Butternut

Butternut is not a popular hardwood in products today but it should be!  Butternut is closely related to Walnut but unlike its more popular cousin Butternut is anywhere from deep brown to a light tan color.  Butternut has a very rustic look and feel and is native to here in Northeast Ohio.  

 

Common Name: Butternut

 

Scientific Name: Juglans cinerea

 

Color and Appearance: Butternut wood can have a lot of variation between tree to tree but the color of the wood ranges from a deep brown to a light tan and can have an orange cast.  The sapwood can easily be seen and is noticeably lighter than the heartwood of the tree.  Butternut has a very rustic look and feel to it and imperfections are quite common.  These can include knots, ingrown bark, sapwood and eccentric grain patterns from limbs.

 

How I use it:  Butternut makes an excellent choice for a wood when I am looking for something that looks and feels rustic.  Because of this I do not shy away from including some of the wood’s natural imperfections when I make a piece for Clark Fine Wood Products.  You might also be surprised when holding a piece from Butternut for the first time as it is a relatively light and soft wood.

What will the Butternut look like on my Clark Fine Wood Products piece?  All wood has its own grain and color so each piece I make will never have another that looks exactly like it.  Here is some of the variation you might see on your Clark Fine Wood Products Piece: