Replies

1. 
   oldusty | Nov 07, 2009 07:36am | #1

     Hi bb ,

                That is a sweet looking set of slabs .

            I just ran into a local with 6 year air dried Black Walnut from 1 1/2" -3" , 4"  rough slabs and pieces . He thinks he has about 2500 bf . Asking $4 per foot , said he would take 6 or 7 thousand for the whole tree .

       He also said he was not sure how to figure bf , hmmm .

         There were some huge like 8 X 8s that would make great big Walnut somethings .It is more then I can handle .

       Although my guess he would take $ 4 or 5 thousand dollars cash , and much beautiful lumber could be milled and made into $100,000 dollars worth of furniture prolly .

          Darn ,

             " I think that I shall never see a real authentic money tree , so that's the reason darn the luck , I have to work to make a buck "

               regards from paradise        dusty

1. 
   boilerbay | Nov 07, 2009 04:36pm | #2

   Hi Dusty,I think what I got was very low and I know it and I think something in the neighborhood of 4-5K for the whole tree is probably a good deal. Especially air dried/6 years. It's just that single slabs like those are just a touch too spendy for what I consider "just OK" good Claro (vs.not stunning).But if it where that stunning, then you might think of it's a good relative value if you were looking at 200 guitar sets.I tend to use Claro for more "statement"(like just a top or just an unique apron) than for whole pieces as it seems to loose it's power when there is too much of it going in different directions.Point of view,I suppose.Any damage from this last wave of storms? We had a lot of sound and fury but not much else. Just a few inches, maybe 3-5". Of course you're on the river so you have to watch your pints and quarts :)Take care BB

   Edited 11/7/2009 8:59 am by boilerbay

1. 
   oldusty | Nov 07, 2009 06:18pm | #4

     bb ,

   Not sure if I really know how to tell Claro , is it the same tree as Black Walnut ?

     It was hard to really see the grain in the rough state for me especially in the storage shed . It looked like a lifetime supply to me .

      He showed me a huuuuuge table he paid a guy $1,000 to make from it , it was like 54-60" wide by 12' long if it was an inch . The top was glued up not a solid slab , over 3" thick with huge trestle style ends out of the 8" X 8s . The Walnut was beautiful .Something you would find in a Castle sort of roughly made .

       Someone offered him 15k for the table , he turned it down and said he had another one at his other home also ,the table he showed me was stored in a garage , I'd take the 15k fast , if I were him .

          The wind blew pretty good Thursday eve accompanied by heavy rains , it's drizzly and the leaves are 90% down .

            dusty

        

1. 
   boilerbay | Nov 08, 2009 06:31pm | #8

   Dusty,"Not sure if I really know how to tell Claro , is it the same tree as Black Walnut ?"
   You asked about BW vs. Claro so.....
   You have some good chunks of it near you.
   Eastern Black Walnut is close, but is actually Juglans nigra and Western black walnut/ california Black walnut is Juglans californica.
   True Claro Walnut is only from Juglans Hindsii (Hind's Black Walnut) not Juglans californica. It is a species all by itself but the full figure sought after predominantly, but not uniquely, happens after a one time hybridization. There are just a few remaining sporadic native stands and it is an endangered species. Almost all are in the area between San Francisco (Walnut Creek) and the Rogue river in Oregon. Most in the Sacramento Valley.
   It is commercially important as a more rot resistant and stable root base for English Walnut grafting for orchard use. Eastern BW is very prone to root rot in it's early stages. After the orchards are cut, the first 8-10 feet of the base is the highly figured Claro with all the character of the two intermingled trees.Some photos of Claro and a recent experimental top of 3 walnuts (Claro ends, Black Walnut on sides and Butternut walnut in center) plus ebony plugs/splines. The slab is $2500.00.Best BB

   
1. 
   oldusty | Nov 08, 2009 08:02pm | #10

   Wow ,   nice stuff , thanks for the explanation .

        Now it makes sense , I've heard it called Orchard Walnut.

                  d

2. 
   oldusty | Nov 10, 2009 05:46pm | #11

   bb ,

            The more I look at the first picture , a box top you made ,,yes ? looks very nice indeed bb Greene.

       But the Walnut coloring and grain was similar to the big table he showed me so my guess is we are talking Claro .

        I want that stack even more mow

         Why is it the best deals come around when I'm broke ?

                      regards        dusty

3. 
   boilerbay | Nov 11, 2009 05:01pm | #12

   Dusty,
   Isn't that always the way.
   I suppose your first born is grown so that lets out selling him/her!
   BB

4. 
   oldusty | Nov 11, 2009 06:49pm | #14

        bb ,

    First born , still available and able , 17 year old son , senior semester .

          all offers considered :

      " beautiful location nice home on a knoll , well equipped shop , lovely wife , 17 year old son , take over payments "

              regards from paradise        dusty

    

5. 
   boilerbay | Nov 11, 2009 05:02pm | #13

   oh, yeah -- that top is Greene Claro :)

6. 
   Eef | Nov 13, 2009 12:37am | #15

   bb,
   down here in the southland, we've a native walnut tree. the nuts are very thick with only a small kernel of meat inside. the trees are highly drought resistant and are fully green leafed in the hottest summers on the driest hillsides. i had one in my front yard a full 22" in diameter, which is quite good-sized for this species. the heartwood is beautiful. i am certain that the tree is very, very endangered and i know of no conservation plans. a few months ago i "caught" my neighbor cutting one down 1/2 block from his front porch, i suppose it was affecting his view.i did not fail to mention how f'ed up i thought his behavior was...eef

7. 
   boilerbay | Nov 13, 2009 01:55am | #16

   EeF,Pity they all can't reach their full life and then go on to an additional one in the hands of caring woodworkers and craftsmen and artists. 22" is quite a tree for a nut bearer.When I was a kid in Delaware, I would sneak around the outskirts on one of the DuPont estates with my BB gun looking for "Big Game" and with one eye out for groundskeepers, I would look at the imported sweet cherrys and think about the great wood inside. They grew to 60" x 100+ feet with beautiful razor straight trunks. We used to call them "wine" cherries.Some trees by themselves hold their own special beauty.And some individual trees you will remember for life.
   As I get older some parts of my life are like the fly fishing book but would be more of case of "and the trees run through it".BB

2. 
   boilerbay | Nov 07, 2009 04:50pm | #3

   PS," He also said he was not sure how to figure bf , hmmm ."Isn't the correct way to measure bf whole timber to triple the dimension due to root contamination and wany edge loss? Double that again for air space where there is a crotch and then divide by 1.5 to compensate for the MC loss? Then there is the length deduction -- 5% for cutting under 96 inches.
   Sounds like $900.00 for the whole tree to me! (delivered)I've never seen it but I wonder what QS Claro would look like. Maybe Carpathian Burl.John

   
1. 
   oldusty | Nov 07, 2009 06:26pm | #5

     bb,

       I think they used the Carp Elm burl in Rolls Royce dash boards and such .

         The guy would prolly want to sell the whole thing then he dosent have to figure the board footage ,, I'd gladly calculate . He already had an idea of how much was in each stack .

         I saw cracks but nice wood and no visable bugs or holes .

        is Claro the color and grain or a specie .

             I'm working some Walnut currently and the QS or Rift sawn edges look like vertical grained Walnut but no exotic QS figure .

          Stop in if you get down this way , the wood is only a few miles from here !

                           dusty,soon

2. 
   ASK | Nov 08, 2009 02:07am | #6

   That may be a lot of $ but this place about a 15 minute drive from my weekend home. He has some and a lot of the most beautiful wood around. My dining room table came out of a slab of bubinga that started out 53" wide and 96" long, 6/4. I needed some more and bought 2 additional pieces which were 26" wide and 11' long.

   Yes, I paid a lot of money for that dining room table and buffet I built but it keeps the boss happy. And isn't what we're supposed to do?

   ASK

1. 
   boilerbay | Nov 08, 2009 06:17am | #7

   Yes, there is that aspect to consider with all purchases. At least that's what SHMBO has always indicated.

3. 
   WillGeorge | Nov 08, 2009 07:20pm | #9

   Almost swallowed the toothpick in my martini. Damn that.. Olive saved you?

   I see nothing about how thick a slab it is! At that price it should be hand delivered and they make the table I had in mind for it!