Many may already be aware but, maybe some newbies to Walnut might find this helpful.

Walnut shavings/dust should never be used around hooved animals, especially horses. It causes hoof rot...or that's the term horse people use. 

Have you ever noticed that no other plants or grasses grow under a live Walnut tree? It's a self preservation thing. Walnut trres are aggressively protective of their domain. I once visited a Walnut farm of 500 acres of cultivated Walnut trees. The owner said he never had to mow.

Some of us two legged animals are also susceptible to the dust. Masks should be worn for sawing and sanding operations no matter the efficacy of your DC system. 

Walnut's aggressive tendencies can work in our favor, though. When the DC bag gets full after a lengthy session of planing, it gets spread around the outside perimeter of the shop. Sure does eliminate the need for the weed whacker. 

One more caution: DO NOT ADD IT TO YOUR POTTING SOIl!!! DAMHIK. 

Thanks Gene!

On 5/7/2022 at 9:45 AM, Gene Howe said:

The owner said he never had to mow.

And a small grove off from your homestead will provide you viewing pleasure - the small woodland creatures of fur and fowl, known to scrub about the lands. 

 

On 5/9/2022 at 4:37 AM, Woodman said:

- the small woodland creatures of fur and fowl, known to scrub about the lands. 

 

To this I relate.  I like to leave the house at 5:00am or so.  No humans to distract me. Their world is still asleep. I surprised a fat or maybe pregnant cat curled up on my stone mail box post. The cacophony of spring bird sounds had masked my approach.  The bowl of stale peanuts I'd left by the garage door was now empty and had moved 2ish feet to the left.  As my morning eyes adjust to the dawn light I see rabbit munching on the grass.  I take my Chevy Bolt EV out to McDonalds for a breakfast bite, and it's quiet glide catches a fox darting across the road on the way there. One the way back I come across a racoon I might have scared into a storm drain. He is puzzled by the tone my EV emits and turns to make eye contact as I pass slowly. I'm pretty sure he waved.  Perhaps as thanks for me not fouling the fresh morning air.   Back home. Waiting for my old computer boot up, I witness a barred owl landing silently on a tree branch just outside my bedroom window.  Fantastic.

4D

26 minutes ago, 4DThinker said:

Their world is still asleep.

I am not a morning person...

On 5/7/2022 at 8:45 AM, Gene Howe said:

Some of us two legged animals are also susceptible to the dust.

For some reason I've developed some sort of allergy to walnut. Several years back I cut down a small walnut tree that was threatening a relative's basement wall. Had a severe reaction, and lost some vision, to the point where I could only see random patches. It took about a day to clear up, with the help of Benadryl.

5 minutes ago, HARO50 said:

For some reason I've developed some sort of allergy to walnut. Several years back I cut down a small walnut tree that was threatening a relative's basement wall. Had a severe reaction, and lost some vision, to the point where I could only see random patches. It took about a day to clear up, with the help of Benadryl.

 

Wholly Cow John! I bet that was scary, did you think your sight may not return?

I must admit, I WAS worried! Good thing that my wife was along, there was no way I could have driven the nearly 100 miles home.

I spent a year in Iowa City while my ex finished her eye doctor residency. A doctor friend of hers had some walnut boards stacked in his garage that he wanted to get rid of, and he offered to sell them to me cheap.   I looked the stacks over. The boards were all rough cut and dust covered. It was hard to see the color or grain or flaws.  He let me take a board home to clean up and make something with if I desired. 

 

Now it may have been years of rodent and bug deposits on the board, or just the nastiness of walnut itself, but the poisonous gas that came from my planer as it revealed the beautiful face of that board nearly wiped me out. 

 

The walnut was gorgeous air-dried purple and red and wonderful.   I made the legs and stretchers for a dining table base from that board.  I never went back for more wood though. It might have killed me.

 

4D  

Does anyone know if this applies to White Walnut aka Butternut?

 

I know there's a problem with things growing under it? I was hoping it would kill Knotweed and dumped our annual harvest of leaves on a patch of it. That didn't work but it did kill all the Sumac.

 

We had three trees cut to make way for our Solar Panels, one of which I had cut up into lumber. The boards are 12' by up to 22" wide. They will be milled outside under full protection.

Here is what the Ontario (Canada) Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs says:

 

"Most members of the Walnut family (Juglandaceae) produce a chemical called "juglone" (5 hydroxy-alphanapthoquinone) which occurs naturally in all parts of these plants. Black walnut, pecan, hickory and others members of the family including Carya, Engelhardtia, Juglans, Platycarya and Pterocarya can produce juglone.

Black walnut and butternut produce the largest quantity of juglone and can cause toxic reactions with a number of other plant species that grow in their vicinity."

Someone gave my dad a 4' section of what was supposed to be a walnut log at least 60 years ago. He never found anyone to cut it, and when he was getting senile it was one of the items he passed on to me. When our son was building his log house, he found a farmer who had a milling operation as a sideline, and his prices were very reasonable. He told me to bring the log along next time we came over. I had always thought that the log was too light to be walnut, and my suspicions were confirmed... it was butternut. I've started a small keepsake box with the wood, and have had absolutely no reaction of any kind! Walnut would have had me sneezing after 5 minutes. It could be because of the age of the wood, I really don't know.

(Black) walnut is very slow growing.  I had a number of them in my yard a few houses ago.  It's not too surprising as they were the last to leaf out and the first to drop their leaves in the fall.  But it sure is a beautiful wood, especially under shellac.

On 5/28/2022 at 11:29 AM, HARO50 said:

For some reason I've developed some sort of allergy to walnut

I was wheezing for several weeks. Jettisoned some rough-cut walnut scrap and yellow cedar. Wiped / mopped everything. The lung issue finally ceased. I think it was the walnut. 

 

Just this shelf remains. But it is sealed.