wattled walnut??

Strange name? No Clue. Interesting wood name makes me want to watch. :)

What i can share is there are several species of Acacia that are called wattle. There is blackwood, spear wattle, and monkey thorn; all acacia species and all have walnut like colors? Maybe you supplier has confused one of these exotic woods for walnut?

Would need to see the wood to know what they really have? ‘Wattle’ family also includes Koa, and ironwood; which like the others above, are very dense woods. The extra hardness and density make it easy to tell the difference, once you have seen both side by side.

PS – US walnut pricing is high due very high Chinese demand since CITES banned transport of Rosewoods. They are willing to pay premium prices for dark replacement woods, as they are used to paying rosewood prices.
Can still occasionally find common grade walnut shorts for $3-3.50 bdft at a sawmill, but most want $4-5 for common lumber, and at least $6 for clear #1 furniture grades. Local retail prices run $9-11 for FAS grades, and $6-7 for common or rustic grades; but then AZ is long way from walnut trees and shipping drives up prices couple bucks per bdft. You may have same issue in KS?

Best Luck

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

I’ve never heard the term wattled, but I’d sure go check it out as it might be highly figured.

-- Bondo Gaposis

I never heard of the term either. Price would indicate it’s lower quality. My guess is to ask the lumber yard what wattled walnut is. Better yet, if it’s local I’d what to go look at it.

That being said, we are under “stay at home order” and since I’m in a high risk group age wise I just turned an opportunity to build some kitchen cabinets. I’m not doing project shopping at this time.

-- Alaskan's for Global warming!

My guess is that it’s black wattle and either someone in marketing has come up with a creative way of associating it with walnut or the guy at the yard couldn’t remember the name and knew it’s often used in place of walnut.

Anyway, acacia/black wattle is a really beautiful wood, and if it is black wattle it’s in no way a lower quality wood than walnut. It’s probably worth a clarification.

-- ian | "You can't stop what's coming. It ain't all waiting on you. That's vanity."

I can’t believe that walnut is so frickin expensive.

Supply and demand. The link below is a year old but still valid. Walnut has been under attack by the “Thousand cankers disease”.

https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/9scdl7/why_is_walnut_getting_so_expensive/

-- Alaskan's for Global warming!

I like both Acacia and Walnut both in terms of appearance and workability. I’d say either one is fairly priced at $5.70/bf. I can’t even get Acacia here in VA but KD graded Walnut is pushing $7-8/bf these days. Air dried stuff can be had for $3-4 though. Have you tried local sawyers or CL/FB Marketplace? You might find some AD stuff that will fit your requirements.

-- I collect hobbies. There is no sense in limiting yourself (Don W) - - - - - - - - Kenny in SW VA

The guy on the phone didn’t know what wattled was, he said it looked pretty wormy. I’d like to see it but I’m inclided not to go there with the virus—especially when I don’t have an immediate need for wood. Another minus is that this wood is at their retail store, the wood I’d need to buy is at their yard. The places aren’t close together. Another reason not to venture out to have a peek at it. Maybe it’s acacia and not walnut, I don’t know.

The guy on the phone didn t know what wattled was, he said it looked pretty wormy. I d like to see it but I m inclided not to go there with the virus—especially when I don t have an immediate need for wood. Another minus is that this wood is at their retail store, the wood I d need to buy is at their yard. The places aren t close together. Another reason not to venture out to have a peek at it. Maybe it s acacia and not walnut, I don t know.

- trsnider

-- Alaskan's for Global warming!

I once saw 2 skids of the wildest grained curly Walnut at Frank Miller near the shipping area. It was bought and headed to Fender Guitar. They were boards as wildly curly as any fiddleback Maple I have ever seen, super color, it was fabulous, and the retail store guy called it Wattled.

I’m having a hard time believing the place you are talking about has straight Walnut at almost 10 bux a bd.ft, and then they are selling something as wild as what I saw for close to half of that.

Tell ya what, if it is like I described, and you get over there after the storm, buy every stick of it they have, and I will drive to where you are, and pay you $9.90 a bd/ft for all you care to sell me.

It was this kind of crazy, covered the entire visible surfaces.

Chad is selling some curly Walnut for 12.50 a bd/ft, and I haven’t been over in a few months, but I doubt it’s like what I saw. He’s usually around 8.50 or so on Walnut across the board. It sure has jumped up, not a year ago 7 bux was high.

https://crlumber.com/price-list/

-- Think safe, be safe

In a simple furniture workshop in Nicaragua I came upon a guy smoothing this board with a hand plane. I asked the owner if I could buy the board in its rough state. We agreed on a price about equal to $5US. I asked him what kind of wood it was. He said “Cenisaro” – I asked him to write it down. Back in the states I asked about it in an exotic wood shop. In Spanish the word means “ashtray.” He said it looked like a variety of Acacia.

A year later I was again doing volunteer work in Nicaragua and one of our local co-workers was a young man who had studied local trees in college. He knew immediately what it was – - Genizaro – - one of the national trees of Nicaragua. Looks something like walnut, but is actually related to Monkeypod.

I’ve been in the process of carving a relief in it ever since. 1” x 16” x 28”

-- Phil Allin - There are woodworkers and people who collect woodworking tools. The woodworkers have a chair to sit on that they made.

I bought some nearly dry ash locally for $1/bf. He also has 6” wide walnut for $2/bf. If it is as nice as the ash, it is an incredible bargain. I have lots of walnut, but was going to buy 50bf anyhow, and then “stay at home hit” and I really don’t feel like pressing my luck for wood I don’t need.
But in a couple months it will be even dryer, right?

—Phil Allin – There are mountain climbers and people who talk about climbing mountains. The climbers have “selfies” at the summit!

We call the people who talk about climbing “posers”. They walk around covered with expensive gear and asking for information, but never actually climb. Beats me.

But you see it in woodworking also. I bought 2 DCs and RAS, all new and unused, from a guy who kept upgrading his equipment, but never actually used it. He had a Euro sliding TS for less than half price, but I had no place to put it.

Could the word have been “mottled”?

I always got wood from Intermountain Hardwoods in Wichita… I was surprised that they closed down that location over on Edwards

Suspect the Waddled.. is the same idea as ‘Rustic’... since it is about 30% cheaper than standard. any ‘Figured’ walnut would be more, not less expensive

.

-- “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” Mark Twain

Yep —I went to intermountain also. I’ve tried Fisher and some Craigslist guys but haven’t been real satisfied with those. THere’s a Craigslist guy in Towanda that has walnut and other stuff. I haven’t been there, it’s a bit of a drive from Derby. I’ve been going to Star now, prices aren’t great but I know their routine. Hard maple is scarce around here now for some reason.
Star didn’t have any of the waddled (wattled) walnut. The guys there said it was really really wormy and knotty.