Honeycomb walnut

[bob vaughan]

This drying defect is rare in walnut, common in oak and other heavily ring porous hardwoods. Its the first time I've ever run across it. It was on the end of a board. I cut off another six inches and no more collapse. Go figure. On oaks, this defect is usually throughout the board.
Thought I'd show it for whatever interest there may be.

 

[robliles]

I have also seen that in walnut. Didn't know it had a name.

 

[Roy G]

Does that get bigger as the board dries some more? Could you use that piece of wood and know the defect wouldn't show up on the surface?

Roy G

 

[Oka]

In the Northwest timber industry they call the kind of defect "cross ring check or cross-check".
Scribner's book on timber scaling has some good diagrams depicting this and other types of timber defects.

 

[bob vaughan]

Does that get bigger as the board dries some more? Could you use that piece of wood and know the defect wouldn't show up on the surface?

Roy G

Once the board is thoroughly dry, there will be no more honeycombing. Honeycombing occurs when there's a lot of moisture in the center and the outsides are being dried too fast. Note how the splits are perpendicular to the annular rings.
Had this defect been in the center of this walnut board being used, there would be no visual evidence as you suspect.
In diffuse porous woods like maple and poplar, I've not seen this defect. Walnut, being semi-ring porous, is still rarely afflicted from my experience. Ring porous woods like the oaks can be a real nightmare to the point of being useless.

Casey makes a good point about Scribner's book on identifying timber defects. There are also good Google references on honeycombing in wood.
Its good to be aware of potential fatal defects when looking at lumber. "Grandaddy's Barn" wood can be fraught with defects because it is generally ungraded log run and storage can be iffy. Commericial sources of lumber from some place like Steve Wall will have already been graded

 

[Oka]

Here is a copy of a Wood scaling/info book from I think from an Oregon Universtiy