Wood Species Guide
Butternut
Juglans cinerea
Also called: White Walnut, Oilnut, Lemon Walnut
What Butternut looks like
Light to medium tan heartwood, sometimes with a slight amber or pinkish cast, and pale sapwood. It looks like a washed-out black walnut.
Grain and texture
Straight grain with a coarse texture and visible open pores, very similar in pattern to walnut. Wormy butternut, with small beetle holes, is common and popular.
Working Butternut: planing, cutting and gluing
Soft, light and a joy to carve. It cuts easily but can fuzz with dull tools, so keep chisels and planer knives sharp. It glues well and sands fast. Its softness means it dents easily.
Finishing Butternut: oil, film finishes and epoxy
Oil makes it glow a warm honey color. It stains well, and was often stained to pass for walnut. The open pores and any worm holes will release air under epoxy, so seal-coat first or fill the holes deliberately.
Durability, stability and Florida humidity
Rated moderately durable to perishable, so keep it indoors. It is fairly stable once dry. In Florida, acclimate it indoors and finish both sides of panels.
Shop notes from our Fort Myers shop
Butternut is a carver's wood and a great pick for light-colored walnut-style furniture where dents are not a worry. Wormy boards look great with a dark epoxy or wax fill in the holes. It is getting hard to find because of butternut canker, so supply is limited. We don't stock it, but ask us and we can try to source it.
Common uses for Butternut
Carving, furniture, cabinetry, interior trim, veneer, and boxes.
Sustainability and CITES status
Not listed in the CITES Appendices. Rated Endangered on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of butternut canker, a fungal disease that has killed many trees. It is also protected as endangered in Canada.
Safety and toxicity
- No common reactions reported
Few reports. No reactions beyond ordinary wood dust irritation are known.
- In the shop
- Normal 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 the normal risks of wood dust are widely reported. Use dust collection and a mask.
Butternut in stock now
Ask us. We can often source it.
We don't have Butternut 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.
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