African Blackwood Wood

African Blackwood is an exceptionally dense, fine-grained hardwood prized for its deep, dark color and superior durability. Renowned for its stability and smooth finish, it’s commonly used for high-end woodworking, musical instruments, and detailed turning projects where precision and a polished look are essential.
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Turning Blanks

African Blackwood Turning Square

African Blackwood Turning Square

$19.95
$19.95

African Blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon)

Pricing

Expensive

Hardness

3670

Janka

Distribution

Africa

Availability

Difficult to source

Appearance

When they called it Blackwood, they weren’t kidding. This timber is often completely black with next to no discernible grain. The sapwood is a pale-yellow colour and is usually very thin.

Workability

This wood is not for the faint of heart. It is difficult to work with both hand tools or machines and has an extreme blunting effect on edge tools.

Uses

It is a great wood for turning because it takes fine detail well and can even hold threads. Often used to make clarinet and oboe bodies, it is typically worked on with metal working equipment because of its hardness.

Additional Comments

African Blackwood is an extremely expensive wood that is getting more and more difficult to find. This is chiefly because it is part of the genus-wide restriction on CITES appendix II.

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Why choose African Blackwood Wood?

African Blackwood is one of the rarest and most valuable woods in the world. It is so dense it barely floats in water, and that density gives it a smooth, dark surface that looks more like polished stone than wood. It has a deep brown to almost pure black color with a fine grain that produces one of the smoothest finishes of any wood on earth, which is why it has been the wood of choice for woodwind instruments like clarinets and oboes for centuries because the density and smoothness produce a tone and resonance no other wood can replicate. It is also a top choice for knife handles, chess pieces, and luxury pens where feel and appearance are everything. African Blackwood is not easy to work with and it will wear down your tools faster than almost anything else, but the result is a finished piece that looks and feels like nothing else you have ever held.

Frequently Asked Questions About African Blackwood Wood