Wood Species Guide
Wormy Chestnut
Castanea dentata
Also called: American Chestnut, Reclaimed Chestnut, Sound Wormy Chestnut
What Wormy Chestnut looks like
Light to medium brown heartwood that deepens to a warm, rich brown with age. Reclaimed boards often show gray weathering, nail stains and dark streaks around insect holes.
Grain and texture
Straight grain with a coarse texture and pronounced growth rings, a bit like oak without the rays. 'Wormy' boards are peppered with small insect holes left after the trees died.
Working Wormy Chestnut: planing, cutting and gluing
Soft and easy to cut and plane. Reclaimed boards can hide old nails and grit, so scan with a metal detector before machining. It glues well. The holes can make edges fragile, so take lighter cuts.
Finishing Wormy Chestnut: oil, film finishes and epoxy
Finishes well with oil or film finishes and looks great with a simple hardwax oil. The wood is high in tannin and turns black where it meets iron or steel wool, so use stainless or brass hardware and avoid steel wool. To fill the worm holes, use clear or tinted epoxy and seal coat first, because the holes trap a lot of air.
Durability, stability and Florida humidity
Heartwood is rated very durable against decay. It is stable and splits easily, which is why it was used for split-rail fences. In Florida, finished chestnut is a great indoor wood and handles humidity well.
Shop notes from our Fort Myers shop
American chestnut was once a quarter of the eastern hardwood forest until a blight introduced in the early 1900s killed billions of trees. Almost every board on the market now is reclaimed, so expect nail holes, character and a price that reflects the history. It is wonderful for rustic tables, mantels and cabinet doors, and the worm holes look great filled with black or bronze epoxy. We don't stock it; ask and we can often help source reclaimed boards.
Common uses for Wormy Chestnut
Rustic furniture, paneling, mantels, flooring, cabinets, picture frames and historic restoration.
Sustainability and CITES status
Not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List. Living American chestnuts survive mostly as root sprouts, and blight-resistant breeding programs are ongoing. Reclaimed wood is the only practical supply.
Safety and toxicity
- Skin irritation
No reactions have been reported for American chestnut itself, though related chestnuts have caused skin irritation. Reclaimed boards can carry old paint, lead, dirt or mold, which is often the bigger risk.
- In the shop
- Dust collection + respirator; check reclaimed boards for old paint and metal
- Food contact
- Not recommended for cutting boards, bowls and utensils
General information, not medical advice. See a doctor if you have a reaction.
No specific reactions are commonly reported beyond the normal risks of wood dust. Reclaimed wood may carry old paint or contaminants, so use a respirator and dust collection.
Wormy Chestnut in stock now
Ask us. We can often source it.
We don't have Wormy Chestnut 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: Oaks
- Red OakIn stockQuercus rubra (lumber often includes other red oak group species) Red oak is the familiar, hard-wearing hardwood behind generations of American floors and cabinets. In slab form it...
- White OakIn stockQuercus alba (lumber often includes other white oak group species) White oak is the strong, water-resistant oak behind whiskey barrels, wooden boats and Mission furniture. Its warm golden...
- Black OakQuercus velutina Black oak is a common eastern red oak that is sold as red oak lumber. Its inner bark...
- Bur OakQuercus macrocarpa Bur oak is the big-acorn white oak of the prairie states, hard, heavy and rot resistant. Most of...
- Cherrybark OakQuercus pagoda (formerly Quercus falcata var. pagodifolia) Cherrybark oak is the tallest, straightest and strongest of the Southern red oaks, named for bark that looks...
- Chestnut OakQuercus montana (syn. Quercus prinus) Chestnut oak is the white oak of rocky Appalachian ridges, named for leaves that look like chestnut leaves....