Complimentary Woods w/ Walnut

[alex grams]

My wife has deemed/commissioned/decreed I build her a nice executive style desk for her study, along with a side writing desk (so she can make them an L shape, or have her desk perpendicular to the wall and the narrow one against the wall) and a wall mounted bookshelf above the narrow writing desk.

She gets it in her mind that this is her revenge for me buying more tools and being in the garage all the time, but if this is punishment, I don't want to go to Heaven when i die.

Anyways, she wants a darker desk along the lines of walnut. I would like to have a two tone style, with the paneling of the desk being one wood, and the framing/molding being another. I am 50/50 if i want the walnut to be the panel or the frame, but i am trying to find a good wood that will compliment the walnut and really make the color of it pop. I don't think I want solid walnut, as that may get monotonous.

Thoughts, suggestions?

[Don Abele]

A while ago I built a kitchen table from walnut and curly maple. Real nice contrast. This table has been converted to a large coffee table (new apron/legs).

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=11491&d=1098066125

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=11492&d=1098066132

Be well,

Doc

[Sam Yerardi]

Before I saw what it was your are going to build I was going to suggest maple or some other light-colored wood. It sounds like you want something a little more formal, a little darker. Here are a few that would go good with walnut:

butternut - A cousin to walnut, very similar in grain but a lighter brown
cherry - I have seen this with walnut and it does look good
sassafrass
mahogany
padauk

Myself I think I butternut would make an interesting contrast while being similar woods.

[Larry Fox]

If I had three choices and an alternate they would be, in order of preference;

1) Tiger maple
2) Tiger maple
3) Tiger maple

Alternate - Tiger maple. :)

[Thom Sturgill]

I think the answer depends in large part to 'how dark dies she want it?'

If you don't like the look of large panels of maple, think about inlaying a (tiger) maple stripe in the border of the top, inset drawers with an applied maple bead and maple pulls and of course the drawer sides, etc being soft maple.


If you want it lighter just a bit lighter, band the top in (curly) maple and use maple legs and pulls. Lighter still, then frame and panel with maple frames and walnut panels or reverse for even lighter still. Remember that flame maple is very expensive compared to most other domestic woods.

Quilted maple is generally darker than curly and would give less contrast, but a really beautiful desk top.

[Jim Becker]

My contrasting wood of choice for walnut is generally maple. Do note that walnut gets lighter and more amber with age, so you don't want to pick a "contrast material" that is too close to that color...as there will be no contrast down the road.

[Greg Cole]

She gets it in her mind that this is her revenge for me buying more tools and being in the garage all the time

Never justify a new tool with any "I will make you this, that and the other thing"..... 'cause she'll hold ya to it! Then again, thats what the tolls are for anyway. FWIW, my LOML calls the garage shop my "apartment" quite often.
For contrasting woods, count my vote as another for maple. Straight grained, curly/tiger, birds eye or quilted. I'm itching to get some weastern big leaf maple some year, some of that quilted-blistered stuff is AMAZING.
Sam's point about butternut (aka white walnut) is a good one as well, as the grain looks very very similar. Both are easy to work as well (unlike some of the figured maple varieties many will vote for).
I have a writing desk to build "one of these days" as well. Either will be mahogany & curly maple... or walnut & curly maple.

Cheers.
Greg

[alex grams]

She doesn't want it too light, so would have to be a maple frame with a walnut panel style, though it would seem to fit better with a dark frame and lighter panel. Need to find some pics to get a good idea.

Greg-
I was actually the one who suggested the side writing table and wall mounted bookshelf. I've been doing small projects around the house, some decent sized ones and more intricate small ones, but this will give me a chance to do a large scale project of a higher quality that I have been itching to jump into.

With every project I do, I try and add another new challenge to learn and do so I can add it to my bag of tricks. I suspect dovetails and inlays will be the new tricks on this project.

A nice flat walnut top with a maple inlay around it and then a walnut edge would be really nice. Then I could possible continue that on the drawer fronts and such and do a largely walnut face on them with a band of maple beading.

So much to consider. Now to also get a dovetail jig (that process is a monster in of itself).

[Brian Penning]

2 woods that I feel DON'T go with walnut are cherry and mahogany.
I have several pieces made with the above combinations and they end up almost looking the same colour. Walnut gets lighter while cherry gets darker.
It amazes me when I look at photos of when these pieces were new and what they look like now.

[Brian D Anderson]

I've been on the walnut/maple kick with my basement. Here are my stairs:

http://home.rochester.rr.com/ytsejam/Stairs_A4.jpg

And here are my Columns:

http://www.jfreitasphotography.com/Temp/Columns2.jpg http://www.jfreitasphotography.com/Temp/Columns7.jpg

-Brian

[Don Abele]

Brian, that's beautiful - I love it. The walnut/maple contrast is my favorite. Congrats on a great job.

Be well,

Doc

[Greg Cole]

Alex,
I'm thinking we live in eerily parallel worlds... bought the same BS 'bout the same time. Ya just took delivery on the parallelogram jointer of which I have the non p'gram unit. And now oddly enough, we're both about to embark on a writing desk & matching wall unit. Your LOML's name isn't Frances too is it? Least I know ya don't drive a Toyota truck too...LOLOL
I have a pic of the insipration for the writing desk, came from a fairly recent post here or the other pretty popular wood related "net" forum.

Brian,
What Don said about that basement & stairs. That's very very nice indeed!

Greg

[Brian Effinger]

My vote is for figured maple as well. Although, I'd like to see the exact opposite too - a walnut field and an ebony border. I think that would be interesting too, especially if the walnut was highly figured.

Also, Brian, that's an incredible basement. What's the flooring? It's good to see another Rochestarian here - I'm originally from right next door in Henrietta.

[Brian D Anderson]

What's the flooring?

Cheap laminate from Mr. Seconds!! The basement is my shop (but I finished it so that if I ever move, you can throw down a carpet and call it a finished room). The floor isn't even a year old and I've already taken a bunch of chunks out of it . . . even routed a few holes in it by accident too.

A shot of the landing might help too:

http://home.rochester.rr.com/ytsejam/Stairs_A1.jpg

[alex grams]

Greg,
The only thing stopping me from getting a truck is the fact that my car is paid off. But i was shopping for one a few months ago, and a Toyota Tacoma was what I had/have decided on when the time comes. What tool should we buy next? My next investments will be a benchtop mortiser and a dovetail jig!

Does your wife think you are as crazy as mine thinks I am?

I am dragging my wife to the wood store this weekend to let her look and decide on what kind of wood she likes. I am leaning towards a maple/walnut, and i believe she is too. But it is her desk, so her choice!

[Brian Effinger]

Cheap laminate from Mr. Seconds!!
I was actually thinking that it was laminate, but wasn't sure. It looks pretty good for cheep flooring though, and a heck of a lot nicer than my shop floor. In fact the whole shop beats mine. I also love the landing and stairs, and I really really like the contrasting plubs in each board.

[Jeff Mohr]

Cheap laminate from Mr. Seconds!!

WOW!!! Very nice! Can you introduce me to Mr. Seconds?

[Brian D Anderson]

WOW!!! Very nice! Can you introduce me to Mr. Seconds?

I know you're not totally serious . . .

I think I mixed Mr. Seconds up with Grossman's Bargain Outlet. Then again, they may be one in the same. I don't know . . . either way . . . http://www.bargain-outlets.com/ :D

[Greg Cole]

Hey again Alex.
My Tacoma has been paid for for a good while, like 7 years, not having a payment is great. My round trip daily is all of 12 miles total, so at 11 years old the truck has 102,000 miles. I've got my eye on a new FJ Cruiser but I'm in no hurry as I'll be making the last payment on LOMLs car in 3 months. Get the Tacoma and you'll never look back. I've had Toy trucks for, gulp, 16 years now...
I have been sorta itchy for a DT jig, but I can do DTs on smaller stuff on the Incra RT-joinery package... and I'm about 1/2 hybrid tailed tool & Neander so I'm thinking on getting myself to learn hand cutting-chopping DT's after reading Robert's "lets build something" (worth looking at if you have any Neander interest) thread going in the Neander forum where he swears DT's are easier than M&T by hand, which is how I cut M&T's. But that black n green tenon cutter is a hell of a tease too, but not sure I can withstand another slippery slope such as the black n green one....:rolleyes: Cause thinking you'll only buy one systainer is like saying I'm only going to buy a LN #4 for final smoothing of milling marks!
Oh yeah, my wife has known I'm a little crazy since before I ever had a WW'ing obsession, this hobby just reaffims that thought to a new level!
My wife can give pics for a piece she wants, but everything else she'll say "it's up to you".:D
Where abouts in the USA are you anyway?
Cheers.
Greg

[alex grams]

Howdy Greg,
I am down in Houston. My car has around 170k miles on it and is '96, but never any major problems. I would love a truck, and hate having to pay someone to deliver something I could pick up on my own if I had one :( But no payment for truck = more payment for tools!

Dovetails are definitely on my list. I've been meaning to start practicing hand cut ones, but getting time to do so seems to be nothing short of a miracle.

I want to do some half blind dovetails for the drawers for her desk/writing table, so a jig will be in my future.

[Bert Johansen]

Alex, I'm with the others on tiger maple. Hard to beat as a contrasting lighter wood. Check the link below--it's a desk I made with lyptus and tiger maple, with mahogany trim.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=59779

[Wade Lippman]

I will second butternut.

[J. Z. Guest]

Soft maple would also be good, and much more affordable than figured hard maples. Soft maple is still a hardwood, probably on par with Walnut.

[Cary Swoveland]

Zebrawood goes well with walnut. If you did that, I'd have just the top zebrawood, possibly with a walnut border.

Cary

[Mark Stutz]

Generally, my favorite contrasting wood with walnut is like most...Maple...but what room is this going into? How formal or informal? How much "executive desk" does she want? Traditional design...double pedastal etc, or a lighter feel?

If a traditional formal design is needed, I don't think the contrast would fit, IMO. I would consider something like walnut frame with walnut burl panels. If a "lighter" design, then the contrsating woods would work well, IMO.

Can't wait to see the end result.

Mark

[David DeCristoforo]

I'm really surprised that no one has suggested maple!?!? Really walnut and maple (esp figured maple) is like french vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce. Can't be beat if you like extreme contrast. But if you want something a bit more subtile, consider padouk or figured bubinga, neither of which will break the bank and both of which are very "happy" alongside walnut. I like cherry/walnut also but, as some have mentioned, these two woods can "patina" to a very similar color and the figure is similar enough that you could lose the contrast. I have also used wenge as the "dark" wood with both padouk and bubinga with striking results. (What? No walnut?)

YM

[John Keeton]

Another vote for maple, particularly tiger or fiddleback. As others have suggested, there are other options, but none that seem to be made for each other.
I have some wormy chestnut and considering resawing some to use in a walnut piece. Trying to decide whether they will age well together. Anyone ever tried this combo?

[Jim Becker]

John, the chestnut will likely look very nice, but I suspect that over time the two species will take on a very similar color and there will be limited color differentiation at that point. If that's not important, your wormy chestnut would provide a textural/grain contrast, even if the colors got really close.

[Chris Stolicky]

Greg,
The only thing stopping me from getting a truck is the fact that my car is paid off. But i was shopping for one a few months ago, and a Toyota Tacoma was what I had/have decided on when the time comes.

I really like the walnut and light color wood combo. I actually build my workbench top with ash (half the price of maple) and a couple small pieces I had of walnut in the shop.

Hey, on the Tacoma truck. I know its not directly wood-working related, but I sure haul a log of wood I work with in my Tacoma! Google 'Tacoma, perforation, corrosion' or something along those lines. Many of the Tacomas built between 1995-2000 are having serious frame rot issues and Toyota Corporate is doing a sort of pre-recall offer with them. I brought my '98 into the dealer yesterday and she "failed". I have a loner for 3-4 weeks or so now until Toyota offers to pay me 1.5x blue book for the truck! So, yes, Toyota is standing behind their products, but it was a really sad day. Just be careful if you looking to buy a Tacoma between those years. Although, if you are in Texas, you might not have the same issues as we do in the Northeast.

By the way, they are great trucks. I just bought a 2004 crew cab.

[Bill Wyko]

I also like Quilted Maple with any dark wood. The stuff just pops. (See pic)

[Charlie Plesums]

I have been very pleased with how the olive ash burl veneer came out on this end table, with walnut edge/legs. I have been considering using a similar veneer for a future office desk.

http://plesums.com/wood/livingroom/OliveAsh3063.jpg