any examples of butternut out there ?

[lou sansone]

good afternoon ww's

I was wondering if any of you all have built furniture out of butternut and if so you had some photos of the wood when it was finished. I have a pile of it and have been thinking about making something out of it, but wanted to first see some final finished examples before committing to a design ( especially when mixed woods are a possibility )

thanks in advance
lou

[Mac McAtee]

Here is a Sugar Chest I made from Butternut. Lightly stained.

Wood is soft and it is very easy to mar it when you work with it. Finishes nicely.
Mac

[Ralph Barhorst]

Hello Lou,

Here is a picture of a small table top. It is from a foldable table that I use everyday as my tv table.

This picture shows both the color and the grain pattern. I used no stain and simply applied several coats of Poly. I really like the grain pattern and color.

However, it is soft and there are quite a few nicks in it now. It is also kind of fuzzy wood, but with good sanding and finishing it comes out great.

I would not use it for a table top again.

[Jim Becker]

I wish I had pictures of the house that my parent's owned between when I was born and about age 7. It was filled with butternut woodwork and built-ins...just filled with 'em. Alas, I bet the subsequent owners destroyed the inside of the house as badly as one of them did a number on the outside. 'Shame...it was a shingled Craftsman style with a lot of character.

[Andy Hoyt]

My mother's living room is paneled with solid slabs of butternut floor to ceiling. Narrowest board is 22" and the widest is 31". In a former life they were the benches in a one room schoolhouse. They're covered with spills and stains and gouges and initials and dates (oldest we've found is 1821 newest 1933). The stuff is gorgeous and shines like golden waves of grain.

[David Fried]

Lou,

I have a friend in Coventry who lives in an old house. All the floors are Butternut and they are really pretty. He still has Butternut growing on the property. Interesting enough, he bought the house from his high school shop teacher when he retired!

Dave Fried