# Is walnut a good choice for a desk?



## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

I see that Home Depot has walnut boards for about the same price as the red oak I was planning on using for a sliding-desktop desk like the one below. (That one's oak ply w/Douglass fir legs, but the design is the same.)

Is walnut too brittle? The shelves and desktop are going to be edge-joined.

TIA

https://i.imgur.com/fyrerUt.png


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

My first thought is Home Depot has walnut? Second thought… that walnut isn't going to be straight or flat.

But in answer to your question, walnut would be great for a desk. It's a little softer than oak, so a desktop pad would be good. Structurally though, walnut is great. Easy to work with too.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

Great, thanks.

Their hardwood boards are fine, actually. It's not like their plywood.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

> Great, thanks.
> 
> Their hardwood boards are fine, actually. It's not like their plywood.
> 
> - nickbatz


One thing is check for twist and bow etc. When people rummage through they leave them all scattered etc. Otherwise its not too much more than the hardwood store.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

They tend to be cheaper than a lumberyard. If I remember right, 1×8s are about $8/ft.

But yeah, Home Depot's inconsistent supply of walnut boards is why I'm a little nervous about offering it as an option to the person I'm building the desk for. I know they always have decent oak (and for that matter maple) boards in stock, but their selection of good walnut boards isn't a sure thing.


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## ruger (Feb 20, 2018)

walnut is a pleasure to work with. it planes like butter. it's easy on router bits, very little end grain tear out. doesn't splinter when cutting dove tails. and it's a beautiful wood.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

Good to know. Thanks.


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## TimInIndiana (Jan 6, 2018)

Walnut seems like a fine choice, but Home Depot is probably the most expensive place to buy it.


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## tomsteve (Jan 23, 2015)

> Great, thanks.
> 
> Their hardwood boards are fine, actually. It's not like their plywood.
> 
> - nickbatz


if theyre all stood on end, site down them. i havent seen one stick of walnut or oak at the local HD that isnt bowed end to end from standing on end for months upon months.


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## tomsteve (Jan 23, 2015)

> They tend to be cheaper than a lumberyard. If I remember right, 1×8s are about $8/ft.
> 
> - nickbatz


thats $8 a linear foot. now figure out the board foot price with that. thats about $16/bd ft off the top of my head.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

> They tend to be cheaper than a lumberyard. If I remember right, 1×8s are about $8/ft.
> 
> - nickbatz
> 
> ...


Yep, its quite a bit higher than an actual hardwood store in my area. It is around $16/bf, but they don't have 1×8s near me, only 1×4 and 1×3 last time I went. My local hardwood shop runs around $11/bf, but they usually have "shorts" for around $7-8/bf


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## TimInIndiana (Jan 6, 2018)

My local HD doesn't stock walnut, but it can be ordered from the website. 1in x 6in x 8ft boards are $89.10. That's over $22 per board foot! I pay $6.50/bf at my local saw mill.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

Thanks for all the replies - I appreciate it as always. This forum is a great resource.

I'm in Los Angeles, so the prices are going to be different - higher for most things, but sometimes lower.

HD does have a good stock of oak boards at every location I've been to. But since this is a few hundred dollars' worth of wood - and it comes out of my profit! - believe me, I'll shop around.

Also, this will be the first time I edge-joint the desktop (the others I've made are plywood), so believe me even more that I'm not going to buy warped boards!

(And I admit to being just a little bit too excited that I get to use the beautifully restored Davis & Wells 1940s vintage jointer I picked up a few months ago…  )


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> They tend to be cheaper than a lumberyard. If I remember right, 1×8s are about $8/ft.
> 
> - nickbatz
> 
> ...


yeah shorts are usually always cheaper and for a desk it would probably work fine.what area of l.a. are you in.im in the southbay area and i get my hardwoods from hudson and west in torrance,great people and will get you anything you want.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

I'm in Sherman Oaks.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> I m in Sherman Oaks.
> 
> - nickbatz


yeah thats probably further than you want to go.they normally have shorts that are about 4-6 ft for around 8 bucks a bd ft and excellent quality.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

Also, What do you plan on using as a finish? And grain filler? As those 2 things are arguably nearly as important as wood choice for a writing desk.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

It could be worth the drive.

I haven't checked House of Hardwood in West LA.

They used to build these desks for me, or a similar design, before I got hooked on making stuff myself! Good place, but my guess is that they're not particularly cheap.

There's also Anawalt Hardware in North Hollywood. They have high quality wood and are good people, but not a huge supply of hardwood.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> It could be worth the drive.
> 
> I haven t checked House of Hardwood in West LA.
> 
> ...


if you wanna try them id call first and make sure they have what you want,ask for duane and tell him larry from crenshaw lumber sent you.310-533-4000.check out their website they have everything including a great supply of finishing supplies and hardware.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

> Also, What do you plan on using as a finish? And grain filler? As those 2 things are arguably nearly as important as wood choice for a writing desk.
> 
> - SMP


If I use oak, dark Watco Danish Oil and then an oil-modified polyurethane topcoat.

It's not a *writing* desk exactly, it's a composer's desk that holds a music keyboard and features a sliding desktop over the keyboard - so you're always the right distance from your computer monitor and speakers; we go back and forth between playing the keyboard and typing/writing on the desk all day long.

The picture linked in the first post of this thread is what it'll look like, although this one is going to have a glossy topcoat. That one's oak ply, but it won't look very different.

By the way, the legs in that one are made out of the Douglass fir from Anawalt Hardware I was talking about in my previous post. I've used that stuff for parts of six projects now, and I really like it. But this one is going to be solid hardwood.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

> f you wanna try them id call first and make sure they have what you want,ask for duane and tell him larry from crenshaw lumber sent you.310-533-4000.check out their website they have everything including a great supply of finishing supplies and hardware.
> 
> - pottz


Thanks!


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## skatefriday (May 5, 2014)

Phillips Lumber in Pacoima has the best prices I've found in LA on hardwoods, Valencia Lumber near Van Nuys airport has the best selection. Phillips also seems to be a little more generous on discounts for weekenders if you are a regular. Valencia always gives me the "I don't know you and you don't buy enough" price.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

Thanks skatefriday. I didn't know about either one of those.

(For a second I got Phillips confused with Far West Plywood, where I found out they don't cut down 4'x8' sheets for you - a fatal flaw, since that's too big to fit in the back of my SUV.)


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

There's a place in Los Angeles called Bonhoff lumber not very big but great prices.
https://bohnhofflumber.com/pages/lumber

I'm also a fan of Davis and Wells machines.
Good luck with your build.


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## skatefriday (May 5, 2014)

> Thanks skatefriday. I didn t know about either one of those.
> 
> (For a second I got Phillips confused with Far West Plywood, where I found out they don t cut down 4×8 sheets for you - a fatal flaw, since that s too big to fit in the back of my SUV.)
> 
> - nickbatz


I don't frequent Far West as I found their sales people unfriendly and condescending to weekend woodworkers. They do however have CMT router bits at retail, so if you need one today there's that.

Phillips on the other hand had a guy walk me around the warehouse teaching me about all the grades of plywood when I was first starting out. That was pretty awesome.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

Only one i've been to in LA is Ganahl. Only when I am up in that area. They seemed ok, kind of more construction stuff but some decent hardwoods.


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## Horus (Apr 23, 2019)

I like going to auctions and thrift stores to find interesting and inexpensive furniture that I break apart and reuse for lumber. If you can find some old raggedy distressed gold, it's often old growth - and a lot of times premilled to close. You might just harvest hardware and make jigs from the wood, depending on condition.

I saved an old walnut bed from a fire pit last summer (got it for free), nothing wrong with it but the wear of 120 years of use. Man, that wood I'd beautiful when cleaned up. I'll find something to incorporate the carved medallions from the headboard.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

So I called Phillips and Valencia.

I didn't realize that they sell random widths and lengths rather than dimensional sizes. That's going to mean some waste, plus a lot more work. Oh well.

Phillips quoted $4.19 vs. $5.79 per board ft. at Valencia.

But Valencia's has one straight edge.

Either way, everyone here is correct that it's way less expensive than Home Depot.


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## skatefriday (May 5, 2014)

Well yeah, but wasn't the quote earlier in this thread $16 a board foot at Home Despot?

You can buy a lot of waste at Phillips before you approach HD's price. Both Phillips and Valencia have similarly milled boards. S2S - SL1E (surfaced 2 sides, straight line 1 edge)


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

Oh yeah, I've forgotten about Home Depot long ago - as I sort of mumbled in my previous post. 

Is the SL1E edge reliably straight like the factory edge on a plywood sheet, or does it need running through my jointer?


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## AZWoody (Jan 18, 2015)

When comparing HD prices to lumberyard prices you have to double check the HD prices. They usually charge linear foot and not board foot which is what you get at a lumber yard.

Also, to the OP, you mention random widths and lengths rather than dimensional sizes….

Hardwood dealers cater to the furniture makers who have the machinery to dimension and work the wood from rough sizes to the final project. The wood you see at the big box stores are made for the people who have limited workshops and machinery and more or less do weekend projects or the diy crowd.

Nothing wrong with that but the upcharge on that is ridiculous and is why serious hobbyists and professionals do not buy their lumber from the big box stores. That's why people who have bought from Home Depot and finally find a hardwood dealer see the difference in pricing like you just did.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

Right, got it on linear vs. board foot. And I've learned that the upcharge is crazy. Yes.

I'm in between a furniture maker with the machinery and a weekend project DIY crowd member, i.e. I have the jointer, table saw etc. to put boards together and am getting paid to make these things. But it's a side business.


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## leafherder (Jan 20, 2013)

While I cannot comment on the price or availability of HD lumber, I can say that Walnut is an excellent choice for furniture and cabinetry. Forests in Ohio were once filled with American Black Walnut and it was the wood of choice for early settlers. Local Courthouses featured bookshelves, cabinets, tables and chairs crafted from locally grown walnut that are still in use after almost 200 years, and the Gerstner factory still turns out tool chests, jewelry boxes, gun cabinets, and briefcases from solid walnut. It is a beautiful wood that will hold up well and be admired for generations.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

Yeah, unfortunately it's a lot more expensive at the lumber yard.

At Home Depot it's about the same price as red oak, and I was thinking about offering it to my client.

But thanks to the help here, that's not an option (i.e. I'm not going to pay twice as much as I have to). I'm already charging way too little!


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

> I don t frequent Far West as I found their sales people unfriendly and condescending to weekend woodworkers. They do however have CMT router bits at retail, so if you need one today there s that.
> 
> Phillips on the other hand had a guy walk me around the warehouse teaching me about all the grades of plywood when I was first starting out. That was pretty awesome.
> 
> - skatefriday


Yeah, I found Far West to be not very helpful - and not being a professional tradesman, I need help and advice.

Yeah sure I'm going to pay $100 to have two sheets of plywood delivered ten miles away, when I can (and did) pay the same for better plywood at Anawalt Hardware - who are really nice, and who cut it down to fit in the back of my SUV for a $5 tip.

***

Okay, House of Hardwood (who have moved back to West LA from Culver City) sells S2S 4/4 red oak for $5.29 a board foot. I know and trust them, they're an active place that will have a good selection, and that's going to be my first stop.

Almost certainly my last stop too. Phillips might save me $30 for the project, and it's tempting, but I also like an easy life. 

This has been a very informative thread, by the way. Thanks for all the responses.

One of the things I learned is that hardwood is a whole lot cheaper than I thought!


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

Updating this, I just did some calling around the Los Angeles area. I'm making a different desk out of walnut (that one ended up being oak).

Prices per board foot:

Bonhoff: $7.25 rough, $9.26 S2S

Conejo: $10.45 S3S

Phillips: $7.71 rough, $8.53 milled (takes a couple of days to mill; not sure whether that's S2S or S3S)

Valencia: $13.50 rough, $16.25 milled (they clearly aren't serious about getting my business - as evidenced by the price and by their asking whether I'm a homeowner or a tradesman)

House of Hardwood: $12 S2S, will joint it free (so I guess S3S).

House of Hardwood has only high quality wood, and I've dealt with them a lot. But for $275 more in my pocket I'm leaning heavily toward rough wood from Bonhoff. That alone will pay for most of my thickness planer!


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

By the way, Bonhoff sells rough cut red oak for $3.15/BF.

I was about to pay $6/BF for S2S for the composer's desk I'm working on before the walnut one.


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## CWWoodworking (Nov 28, 2017)

3$ for red oak might by a little high depending on where they get from.

I pay about 2$ for FAS. Dressed any way I want.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

Are you in the Los Angeles area? If so, where? Those are the prices around here that I could find.

Also, what is FAS?

Thanks.


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## LittleBlackDuck (Feb 26, 2016)

> ... and will get you anything you want.
> - pottz


Trade in for recalcitrant SWMBOs?


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## Dajur (Jun 4, 2020)

> Great, thanks.
> 
> Their hardwood boards are fine, actually. It's not like their plywood.
> 
> - nickbatz


Then you have a much better Home Depot than I do. I have to scour their entire racks to find a flat board, and even then, there may be a foot or two that is unusable due to cracks or warping.

I just went to a local hardwood dealer in my area and saw that 6/4 red oak sells for $5.50 per board foot, and 8/4 sells for $5.75 per board foot. My local Home Depot sells sells 3/4"x4" red oak for $5.00 per linear foot. Local hardwood dealer sells 6/4 and 8/4 walnut for roughly $10.00 per board foot, while HD sells 3/4"x4" for $8.00 per linear foot. Terrible prices at Home Depot. Search elsewhere for your boards, unless you have no other options, including ordering over the internet.

Edit: I should point out that like you, I initially shopped for hardwood at HD because it is about a mile from my house, but boy was that a bad idea. One 3/4"x6"x8' red oak board costs about $35. I just bought one 1.5"x11"x8' and one 1.5"x7"x9' red oak boards for $100, and they are straight as, well, as a board. Also, I just noticed that the initial question was asked over a year ago, so sorry if my info is over a year too late….


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## CWWoodworking (Nov 28, 2017)

> Are you in the Los Angeles area? If so, where? Those are the prices around here that I could find.
> 
> Also, what is FAS?
> 
> ...


Ha, no I'm in the Midwest, but LA explains expensive wood. I Just paid 1.85 actually.

FAS is top grade. But with red oak, I can specify northern Appalachian which is abuot a dollar more.

Walnut I believe is 6-7$


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

FAS is first and seconds. Highest grade lumber.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

Ah okay, thanks ibewjon.



> Great, thanks.
> 
> Their hardwood boards are fine, actually. It's not like their plywood.
> 
> ...


Yes, this is an old thread. Home Depot is not a great place to buy wood. I learned that a few posts down. 

Since then I've made several more desks out of hardwood and gained a lot of experience.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

> Ha, no I'm in the Midwest, but LA explains expensive wood. I Just paid 1.85 actually.
> - CWWoodworking


You think that's bad, you should see how much housing is here.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> Ha, no I'm in the Midwest, but LA explains expensive wood. I Just paid 1.85 actually.
> - CWWoodworking
> 
> You think that s bad, you should see how much housing is here.
> ...


what do you mean nick ive seen some sweet little fixer uppers here for less than 700k ;-)


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

> what do you mean nick ive seen some sweet little fixer uppers here for less than 700k ;-)
> 
> - pottz


The problem is that they're doghouses, not for people.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

> Since then I ve made several more desks out of hardwood and gained a lot of experience.
> 
> - nickbatz


And I'm gaining more right now - this time in a way that directly affects my pocket without lowering the quality one iota.


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## UncleTu (Jul 18, 2020)

Walnut is one of my favorite woods for a desk, both form and function.


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