Black walnut suitable for infill?

[dchenard]

I have a Shepherd Spiers No. 7 smoother kit that I need to find infill wood for it. I've looked around here, and the exotics that are usually recommended are priced out of this world, and very difficult to find in a suitable size.

Now I have some nice black walnut that is plenty large enough (7 x 7"), and it has been air-drying inside for the past 10 years or more.

Would I lose something from using walnut compared to the exotics, either in performance or stability?

If I'm going to go through the trouble to build an infill, I don't want to make it less than it could be because of a bad choice of infill wood...

Thanks all,

DC

Been raining nonstop for a week here, it feels like England... :roll:

 

[MikeW]

Hi DC,

Walnut may have too much movement for an infill. The planemakers here will be a better choice for information, though. It would look nice if it can be used.

Do you have a source for Mahogany? It's been used traditionally quite a bit.

Take care, Mike

 

[Midnight]

Been raining nonstop for a week here, it feels like England...

naaa... can't be... they're always sufferin drought conditions..

 

[Glen C]

I've seen a lot of beautiful gun stocks made from black walnut and have thought that it would make a nice plane infill material.

I did a bit of research and found that walnut is a fairly commonly used infill material (you can go here and search on "walnut" -- I got 7 hits).

http://www.toolbazaar.co.uk/List/TBC/p5.htm

Here's another link with some information on black walnut properties.

http://www.countyfloors.com/species_walnut.html

I can't speak from personal experience. I haven't tried it myself. I have cocobola infill for my Shepherd kit and it is looks and works great.

 

[dchenard]

Hi DC,

Walnut may have too much movement for an infill. The planemakers here will be a better choice for information, though. It would look nice if it can be used.

Do you have a source for Mahogany? It's been used traditionally quite a bit.

Take care, Mike

Now that I think of it I have what I believe to be Spanish cedar, which is in the mahogany family. I'll have to check into that...

DC

 

[MikeW]

Now that would be a nice looking infill. Dense stiff too, iirc.

I have an old Scottish overstuffed infill I need to make a new infill for, which is/was Mahogany. Haven't gotten around to making it yet. But it does cry out to me once in a while...

Take care, Mike

 

[Glen C]

Now that I think of it I have what I believe to be Spanish cedar, which is in the mahogany family. I'll have to check into that...
DC

While mahogany would be nice, I'd give Spanish cedar a miss. It's too soft for a good plane infill in my opinion. It scratches and dents easily. It's also tough to bore ... something to consider as an assembly issue.

 

[Ian Dalziel]

DC,
walnut is not a wood i've used so i am not the best person to comment.

for infills you want preferably old timbers ...slow grown ...these move very little. I also have started to cut mine into close shapes for handle and front buns etc....keep them well sealed and dry. i have just completed a batch of 14 1/2 Norris reps and i did one in brass and boxwood which is an incredible contrast. far better than i first thought. so you are not restricted to just darker timbers.

I am looking at doing an infill with fake ivory

old grown stable woods is my choice..... ebony...kingwood......blackwood any of the dalbergia's are usually good.


I

 

[Glen C]

Ian, I hope you'll post a photo of the brass/boxwood infill. Maybe it'll change my views on using light wood to stuff an infill. :-k

 

[bugbear]

I did a bit of research and found that walnut is a fairly commonly used infill material (you can go here and search on "walnut" -- I got 7 hits).

I think "walnut" covers a multitide of sins, including variation amongst species and varieties (nature) and country of origin (nurture).

For example Turkish walnut is a premium wood for 12 bore gun stocks.

I don't know if this is nature, nurture or both.

BugBear

 

[Glen C]

bugbear ...

Marblecake Turkish walnut gunstocks are gorgeous! North Americans often call this walnut (Juglans Regia) "European walnut" since that's where it comes from. I've also heard it called English, French, and Circassian walnut.

North American "Black walnut" (Juglans nigra) looks quite different. It's darker than the European and normally has less contrast and figure. It makes excellent gunstocks too ... I have a hunting rifle with a very nice black walnut stock.

I'm guessing ... but I suspect that most of the UK infills are stuffed with European walnut ... if only because of availability.

I recently saw a craftsman-built infill smoother that was stuffed with black walnut. The wood looked nice, but I don't know how well the plane performs.

Personally, I prefer the heavy, dark rosewoods for infills. I'd pay the extra to use them. I like ebony too, but it's very spendy.

 

[Ian Dalziel]

Glen,
I'll post some piccies in a few days when i return home.

have a look on the Holtey website and look at his A13 done in boxwood...very nice. and its from the same batch of boxwood

dont right off other timbers either ......the dalbergias are nice though.


Ian

 

[Glen C]

I'm looking forward to the pics, Ian. I'll also go back and have another look at Karl's site for the A13 done in boxwood.

I'm going to follow your advice and keep an open mind about infill wood. I'm learning a lot and having fun trying to select the wood for my next infill project.

Glen

 

[Glen C]

The boxwood A13 is really nice looking!

Hope it's OK to post a photo.

 

[Ian Dalziel]

Yeah Glen thats the stuff.....Just to clarify thats one of Karls ....
I'm not that good yet. I have done a 14 1/2 panel plane...i just dont have pics yet as i'm away from home.
incidently how do you think fake ivory would look in there...possibly a bit plain or do you think it would suit.

The boxwood is a bit of a lottery....its difficult getting plane sized chunks that arent split and i was really lucky that the bits i used has revealed some stunning black and grey marbeling through it. It seems plain at first but once the finish is on it it then stands out.

I have also looked at using slow growth cherry and also some yew....the pinky tones in the yew i think would be nice but the chunks i have sized have already split and moved even though i thought i had them sealed well. I might cut more soon for using in a couple of years...i'll see if it goes the same.

Cocobola can be nice their is some stunning pieces of this....but it seems to be an aquired taste and its pricey over here.
I have quite a few chunks of blackwood, ebony...ziricote and rio but i am starting to like the lighter woods as infill materials against brass and bronze.

Mahogany or walnut i havent tried...just because i have other materials i can use.


Ian

 

[Glen C]

I'm curious what fake ivory would look like, too, Ian. I don't think I've ever seen it used on an infill plane. I have seen a plough plane made of ivory and ebony and it looks stunning.

The boxwood and brass looks terrific. I think my previous view of light woods comes from seeing infill planes made from light woods that were ebonized. After a lot of wear and bumps, all the light wood showing through doesn't appeal to me.

Karl did a great job of selecting, placing, and finishing the boxwood. It's really shown to its best advantage.

Do you have other any other light woods in mind as possible infill material?

 

[dedee]

Just a thought, or two, does the wood for an infill have to be a single piece? Would there be enough wood in a bowl or two (as in lawn bowls) for an infill? Lignum Vitae would surely be stable enough.

Andy

 

[Glen C]

Just a thought, or two, does the wood for an infill have to be a single piece? Would there be enough wood in a bowl or two (as in lawn bowls) for an infill? Lignum Vitae would surely be stable enough.

Andy

I found a site with a couple of small planes that used Lignum Vitae as infill. They look great. (See the photos under "A Mouse and a Chariot" heading).

http://www.macpherson.co.nz/shop_made_planes.htm

 

[Ian Dalziel]

Not too keen on lignum...its also a bit heavy for the bigger panels or jointers

Glen,

heres the 14 1/2 in boxwood

Ian

 

[MikeW]

My goodness that is simply wonderful. I love the lines as much as the choice of wood.

The panel infill has long been a plane I have wanted--and this one is gorgeous.

Thank you for the pictures, Mike