The very best figured walnut. Is 50-100+/bd ft ever reasonable?

[Joel Gelman]

I have been looking for some pristine highly figured walnut. Nothing locally. The one picture was something that sold online before I could inquire. Not sure of the price. The other picture is on a website for a lumber place in Oregon but they do not have boards like that. One person said that comes long once in many years.

I was offered some other highly figured boards with a tiger maple look but only Bastogne and when I do the math is it around $100/bd ft. Nice long wide thick boards. Not finding nicer at this time. It makes me wonder, is that the going rate for the very nicest boards? I am not asking what we want the boards to cost. I am wondering if anyone is familiar with the current very highly figured walnut market. Thanks.



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[roger wiegand]

Last year my "local" hardwood supplier (Highland Hardwoods in NH) had very nice curly walnut in 4/4 and 8/4 boards for $15-17/bf. Nice, but not spectacular-- not as dramatic as the ones in your picture. Perhaps there were better boards when the pile first went on sale, but I was late to the party. For a really spectacular board for a guitar from a specialty retailer, for example, I'd expect to pay double that, maybe 3x. Such boards show up on ebay with some regularity. You might give a call to the likes of Hearne to see what they have. If someone else is going to the trouble of pulling out the best boards from a big supply it's going to be expensive.

[Prashun Patel]

Figure increases price
Width increases price
Thickness increases price

$100/bf is very high, but possible for unique or rare wood.

It has been this hobbyist's experience that the most prized cuts are often more abundantly and therefore economically obtained as veneer.

[Edward Weber]

I agree with Prashun

There is also the species of walnut, English, Claro, etc and the type of figure you're after.
The fiddleback or curly figure in the photos is rare in such large sections, so the price goes up.

[Richard Verwoest]

And Bastone Walnut alone is rare, much less any type of figured Bastone Walnut.

[glenn bradley]

That is some beautiful material. The value beyond $8 - $10/bf for generic walnut around here would be specific to the material and your value of it. I know that does nothing to help you. Much like the furniture we make out of things, the value of those things can often be set by the observer / purchaser. Before I started doing this just for myself I would sell a large, figured, book-matched chest of drawers for about $4k. About 1/2 to 2/3rds of that would be materials (wood, glue, finish, environmentals, hardware). If you have a desire (or a buyer) that will cover $100/bf then yes, it is worth it. I can find some pretty beautiful material nearby if I spend my time instead of my money. I'm afraid that in the end placing a quantifiable number on an aesthetic is pretty subjective.

[Steve Jenkins]

As was mentioned check with Hearn. Also Horizon hardwoods may have some I know they stock very nice walnut but don’t know about figured.

[Richard Coers]

Very rare indeed as walnut is always scrutinized for the possibility of selling to the veneer market. That is really the place where all rare really high figured wood should go.

[Joel Gelman]

oh.... I thought I posted this in Lumber Yard.

[James Jayko]

Hearne lists their figured at "$35+," so I bet you can get to $100/bf for stuff like your picture.

[Richard Coers]

Hearne lists their figured at "$35+," so I bet you can get to $100/bf for stuff like your picture.
Giant step from $35 to $100

[David Zaret]

i don't know what you're building, but can you do it with veneer? i have a full flitch of outstanding curly walnut, i think i paid $7 a foot for it many years ago. Certainly Wood's website shows a number of options. can the piece be done out of solid wood, veneered for the figure you want?

[Caleb Crosby]

I'm new on forum and resisting springing $6 to look at pics - altho this makes me consider it. I used to make movie camera hand grips out of Bastogne, the best stuff I think is English and French but it depends. I needed only 12/4 so diff ballpark somewhat. I used to find "musicwood" stuff used for violin, cello matchbook - it's godawful pricey but I'd spend hours looking and found some good deals. Still have some blocks. I never paid anything like that price - maybe 30 b/f for 12/4 music - at a certain point it's not this is better and more $$, it's what you like. I don't like loud in your face grain pattern, fortunately I guess most people do- cause it costs the most!

[al ladd]

It seems to me like the price asked for the most beautiful rare woods has skyrocketed lately, at least for things I look at, which includes figured claro walnut, and koa. https://nwtimber.com/figured-lumber/claro-walnut/curly has always been my source when I need something special. I think both these items are affected by a dwindling supply and changes in land use/horticultural practices, in addition to the explosion in prestige-oriented amateurs buying supplies online. A few years ago I could buy grab-bag style "boxmaker" packs of claro for reasonable bf cost. Not anymore.

[Mike Cutler]

Yes, that is the going rate. Highly figured walnut, especially Claro and Bastogne,have always been very expensive.
Depending on what you intend do with it, will determine whether or not it is worth it.
BTW, shotgun stock blanks can run significantly more per bd/ft, than the piece you are looking for. It's not hard to move into the $1K per bd/ft range.
Everything is demand.
That is an exceptional piece of material you're looking at. I would buy it.

[Jim Becker]

oh.... I thought I posted this in Lumber Yard.
The "Lumber Yard", is not about lumber. It's just a discussion area for Contributors that cannot be seen by non-contributors.

For highly figured material like that, folks who specialize in lutherie materials are worthy of searching. I saw that Hearne was mentioned...they have an entire room in the big barn dedicated to instrument grade materials including highly figured wood. Be prepared to be sitting down when you get to the prices for this stuff, no matter where you end up buying it.

[Jimmy Harris]

It could be worse. At least you're not trying to buy a piece of "The Tree". A one-of-a-kind, quilted Mahagony tree. Last I saw, that runs about $13,600 a board foot.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I have used some beautiful wood from Hibdon Hardwoods in St. Louis MO. 25 years ago you could buy beautiful big boards there by the board foot. They have moved away from selling lumber and sell sets of wood for specific instrument parts. Backs and side sets, tops, neck blanks, fretboard blanks etc. Some beautiful figured walnut passes through Missouri Pacific Lumber. Their office is adorned with very pretty wood. They sell in large quantities.

[John C Cox]

Yep. Whether it's worth it or not is up to you. It costs what it costs, and the fact that it was already sold before you got it says the price was fair.

The thing I see... Truly exceptional stuff doesn't come up often. If it speaks to you, you buy it, because it may never come up again. I was bidding on some very dark, very special, high figured quartersawn oak, and it was well over $100/bd-ft when I bowed out.

[Edward Weber]

I read many places that birdseye figure in Maple is only in about 1% of the lumber.
The scarcity of figure and grain patterns will always be a price driver

[James Jayko]

Giant step from $35 to $100

Giant step from "available in the lumber yard" to "the very best available," too...