Walnut

Jaglans nigra

(Left-Oil based / Right-Water based finish)
Appearance: Color: Heartwood ranges from a deep, rich dark brown to a purplish black. Sapwood is nearly white to tan. Difference between heartwood and sapwood is great; some manufacturers steam the wood to bleed the darker heartwood color into the sapwood.
Grain: Mostly straight and open, but some boards have burled or curly grain.
Availability: Moderately
Properties:
Hardness: 1010 Janka Table, 22% softer than Northern red oak
Durability: Moderately dense, very strong
Workability:
Sawing: excellent
Nailing: Fair
Sanding: satisfactorily
Finishing: Nicely