Butter Nut

[TexasJohn]

Howdy - I am looking for some information about Butternut wood. I have seen some photos of bowls and carvings from this wood. I have a rather large chunk that has been hanging around for a couple of years now and wonder what kind of pens this would make. Any coments on this wood? TIA Texas John

 

[Rifleman1776]

Butternut is popular with carvers. It might be too soft for practical use with pens.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Butternut is in the walnut family and is also called American White Walnut. Check this out:
http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/TechSheets/HardwoodNA/htmlDocs/juglans.html

There is a lot of wood info on this site.

 

[alamocdc]

Sounds like our kinda wood, Frank! [] John, I picked up 10 Butternut blanks in a deal the other day and will be trying one soon. They do feel a bit light, but not much more so than Walnut. Should do okay w/the right finish.

 

[dubdrvrkev]

I have turned some and its...okay. A little soft for my taste but the coloring is nice.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Originally posted by dubdrvrkev
<br />I have turned some and its...okay. A little soft for my taste but the coloring is nice.

You're right. It's a matter of taste. I sell aromatic red cedar. A lot of folks like to turn it. For me, it is soft and brittle, not my favorite for turning. Each to his own. But the butternut does make beautiful carvings. []