African Blackwood Information - Interesting Facts About African Blackwood

African Blackwood Information

AFRICAN BLACKWOOD FACTS African Blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon) is probably best known for its excellent tonal qualities, as well as its impressive strength and durability. The wood is particularly well suited for making woodwind musical instruments because of its ability to withstand changes in temperature and humidity. When a musician blows into a woodwind instrument, stresses are created that could potentially result in damage to the wood — especially at weaker spots, such as the keyholes. African Blackwood is resistant to these stresses, however, thanks to a combination of hardness, denseness, close grain, and natural oiliness. Because of these qualities, African Blackwood is highly regarded by the makers of a variety of woodwind instruments, including clarinets, oboes, wooden flutes, bagpipes, and fifes, among others. The wood is also valued by woodturners, wood carvers, and fine furniture makers (in fact, the Ancient Egyptians are said to have used African Blackwood in their furniture building).	African Blackwood Recorder Made by Craig C. of Canada
With an average specific gravity of about 1.2 (meaning that it actually sinks in water), African Blackwood is so hard and dense that it's been known to blunt the axes of hapless wood choppers who attempt to cut the trees down. Not surprisingly, this extreme hardness makes African Blackwood fairly difficult to saw or plane. Also, if nails or screws are going to be applied, the wood should probably be drilled first. A fair amount of oily dust can be generated when cutting or sanding African Blackwood, so good ventilation is a must for these procedures. Despite its name, African Blackwood isn't always black in color. The heartwood ranges from various shades of brown to black. The sapwood is cream colored and contrasts sharply with the heartwood. African Blackwood dries quite slowly and has a tendency to split while drying (especially when it's in log form). For this reason, moisture-retardant wax is usually applied to the ends of the logs as a preventative measure. African Blackwood trees are relatively small — normally growing to a height of only about 13 to 26 feet — and are indigenous to the dry regions of sub-Saharan Africa. The trees often feature multiple trunks and can take more than 60 years to mature. In certain parts of East Africa, African Blackwood is known by the Swahili name Mpingo.	An African Blackwood Tree
African Blackwood Logs