Has anyone used Arizona Walnut?

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One of my knife maker customers told me about a guy who has some old Arizona Walnut.
At first I thought maybe it was just a black walnut tree grown in Arizona. But I did a little checking and found out that it is actually a different species of Walnut Junglans Major that grows in the SW US down into Mexico.

I have not seen the wood in person yet but my customer sent me a scan of a couple small pieces he got from the guy with the wood.
azw_zps3f8084d6.jpg

To me the texture looks a lot like Mesquite. I am guessing that it is a fairly dense wood from the areas where it grows.

Have any of you used Arizona Walnut?
I like the look but sometimes I like stuff that nobody else likes. So any unput is appreciated.
I will be going out early in the week to see the wood in person.
Figured I had better see what you all think before I spend several hundred dollars on more wood.
 
Mark - I have a small hand turned bowl of Arizona Walnut. I purchased it in Scotsdale years ago.
My bowl is not burl, but it has a similar color to your scanned photo. In hand it is heavy, dense and has a beautiful color. slightly lighter than American Walnut. Beautiful wood.

-Peter
 
It's more closely related to claro walnut than American walnut. Iirc it may be a grafted tree??? The color is most vibrant at the graft site. I did some searching a while back and seem to remember the color being highly sought after.
 
I like it. Depending on price I'd buy a piece.
 
I too keep looking at the pics of it you've posted. I'd be interested too.
 
We used to do a lot of hiking in the Big Bend area of Southwest TX. These trees grew in the mountain canyons and appeared to be slow-growing and relatively compact - befitting the desert environment. Never seen the wood available commercially, though.

I'd love to work with some, Mark! Count me in for a block or two.

TedP
 
I called today to set a time to go see the wood.
Left a message. Later his wife called back and told me he hurt his back and was in bed on pain meds.
She told me to check back next week when he is back on his feet.

Guess I will have to be patient.
I was all ready to go get the wood and start cutting today.
 
I was able to connect with the guy who has the AZ Walnut today.
Turns out he is an old guy in his late 80s or early 90s. (I didn't ask)
He makes beautiful furniture. Old style with lots of hand carved accents.
I always like to get the story behind the wood when it is old stuff.
His father was a fine woodworker who had the stumps that these slabs were cut from.
He had collected them years before he passed away. When he died the wood and tools went to the fellow I got these slabs from.
They were living in Arizona at the time. A number of years went by before they moved up here in the late 70s.
He said the wood has been stored indoors in his heated workshop the whole time.

When I lifted the slabs they felt about twice as heavy as I expected. Cutting was harder than any walnut I have ever cut.
When sanded the color is similar to amber colored Koa. I have never seen Walnut this color before.
I am cutting and sanding some blocks now. Looks like it will be some pretty wood.
The lines you see going across the slabs is curly figure. There are also some small areas with some burl.
This photo shows the wood with a rough surface and a layer of dust.
azw001_zps088ecffc.jpg
 
This is not orchard or grafted walnut but a wild grown tree.
I think it is best to get it stabilized because of the coarse grain structure.
Too nice of wood to cut any corners in my opinion.
I will be sending a big batch to K&G for stabilizing tomorrow.
 
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