Wood Species Guide
Buckeye
Aesculus flava (yellow buckeye) and Aesculus glabra (Ohio buckeye)
Also called: Yellow Buckeye, Ohio Buckeye, Sweet Buckeye, Buckeye Burl, American Horse Chestnut
About the name “Buckeye”
Buckeye lumber and burl come mainly from yellow buckeye and Ohio buckeye, which are sold together. European horse chestnut is a close relative with similar pale wood, but it is a different species.
What Buckeye looks like
Plain wood is creamy white to pale yellow with little difference between heartwood and sapwood. Burls are the star, often with gray, blue and tan streaks from spalting.
Grain and texture
Fine, even texture with straight grain in plain boards. Burls show swirling, chaotic figure with lots of eyes and voids.
Working Buckeye: planing, cutting and gluing
Very soft and light, so it cuts easily but can fuzz and crush under dull tools. Sharp edges and fine sanding help. Most burl is sold stabilized with resin, which then turns and polishes like acrylic.
Finishing Buckeye: oil, film finishes and epoxy
Plain buckeye takes paint and stain well but may blotch, so a pre-stain conditioner helps. Unstabilized burl soaks up finish; seal it or stabilize it first. It is a natural fit for epoxy fills, since burl voids look great flooded with color.
Durability, stability and Florida humidity
Not rot resistant and soft enough to dent easily. It is an indoor wood. In Florida, keep unstabilized burl dry and sealed so it does not take on moisture.
Shop notes from our Fort Myers shop
Buckeye burl is a turner's and knife maker's favorite, and the spalted color and voids pair well with resin. Plain buckeye boards are soft utility wood, much like basswood. We don't stock it, but ask us and we can often source burl caps or stabilized blanks.
Common uses for Buckeye
Stabilized burl for pen blanks, knife scales and turnings, electric guitar tops, carving, boxes and light utility lumber.
Sustainability and CITES status
Not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List.
Safety and toxicity
- No common reactions reported
Few reports. The dust has no documented reactions beyond ordinary irritation. The nuts and bark are toxic if eaten, which is a separate issue.
- In the shop
- Dust collection + mask when sanding
- Food contact
- Use with care for cutting boards, bowls and utensils
General information, not medical advice. See a doctor if you have a reaction.
No reactions beyond ordinary wood dust irritation have been reported for the wood. The nuts, leaves and bark are poisonous if eaten. Use dust collection and a mask when sanding.
Buckeye in stock now
Ask us. We can often source it.
We don't have Buckeye listed online right now, but new slabs and lumber come in all the time and not everything makes it to the website. Tell us what you're building and we'll check our racks and suppliers.
Similar woods: Domestic Utility Hardwoods
- BasswoodIn stockTilia americana Basswood is the carver's wood: soft, light, pale and so fine-textured that it holds crisp detail with little...
- PoplarIn stockLiriodendron tulipifera Yellow poplar is the affordable, easy-to-work hardwood that ends up inside most painted cabinets and trim. In slab...
- American HollyIlex opaca American holly yields one of the whitest woods in the world, a favorite for inlay and contrast work....
- American SycamorePlatanus occidentalis American sycamore is a plain, inexpensive wood until you quartersaw it. Then it is covered in a lace-like...
- AspenPopulus tremuloides and Populus grandidentata (sold together as aspen) Aspen is the pale, lightweight poplar of northern forests, plain in looks but easy on tools. It is...
- Black TupeloNyssa sylvatica (swamp tupelo is often treated as N. sylvatica var. biflora) Black tupelo, or black gum, is a native tree of Florida and the eastern US with plain, tough,...