What’s the deal with walnut?

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EricRN

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May 16, 2019
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Sometimes, I turn it and it gives off a rich, chocolate-y smell. Sometimes, it smells like rancid feces. I'm guessing it has to do with either the species, or more likely, the oils in the wood have gone rancid. But still...
 
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Are you sure it is Walnut? There are other species that are similar that have different odors but can be mistaken for walnut, Catalpa for example. The other thing that typically affects wood odors is whether or not the wood contains any kind of spalting fungus. - Dave
 
I just cut a lot of American black walnut today and it smelled awful. It's cold here so other than the air filtration and dust collection the smell stayed in the closed shop. Oh well, it sells like crazy in cutting boards, cheese slicers and tackle boxes.
 
egnald said:
Are you sure it is Walnut? There are other species that are similar that have different odors but can be mistaken for walnut, Catalpa for example. The other thing that typically affects wood odors is whether or not the wood contains any kind of spalting fungus. - Dave
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Yeah, I think so. It's from a lot of blanks that I purchased here, and folks on this site tend to know their wood. Really nice looking blank. I'll post some pics of the pen when it's done.
 
TellicoTurning said:
I had a supply of walnut that had grown next to a horse lot... when I turned it I could smell the horse manure from the lot .... I'm thinking it may be where the woods grew as to what smells you might get.
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Up here in Jersey, I had to cut and remove my black walnut trees. They're poisonous to horses.
 
jcimm2000 said:
Up here in Jersey, I had to cut and remove my black walnut trees. They're poisonous to horses.
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Did you know walnut wood itself is poisonous to horses? If walnut sawdust is used to bed horse stalls, it reacts with the urine and causes founder. We always bedded our horses in wood shavings and the local mill knew not to sell us anything with walnut in it. They kept those shavings completely separate from other species.

Many trees are harmful to horses
www.horseillustrated.com

Ten Trees Toxic to Horses

Here are 10 trees toxic to horses, which shouldn’t be grown near or in horse pastures. Keep your horse safe by knowing what to look for.
www.horseillustrated.com www.horseillustrated.com
 
jcimm2000 said:
Up here in Jersey, I had to cut and remove my black walnut trees. They're poisonous to horses.
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I've always heard that... fortunately the tree was outside the lot, but in relatively close proximity... it did have limbs over the fence, but high enough that the horses couldn't reach them... I'm sure it did drop the nuts inside the lot, but doubt the horses bothered them.

I've heard that walnut wood has arsenic in it... haven't researched though.
 
TellicoTurning said:
I've heard that walnut wood has arsenic in it... haven't researched though.
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Black Walnut trees are allelopathic but the chemical is Juglone and not Arsenic. We had a row of rhubarb plants growing in our yard when I was growing up. Half of it under a walnut tree and although rhubarb is supposed to be one of the plants that can tolerate walnuts, the growth on that end of the row was always stunted. Even grass didn't like to grow very well under it.

I have also read stories about people tossing cut walnut hulls into ponds in order to stun or kill the fish so they floated to the top for easier harvesting. Much quieter than using Cherry Bombs, M-80's or Silver Salutes (of course they have been illegal since the 60's).

Dave
 
"Smell that? You smell that? It's Walnut, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of walnut in the morning. "
 
Sounds like you're turning Wenge for the chocolate smell and Desert Ironwood foor the rancid feces.
These two woods smell exactly like that.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
You would know if it were wenge...your hands would be full of splinters! I don't turn it at the blind center just for that reason. I turn a lot of Desert Ironwood and don't think it smells that bad! We turn it at the blind center all the time.
 
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