Butternut Qualities

Glen Duff 22 years ago

I just purchased 175 bdft of top grade butternut at a great price of $2.50 Canadian per bdft. I think the going retail price is in the $7.50 range so I'm pretty pleased about that.

I have no experiences whatsoever with butternut and would appreciate any comments on the characteristics of the wood. I planed and sanded a 6" x

12 ft board and it looked really good. There was only one small knot on the entire piece. It seemed to take a finishing nail near the end of the board without any splitting.

Is it primarily a structural wood. Can it be stained, painted, etc.

Thanks in advance.

Glen Duff

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Fred 22 years ago

Butternut works well with power or hand tools and is also good for carving. However, it is about as soft as pine and as strong as well. So it is best used where not subject to impact or heavy structural loads. Fred

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Nova 22 years ago

See:

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Novak Buffalo, NY - USA (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

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Unisaw A100 22 years ago

Butternut has a tendency to fuzz when sanded but finishes up well under a plane or scraper. In fact it's recommended that it be Neandered.

It can be stained to look nearly like walnut. Personally I like it without stain.

UA100

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Dan Hamill 22 years ago

I find the characteristics of working with it very much like cherry, but softer.

It is quite pretty just oiled....I have never stained it, so don't know how it takes it......

That's a good price, but I get it for about $4 CAD normally.

Use it, experiment, enjoy.

Dan Hamill Atlantic Canada

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