What is African blackwood wood?
It remains one of the world’s most coveted musical woods. African Blackwood often appears almost completely black, with its grains hardly discernible. (… thus the name. After sanding, a deep, very dark chocolate color emerges.)
What kind of wood is black in color?
Many wood types are black, including the most common ebony (hardwood) and African blackwood (harder but less dense than Ebony). Other types of wood with at least a hint of black include ironwood, black palm, bog oak, Brazilian rosewood, and various types of blackwood and ebony.
What is ebony wood?
Ebony wood (sometimes also referred to as zebrawood) is the most expensive, rarest, and most exotic type of wood in the world. It belongs to the genus Diospyros.
What is black walnut wood?
Black walnut, a tree native to the U.S., is dark brown in color and has a medium grain. This wood also resists decay, making it popular with woodworkers.
What wood is naturally black?
Many wood types are black, including the most common ebony (hardwood) and African blackwood (harder but less dense than Ebony). Other types of wood with at least a hint of black include ironwood, black palm, bog oak, Brazilian rosewood, and various types of blackwood and ebony.
What's black wood called?
Also commonly known as “Tasmanian Blackwood,” timber from the tree Acacia Melanoxylon is a hardwood that is easily worked, is remarkably stable, and radiates subtle beauty .
Is black wood real?
African Blackwood is an exotic wood native to Central and Southern Africa, and is also known as a good alternative to Ebony. It features a dark black heartwood with minimal grain texture. It is an extremely hard wood, strong and stiff, very stable, with a fine texture.
What tree does black wood come from?
The blackwood acacia, Acacia melanoxylon, is a fast-growing tree from southeastern Australia. The genus that this tree belongs to, Acacia, is well known for its fire resistance and for fixing nitrogen.
What does black wood look like?
It is definitely an 'appearance timber', with a heartwood that is a rich golden brown. This is sometimes complimented by reddish streaks or a narrow band of darker colour, indicative of the growth rings. The sapwood is much paler in appearance. Blackwood has a medium and even texture.
Where is black wood found?
African blackwood (ABW) (Dalbergia melanoxylon) mainly occurs in the coastal areas of East Africa, including in Tanzania and Mozambique, and its heartwood is commonly known to be one of the most valuable materials used in the production of musical instruments.
Is black wood expensive?
African Blackwood It is considered as the most expensive wood in the world because not only it is challenging to work with hand or machine tools, its trees are already near-threatened. But as expensive as it may seem, African Blackwood is worth the price.
What is the price of black wood?
The name of this wood is African Blackwood. It is one of the most valuable materials on earth. It cost around £8,000 per kilogram or £7,000 per log or more than seven lakh rupees. African Blackwood trees are relatively short in comparison to other trees – growing to about 25 – 40 feet high.
What is the blackest wood?
Gaboon ebonyGaboon ebony is believed to be the blackest wood that grows. Weight is about 63-64 lbs. per cu. ft.
Is black wood rare?
When it comes to the combination of tonal qualities, appearance, density and expensive price, African blackwood is in a league of its own.
Is black wood a good wood?
Blackwood's main claim to fame is its magnificent dark and durable timber. It has been prized since colonial times and is still widely used for high quality, bespoke furniture that often becomes family heirlooms. It has also been used for making boats, musical instruments, inlaid boxes and high value veneers.
How do you identify Blackwood?
Blackwood consists of heartwood and sapwood, which have very different appearances. Sapwood ranges from straw-coloured to pale grey, whereas heartwood is golden to dark, sometimes reddish brown with deep brown to black rings. It is usually straight-grained but can occasionally be wavy or interlocked.
Is ebony wood black?
Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus Diospyros, which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when polished, making it valuable as an ornamental wood.
Is African blackwood the same as ebony?
In addition, African blackwood is technically in the Rosewood genus (Dalbergia), and is more stable and resistant to movement and warping than other types of ebony.
What color is ebony wood?
Ebony's heartwood is completely black and has a very fine and even grain pattern. Sometimes, you'll see an interlocking grain pattern. The wood itself has a natural sheen to it and it is very hard.
Is African blackwood expensive?
African Blackwood It is considered as the most expensive wood in the world because not only it is challenging to work with hand or machine tools, its trees are already near-threatened. But as expensive as it may seem, African Blackwood is worth the price.
What is the color of sapwood?
Color/Appearance: Often completely black, with little or no discernible grain. Occasionally slightly lighter, with a dark brown or purplish hue. The pale yellow sapwood is usually very thin, and is clearly demarcated from the darker heartwood.
What is the origin of the word "ebony"?
Even the name “ebony” has an Egyptian derivation as “hbny”—which has been shown to refer to primarily to Dalbergia melanoxylon, rather than the species which are considered to be ebony today: such as those in the Diospyros genus.
What is the hardest wood in the world?
African blackwood is considered to be among the hardest and densest of woods in the world; indeed, among some 285 species tested, (including Lignum Vitae ), Gabriel Janka originally found African Blackwood to be the very hardest.
What is the term for diffuse in aggregates, vasicentric, winged, and banded?
Parenchyma: diffuse-in-aggregates, vasicentric, winged, and banded (sometimes marginal and/or reticulate)
Is heartwood rot resistant?
Rot Resistance: Heartwood is rated as very durable in regards to decay resistance, though only moderately resistant to insects/borers. The lighter colored sapwood is commonly attacked by powder-post beetles and other borers.
Is African blackwood endangered?
Sustainability: African blackwood is listed on CITES appendix II under the genus-wide restriction on all Dalbergia species —which also includes finished products made of the wood. It’s also reported by the IUCN as being near threatened.
What color is ebony wood?
The Wood. Ebony has a striped grain. The body is the perfect combination of reds and browns, while brown is the most dominant color in the species. The color of the stripes ranges from black to dark brown. Ebony is hard and dense.
What Is Ebony Wood Used For?
Ebony has been carved and used as lumber for many years. There are many ancient Egyptian pharaohs that have been buried with valuables that were made with black ebony. There has been a long tradition in native African culture of creating exotic carved art from the wood of the African Blackwood tree, Dalbergia melanoxylon.
How tall does Mauritius ebony grow?
As the name suggests, the Mauritus ebony is an habitant of Mauritius. It grows up to 65 feet tall. The leaves range from dark to light green. The Mauritus ebony has small, white flowers that have a strong scent.
Why is ebony tree so durable?
Because this tree has the insane ability to resist any sort of rot, it is highly durable. In addition, since it has such hardness and density, it is also considered as one of the few kinds of wood that does not float on top of the water. The ebony tree produces female and male flowers that bud during the springtime.
How long do ebony trees live?
The younger trees have crowns that are cyclical and the older ones have a crown that is made of different branches that stretch horizontally. The life expectancy of the ebony is unknown but it can easily live for half a millennia or more.
Why did the royals of Asia use ebony wood as a drinking cup?
Moreover, the royals of Asia used it as a drinking cup as well because they believed it could neutralize poisons. Back in the day, countries would use ebony wood as the main tribute for the greedy conquerors. Ebony wood, in its realist form, is heavy, dense, and pitch black.
How tall is a pale moon ebony tree?
Native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, the pale moon ebony is one of the tallest trees in the genus Diospyros. It can grow up to 115 feet tall. The ripe fruits are yellow in color. The leaves and fruits that are not ripe are usually used to extract black dye used for making clothing.
What Is Black Wood Stain?
Black wood stain is a fast drying oil, gel or water based formula that deeply penetrates wood pores highlighting the natural wood grain that can be applied with cloth, brush or foam applicator and is ideal for use on all interior wood projects like furniture, cabinets, doors, trim and paneling.
What is the best stain for black wood?
General Finishes is another brand that makes a premium interior black wood stain. This is a gel stain, which means it will not penetrate into the wood as deeply as an oil-based stain will. So, this means that the color will be richer, but you will need more coats. This also includes their topcoat, which you need to wait about a day after your last coat to put on. This stain can also be mixed with other General Finishes stains to give you even more color options! Before using you need to wait about a week, and then after 30 days, it will be fully cured.
Why do woodworkers stain black?
This way you can add a little of your own flair. It’s Especially popular because many woodworkers love to save money, and building the furniture and staining it themselves will save a lot of money. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment when you build something for yourself and stain it, and then you see it in your home looking how you imagined it!
Why do people stain wood?
Another main reason a lot of people will choose black wood stain is for wooden decks. This is because of the nice clean look that black gives to an outdoor deck. Instead of painting, true black staining allows for a simple, clean look that is not too thick while still giving a smooth look that will last.
Why do people stain their decks black?
Exterior Black Wood Stain. Another main reason a lot of people will choose black wood stain is for wooden decks. This is because of the nice clean look that black gives to an outdoor deck. Instead of painting, true black staining allows for a simple, clean look that is not too thick while still giving a smooth look that will last.
Which is better, black stain or ebony?
There are many options for hardwood flooring that is dark out there, but if you’re looking for a good-looking and affordable option, then the black wood stain is a way better option than ebony floors.
Can you remove wood stain from clothes?
The wood stain can be challenging to remove from clothes. You have to be quick as soon as the stain comes in contact with your clothes. That’s the first thing you can do while removing the wood...
Appearance
Advantages
- Workability: Very difficult to work with hand or machine tools, with an extreme blunting effect on cutters. African blackwood is most often used in turned objects, where it is considered to be among the very finest of all turning woodscapable of holding threads and other intricate details well. When made into clarinet or oboe bodies, the wood is ty...
Safety
- Allergies/Toxicity: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, African blackwood has been reported as a sensitizer. Usually most common reactions simply include eye, skin, and respiratory irritation. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.
Cultivation
- Pricing/Availability: African blackwood is very expensive, on par with true ebonies such as Gaboon Ebony in the Diospyros genus. Since the tree grows so slowly, and is generally small and gnarly, available boards tend to be narrowthough large clear sections have occasionally been harvested from older trees that yield bookmatched guitar backs (~8 wide).
Conservation
- Sustainability: African blackwood is listed on CITES appendix II under the genus-wide restriction on all Dalbergia specieswhich also includes finished products made of the wood. Its also reported by the IUCN as being near threatened. Technically it doesnt meet the Red List criteria of a vulnerable or endangered species, but is close to qualifying and/or may qualify in the near future.
Uses
- Common Uses: Musical instruments (guitars, clarinets, oboes, etc.), inlay, carving, tool handles, and other turned objects.
Nomenclature
- Comments: To be considered the original ebony, African Blackwood was imported and used in Ancient Egypt thousands of years ago. Even the name ebony has an Egyptian derivation as hbnywhich has been shown to refer to primarily to Dalbergia melanoxylon, rather than the species which are considered to be ebony today: such as those in the Diospyros genus. In addition, Afric…