English Walnut - Foul Odor?

[John Michaels]

Just purchased some English walnut for the first time. After I ran it through the planer I noticed a bad smell. The odor in the room wasn't too bad, but when you put your nose close to the wood - what a stink. I can't describe the odor that well but it's like a mix between a dirty sock and dog poo. Is this normal? The wood is marbled, maybe even spalted if that has anything to do with it.



http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-11/1108263/DSC07010.jpg

[Russ Filtz]

Sounds like the spalting fungus to me. I'd add some poly to the finish to seal it in! I'd be sure to wear a dust mask, or even a respirator, when dealing with spalted. Hate to get a lung fungus.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Mahogany has a diaper stench to it but I don't recall any coming from English Walnut. It has been many years since I've had any.

I like it's look and color better than American Black Walnut.

[Greg Cole]

I've never heard of any smelly walnut, but I've had some red elm that has an aroma of a certain feline excretion. especially when planing & jointing.

Greg

[Richard M. Wolfe]

I guess every wood when cut green has it's own odor. Some not worth mentioning and some, like cottonwood..... I had a friend over in the shop and he kept wrinkling up his nose and when I told him about the cottonwood he actually got a relieved look on his face - I guess he figured it was me. :):rolleyes:

I have cut a good bit of red oak, and most of the time it smells like....oak. But sometimes, and not just rare cases, the wood will have a sour odor. But then there are cases the cut wood has a very sweet odor. Are they both from fungi in the wood or is it something about that particular batch? The wood is sound and usable and I don't recall the appearance being different. For the sour odor it would be easy to blame mold from wet wood, etc, but I really don't know.

[Mike Ramsey]

Our club just cut up 2 walnut trees.....It smells like Cat Crap!:)
But it is beautiful wood & i'm sure the smell will go away as it dries,
I hope!

[Jim Becker]

I'd add some poly to the finish to seal it in!

"Poly" doesn't add any "sealing" properties to a finish...only abrasion resistance which is handy on floors. De-waxed shellac is a better choice for sealing in odors and it will not add any odor from off-gassing that an oil-based product will.

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John, I remember a chunk of wood I turned that had similar grain a few years back that also exhibited this smell. I believe it was some kind of elm. Very unpleasant from the odor standpoint, but beautiful figure as your sample shows. You really should check the moisture content of your stock as strong odors are sometimes related to that. And in the end, sealing with de-waxed shellac as part of your finishing regimen will mitigate any remaining odor in the final project.

[Howard Acheson]

I agree with Jim that dewaxed shellac is the best at sealing out/in odors. It's used extensively for smoke damage remediation just for that reason.

I would also strongly recommend that you use a properly fitting NIOSH approved respirator if you plan to work with this wood. Some fungi are dangerous if they get into the lungs and, in some cases, can even be dangerous if aborbed through the tear ducts in your eyes.

[John Keeton]

Aside from the potential health problems and stinch, that is one beautiful piece of wood!

[John Michaels]

Aside from the potential health problems and stinch, that is one beautiful piece of wood!


Best part is I got it for $2.50 a board foot. Plus some nice maple for $1.50 a board foot.

[Greg Robbins]

What you're describing reminds me of a couple of years ago when I got some Catalpa instead of walnut by mistake. After making a couple of cuts the smell (kind of like cat litter) was terrible. I took it back and sure enough it wasn't walnut. It did look a lot like it, just lighter. I didn't have that nice grain like yours does though.