What is the difference between ebony and african blackwood

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Identifying Ebony vs. African Blackwood?? Thread starter toddlajoie Start date Jul 22, How would you do it? I just rough turned a blank that was sold to me as Ebony, and I could not tell the difference look, feel, smell, etc from the many pieces of African Blackwood that I have turned. For full disclosure, the smell is along the same lines, but not a strong.

I believe this is due to the fact that on the advice of someone, after drilling the blanks sat for 2 days soaking in acetone, which turned quite black and MAY be the main reason that if this is really A. Blackwood the smell is reduced a bit So anyone out there with experience with Ebony, is there some definitive way to tell it apart from A.

Or did the Acetone take the E. In my experience A Black is not as dark as ebony. Ebony I have used has been pitch black.

I can't answer your question, but why soak it in acetone for two days? I bought some ebony from a lumberyard, but discovered that the wood exuded some fragrance when sawn. So I started digging and I really think I have african blackwood rather than ebony as the seller claimed. The piece on the right seems to smell like ebony, but I do not know if smell is a reliable identification.

I rubbed some shellac onto the wood with my bare finger to see what the wood looks like, and the wood exuded a LOT of oil. I tried the same thing on known samples of gaboon ebony and macassar ebony both of them … Read more ».

It does sound like you probably have some African Blackwood on your hands. Stronger, and more dimensionally stable. I never had any issue with gluing ebony except for one time when the glue I used was mixed improperly was using hot hide glue , and the ebony probably oxidized for quite some time. As far as I understand it, African Blackwood is not endangered.

While not at risk biologically, commercially only ten to twenty percent of mature trees are suitable for exportation, and harvesting is frequently done at an unsustainable rate. These hardwoods are normally used for strength training in the wrist, forearms and shoulders and should not be used two man drills.

They have the weight and density of African Black wood and is almost indestructible and more cost effective than wood. Stickman Escrima Products were the first plastic sticks to be successfully marketed.

I have a question about the Janka test with African Blackwood. If the steel ball is pushed into the wood at the depth that all of test criteria specify, which is lbs, what does the specific gravity have to do with the actual Janka test and what does it mean? You can help support the site by buying one of these resources, designed and published by The Wood Database.

The specific links on this site are affiliate links as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases and help support the site at no extra cost to you. See my page on donating wood samples for more info. African Blackwood. African blackwood Dalbergia melanoxylon. Common Name s : African blackwood, mpingo Swahili , grenadilla Scientific Name: Dalbergia melanoxylon Distribution: Dry savanna regions of central and southern Africa Tree Size: ft m tall, ft. African Blackwood turned. African blackwood endgrain 10x.

African blackwood endgrain 1x. Madagascar rosewood Dalbergia baronii. Kingwood Dalbergia cearensis. Camatillo Dalbergia congestiflora.

Guatemalan rosewood Dalbergia cubilquitzensis. Burmese blackwood Dalbergia cultrata. Brazilian tulipwood Dalbergia decipularis. Laotian rosewood Dalbergia lanceolaria. East Indian rosewood Dalbergia latifolia. Bois de rose Dalbergia maritima. Brazilian rosewood Dalbergia nigra. Huanghuali Dalbergia odorifera. Burmese rosewood Dalbergia oliveri.

Palo escrito Dalbergia paloescrito. Cocobolo Dalbergia retusa. Sissoo Dalbergia sissoo. Amazon rosewood Dalbergia spruceana. Honduran rosewood Dalbergia stevensonii. Yucatan rosewood Dalbergia tucurensis. Bypass the hype and get to the bottom of the issue.

Ebony: Dark Outlook for Dark Woods? Gluing Oily Tropical Hardwoods Some woods need special treatment to get a strong and lasting bond. Top Ten Heaviest Woods Each of these woods readily sinks in water—with extra weight to spare!

A few simple tips will help slow this shift. Notify of. I give permission to use my email address to send notifications about new comments and replies you can unsubscribe at any time. Inline Feedbacks. The pic title says prototype. The plane was made by Konrad Sauer -- a tool maker here in southern Ontario. I've actually seen and used the plane at a local show. It is a work of art and functions flawlessly. The ergonomics are wonderful -- it fits perfectly into your hand!

You can find out more here. I believe he now has this model and one called the K6 are in production. The K5 is just over 5 in long I belive. The photos don't do the black wood infill justice. When you see it in person there is a real warmth that emanates from the wood. This makes me ask the question why instrument makers don't use black wood for fittings in the violin family!

Sorry, I've been off on an adventure with an old traveling chum. I've been making pegs and tails out of blackwood when appropriate, for many years. I like to turn it for collars because it turns and finishes better than ebony since it has the resin content of a rosewood but is much, much, denser and sometimes more exciting and slightly striped although appearing black at first.

I once asked Noel Burke why bow makers didn't use it for frogs. I sent him a piece with absolutely no pores. I think he used it on a bow for his Brother. The only drawback is that the pores aren't regular. Some ebony is seemingly pore less and some has pores filled with silica but they are usually many and small.

Blackwood pores are unpredictable and when arriving in a piece of work can be long and deep. One wonders whether it will be protected like the possible prohibition of ebony. Will the customs folks be able to tell the difference as with the confusion of ivory and mammoth?

Selmer has been the major fabricator of African blackwood for many years for clarinets. No reason that I can see not to use it for other parts such as nuts and saddles and even fingerboards. Most pieces are a bit heavier than ebony in my experience. Oh, I forgot to say that Bogaro and Clemente makes blackwood fittings and I'm pretty sure that Bois de Harmonie does also.

After working all morning using a file on turning blackwood collars it seems to me to be a good way of identifying it besides the peppery smell, as per the OP. It gums up your files like crazy, -much worse than ebony. Those are some stunning pegs! Thanks for all the information. Very helpful. I did not realize it was a rosewood. Quick unrelated story.