Jon, I just finished a chair posted in the Gallery out of figured Claro Walnut from Goby Walnut products. This is the first time I’ve worked with Claro Walnut, its’ density was way less than eastern black walnut. The four boards all came from the same tree which must have been very large old growth judging from the size of the boards. Although the grain was tight, that is close together, there were very large pores that I haven’t seen in eastern walnut. With the grain so figured and the colors so varied, I didn’t want to fill the pores. What can you tell me about these pores, and what is the best way to deal with them.
Bill Lindau
Replies
Bill, the term claro is usually used to refer to the English walnut grafted on to domestic walnut root stock (either black walnut or the western Hinds walnut...although they are now sometimes using hybrid rootstock, depending upon growing conditions where the orchard is located.)
The Old World species (Juglans regia; AKA "English" walnut) produces a lighter colored and less dense wood than does our native black walnut. Black walnut has an average specific gravity of 0.51, while English walnut is typically about as dense as our native cherry; 0.47, or even a little softer. I'm surprised that you are reporting that the claro you have is substantially more porous than black walnut. The two usually don't differ that much in terms of ring-porosity or texture...certainly not as much as do black walnut and butternut. Perhaps the highly marbled stock you have came from the lower trunk of the tree near the graft and its coarser texture results from rapid growth of the scion as it started to benefit from the hardier rootstock....but that's just speculation on my part.
As for what to do about it, I think I'd just use an extra coat or two of a heavy bodied varnish (or shellac) and built up to a glass smooth surface. You probably couldn't get away with it with a really ring-porous wood like oak or ash, but the walnuts are classified as "semi ring-porous", so it shouldn't take all that much more top coat to bury the texture.
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