Replies

1. 
   gulfstar | May 08, 2022 02:54pm | #1

   Hard to tell from the pictures but if it’s perfectly black with no discernable growth rings it is ebony. If you can see a texture in the grain, it could be Grenadille, also called Mozambique Ebony , it is not ebony but from the Rosewood family.

1. 
   russ_rva | May 08, 2022 04:27pm | #2

   Thanks. There are no growth rings evident in the end grain and it is perfectly black.

2. 
   john_c2 | May 08, 2022 05:18pm | #3

   Looks like ebony, but it's hard to tell from a picture. Ebony is dense as heck, but pretty brittle.

3. 
   rob_ss | May 09, 2022 03:43am | #4

   Could be a VERY dark piece of Wenge. I've never worked with Ebony so can't say - @mikaol sometimes hangs on the forum and he does ...a lot - I'd wait for his opinion

4. 
   lat_axe | May 09, 2022 07:08am | #5

   Another possibility for dense and uniformly black wood is African Blackwood - the stuff often used by musical instrument makers, especially in the manufacture of clarinets.

   If so, it can be worked relatively easily and is more forgiving than many ebonies - although it is brittle to a degree, so should be worked with sharp edges and generally without the sort of heavy tool impacts involved with operations such as mortising with a chisel. Even a table saw blade can induce some fractures if the feed rate is too high or the teeth have gone a little blunt.

   Lataxe

1. 
   gulfstar | May 09, 2022 08:22am | #6

   African Blackwood is Mozambique Ebony, I have resawn dozens of short logs to salvage pieces for a guitar luthier. It took 3 bandsaw blades that each ended-up breaking once dull and overheating. The dust is fine and feels like breathing black pepper. Workability with carbide tipped tools was good and it polishes like stone. I used scraps to make cutting knives for kids in the kitchen, it will hold an edge better than common hardwoods .

5. 
   Lablovezel | Aug 18, 2022 10:21am | #7

   Hi guys,

   I need a help to identify this piece. I am not really good at this but definitely hardwood. Thanks ;)

   
1. 
   user-65513 | Aug 18, 2022 03:36pm | #8

   Just a guess but I would say red elm.

2. 
   Lablovezel | Aug 19, 2022 11:38am | #10

   Based on the advert it is Acacia or Ash...

6. 
   _mj_ | Aug 18, 2022 04:51pm | #9

   Honey Locust?