Trying to get a positive ID on this wood species

Looks like walnut, do you know if it’s been stained or is that the natural color with just a clear finish on it?

All wood has variation, even within the same species. Likewise no two humans are identical. The best you can hope for is to minimize the differences in grain figure and tone.

-- You know, this site doesn't require woodworking skills, but you should know how to write.

+1 on the walnut.

-- Half of what we read or hear about finishing is right. We just don’t know which half! — Bob Flexner

The best you can hope for is to minimize the differences in grain figure and tone.

- Phil32

It helps to start with the same species.

Looks like Maple stained to look like walnut. If it’s a manufactured piece then the color might have be in the finish.
It be distressed I also see many different widths of wood.

-- Aj

All wood has variation, even within the same species.

- Phil32

Wood has variation within the same board. So what’s your point?

-- Half of what we read or hear about finishing is right. We just don’t know which half! — Bob Flexner

What does the end grain look like?
High mag end grain pic will help identification

What ever the wood species, it looks like lumber was cut from smaller tree(s), and it is #2 common grade with all the defects. The 4th and 5th images appear rift sawn, rest are flat sawn.
The dark lines between early/late wood are black, so a really dark dye stain was used.

Hard to not suggest black walnut (BW)?
The figure around the small defects, grain variation, and color remind me of classic #2 common BW.

This is steamed BW with MS on top for comparison of variation commonly seen ?

Best Luck!

-- If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all, Doom, despair, agony on me… - Albert King - Born Under a Bad Sign released 1967

Ok, thanks. To answer

Looks like walnut, do you know if it s been stained or is that the natural color with just a clear finish on it?

- diverlloyd

It’s a desaturated image of the finished wood. The actual finish appears to be a tinted lacquer that is brownish with a slight orange/amber hue.

Ok, I was kind of thinking walnut also, but I wasn’t sure and didn’t want to skew anyone’s opinion by suggesting what I thought it might be. But all of your valued opinions about it being walnut makes me feel confident enough walnut is the species to go with for the piece I’m building, which is a large hutch/bookcase. Thanks very much!

Not trying to make a joke, but We have 2 commercial shops in town that use alder 99% of time as it is dirt cheap.
I have seen pieces from them that use alder with walnut dye stain, followed with toned lacquer with similar grain; that looks like walnut – almost?

Alder defects are not usually as dark, and figure is much less noticeable then BW; but it could be what you have. Drill a small hole and check for cream colored wood softer than cherry.
http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/alder.htm

-- If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all, Doom, despair, agony on me… - Albert King - Born Under a Bad Sign released 1967

Black Walnut 100%

-- Lj's...The place to post what you had for breakfast and then do your utter best to complicate the hell out of the simplest of questions.

As someone who uses walnut and alder stained with GF Antique Walnut gel stain, that definitely looks like walnut to me.

Alder stained won’t have the pronounced grain patterns or the variation between heart and sap woods. Here is stained alder(dark cause in laundry room shelf)

The three middle pics with all the distress marks don’t look natural to me. I can see what ever satin or toners they used stuck in every defect.
The other pics look natural .
Half right half wrong?

-- Aj

As someone who uses walnut and alder stained with GF Antique Walnut gel stain, that definitely looks like walnut to me.

Alder stained won’t have the pronounced grain patterns or the variation between heart and sap woods. Here is stained alder(dark cause in laundry room shelf)

- SMP

Yes, I believe you hit the nail on the head. Alder is too even-grained to pull this off; the wood in the photos has very pronounced short, dark grain striations all throughout. At first, I thought it could also have been something like African Mahogany, but I think walnut is the deal here.

The three middle pics with all the distress marks don’t look natural to me. I can see what ever satin or toners they used stuck in every defect.
The other pics look natural .
Half right half wrong?

- Aj2

If you’ve ever used medium or dark walnut danish oil on walnut without grain filler, it does that, fills grain with blackish specs.