On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 23:18:06 -0600, Prometheus
wrote:


There is also Butternut, which is sometimes called 'white walnut'. It
comes from North American and is light brown but has working
properties almost identical to the various black walnuts, at least
when it comes to carving.

Hmm... That hasn't been my experience with butternut. It is a
beautiful wood, but it is much, much lighter than walnut, and softer
by several degrees. Having worked with both, I wouldn't consider the
working properties the same- butternut is much more likely to tear out
or chip than walnut, in my experience. But they're both great woods,
especially when you inlay butternut into walnut- that golden tint in
the butternut is really set off by the darker walnut, and flashes in a
way the walnut does not.


Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

As I say, my experience is based on carving them, not general
woodworking. For carving they both work about the same. Roughly the
same hardness and about the same workability. I didn't notice any
difference in the tendency to chip or splinter and they seem to hold
fine detail about equally well.

--RC
Sleep? Isn't that a totally inadequate substitute for caffine?