CHESTNUT
BOTANICAL NAME: Castanea spp., including Castanea dentata (American chestnut) and Castanea sativa (European Chestnut) both of the family Fagaceae, the beech family

Other chestnuts of the family Fagaceae include Castanopsis chrysophylla (syn. Chrysolepis chrysophylla) for golden chestnut (aka "giant chinkapin") and both Castanopsis acuminatissima and Castanopsis cuspidata for Philippine or Indian chestnut (aka Berangan, thite, and Chineese chestnut)

NOTE: American chestnut was attacked by a fungus blight in the early 1920's and practically all standing chestnut has been killed by blight. It grew in commercial quantities from New England to northern Georgia. Now, most supplies come from dead timber which is still available because of the tree's natural resistance to decay. Such wood is sound but tends to be filled with wormholes. There are a very limited quantity of living trees in the Appalachian Mountains. American chestnut appears most frequently now as "wormy chestnut" for paneling, trim and picture frames.

COMMON NAMES:

American chestnut is also known as chestnut, chinkapin (a west coast varitey also spelled chinquapin), English chestnut, European chestnut, Spanish chestnut, sweet chestnut

European chestnut is also known sweet chestnut, Spanish chestnut, akta kasanj, edible chestnut

How American chestnut got to be known as European chestnut, when European chestnut is a different subspecies is just another indication of how carelessly common names are used for woods, and note that both subspecies have "sweet chestnut" as a common name. This is the kind of thing that understandably makes botanists and members of the International Wood Collectors Society sneer at common wood names.

"horse" chestnut is not a chestnut at all (see buckeye)

TYPE: hardwood

COLOR: Fresh cut, the wood is blonde to brown with a yellow tint, but aging matures it to a wide variety of reddish brown colors. The sapwood is narrow and almost white.

GRAIN: closed, straight grain (sometimes spiral) with the growth rings made conspicuous by several rows of large, distinct pores at the beginning of each year's growth

TEXTURE: coarse with low luster

PROPERTIES / WORKABILITY: moderately hard and dense, moderately low in strength, moderately low in resistance to shock, and low in stiffness. It seasons well and is easy to work with tools but dents easily. Machines very well but splits easily --- pre-drilling recommended for screws and nails. Turns reasonably well. Glues and finishes satisfactorily. The veneer is very weak. For European chestnut, it is reported that natural acidity tends to cause blue-black stains when in contact with iron.

DURABILITY: very durable; excellent resistance to decay (European chestnut is reportedly somewhat less resistant to decay than American chestnut)

FINISH: does not take a high natural gloss and being coarse, it requires a wax or other finish that acts as a filler as well as a finishing agent

STABILITY: no reports found but my impression from anecdotal information is that it is fairly stable with little movement in service.

BENDING: poor steam bending rating

ODOR: no reports found

SOURCES: American chestnut grew from New England to northern Georgia (see note at top of page) and European chestnut grows in southwest Europe, North Africa, and western Asia

USES: boat building, boxes and crates, cabinetmaking, canes, chests, coffins, crossties, flooring, furniture, handles, paneling, poles and posts, shingles, veneer panels

TREE: American chestnut trees measuring over 10 feet in diameter and over 100 feet tall were common.

WEIGHT: moderately light; averaging about 30 pounds per cubic foot

DRYING: no reports found

AVAILABILITY: readily available from specialty dealers

COST: moderate to fairly expensive due to scarcity --- expect to pay $8.00 and up per board foot

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