Black walnut as firewood?

[Funkhouser]

I have a black walnut tree in my backyard that I am cutting down, and I wanted to know...would I be better off using it as firewood or having it milled? Not really familiar with its density, use in making good sturdy furniture, etc. All I know is that hardly anything grows around the trunk...something about the way its puts toxic stuff into the soil (??)

I may be wrong about this...anyone?

[conundrum]

Be a shame to burn that if you can get any usable lumber out of it. Seems that the oil in the walnut is pretty strong stuff and likely is the reason for not much growing close to it. They sort of make my eyes water when cutting the wood.
If you were near Piqua, Ohio and the tree was of any size, Hartzell Propeller would possibly be interested in it. When I was a kid they had a fellow that went around offering to buy standing walnut trees for that purpose. The factory had a wonderful aroma when you drove nearby!

[Funkhouser]

Thanks for the tip! I am going to cut it down but see about milling it into useable lengths for an addition to the workshed out back. You're right... would be a shame to burn it up.

[CarolAnn]

Funkhouser,

I was waiting to see if someone with first hand knowledge of the veneer industry piped up, but since they didn't, I did a search. Years ago I read that some hardwood trees (like black walnut) are worth thousands if you can get them to a veneer place. (Depending on how big the trunk is, and how unspoiled the wood is.)

Here's a place that tells about gun stocks from black walnut:
http://forums.gunbroker.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=68913
and
http://www.americanwalnut.com/awgunstocks.html

Then there are carvers and musical instrument makers! My hammered dulcimer stand and parts of the sound box are made from black walnut and they're gorgeous!

http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Value_added_defined.html
has some good ideas, but isn't too specific.

Here might be the best link of all: ( I HOPE!)
http://www.woodweb.com/Resources/RSSDG.html

If you do end up using part of it for firewood, I can tell you that once cured, it will burn efficiently and hot with a lot less creosote than softer woods.

Seems a shame to burn anything but the smallest parts, though!