Claro Walnut - Just Wow!

Claro walnut is one of my favorite woods to turn. It grows in Northern California, Oregon and Washington. It is commercially important for lumber but also as rootstock in English Walnut orchards. The robust, hardy roots of the Claro Walnut are combined with English Walnut grafts to produce higher yields of walnuts. When the orchards are spent, the trees are harvested for lumber. The area where the English Walnut is grafted onto the Claro Walnut often produces a beautiful crotch burl.

Below is a curly Claro Walnut bowl I just finished. The color contrast between the deep chocolate brown and the sandy copper red is very striking. Natural sunlight really brings the color and figure to life.

#1964 Curly Claro Walnut Wooden Bowl

Because Claro Walnut is highly desirable, it is also very expensive. It is one of the most expensive native American hardwoods. I usually smaller blocks and turn small bowls from them. I found some in an auction and was able to buy a number of small pieces at a reasonable price. I’ve been turning one or two a month for several years. Below is a shallow bowl/platter I turned and sold seven years ago.

#707 Quilted Claro Walnut Wooden Bowl

Below is another bowl from the same batch of Claro Walnut from 2012.

Hand Turned Curly Claro Walnut Wood Platter 788

I have pieces of Claro Walnut stashed in my shop in several different places. It’s fun to sort through them every once in a while and pick a few to turn. They are always beautiful but some are fantastic, stunning. I will be turning more in the months to come so keep an eye out for them.