if walnut darkens with age, however. It lightens with sunlight exposure. Maybe if you age it but don't expose it to sunlight.... Cherry darkens when exposed to sunlight and thus tends to be darker if it is older. But even that effect varies between boards.

[David Helm]

What are they calling "Common" walnut? I am usually leary if they do not know the actual source of the wood. Prices in Seattle always seem high to me. I generally get some Black Walnut, some Claro Walnut, a little bit of Bastogne Walnut and my favorite (because there seems to be more color interest in it) English Walnut.

[David Kumm]

Walnut is a little like Mahogany in the way it reflects light. Look at it one direction and it is light, look from the opposite and dark. It can really show up when book matching. Dave

[Peter Aeschliman]

I got some inexpensive ($6.85/bf) "Common" walnut at Seattle's Crosscut Hardwoods for a project where I can program around the issues. Here's a picture compared to a piece of teak.

Edit: it's really more purple than the image shows. Look just above the teak - it looks more like that.


I love Crosscut Hardwoods!!!

[Scott T Smith]

To be clear, (John and I both made this slip):

Drying and steaming are 2 different processes. After steaming, you can air or kiln dry the wood. KD lumber hasn't necessarily been steamed, and air dried lumber hasn't necessarily NOT been steamed.
In fact I know of one supplier who uses the kiln for bug-killing even on wood it plans to air dry.

If natural color variation is something you want, then you should ask for 'unsteamed' walnut.

This is correct, except for the inference that the wood is kiln sterilized before being air dried. Sterilization of hardwoods typically takes place at or near the end of the kiln cycle, when the wood is below 25% MC.

If you expose the wood to the temperatures required for sterilization when it is still green, it can honeycomb inside unless it is in an extremely high RH% environment.

Additionally, hardwood can become infected with pests such as powderpost beetles while it is air drying, as kiln sterilization does not have a residual effect. This is the other reason why sterilization takes place at the end of the drying cycle; you're killing off the critters before placing your wood in a controlled environment (warehouse inventory).