Claro walnut trees and wood
Claro walnut trees are a blend of species, created by grafting an English walnut to either a black walnut or a California walnut. Claro is a Spanish word meaning clear or bright, and this is used to identify the wood cut from the bole of walnut orchard trees. They can be found on the West Coast of the U.S. The trees grow rapidly in this climate. With this tendency for rapid growth, claro walnut can have growth rings of an inch or larger.
Claro walnut has working properties similar to black walnut. It is known to have good strength and bending properties. It glues, stains and takes finishes well. It is most often used for making high quality furniture, gunstocks, cabinetry, musical instruments and veneer. The color of the heartwood ranges from a pale brown to a dark chocolate brown, sometimes with gray, purple or reddish tones. The sapwood is nearly white. The wood near the graft tends to be colorful and streaked, sometimes with beautiful, marble-like swirls. Curly, marbled, or burl figured Claro walnut is highly desired for gunstock, turning blanks and other projects. Highly figured Claro walnut can be more expensive. It is also very durable when it comes to rot resistance.
You can see our large selection of walnut slabs here.