Australian Blackwood
| Common Name | This wood is also called as Australian blackwood, Tasmanian blackwood, Acacia Blackwood, Blackwood, hickory, Mudgerabah, blackwood acacia, black wattle, blackwood acacia, blackwood wattle, hickory, Paluma blackwood, and Sally wattle. |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Acacia melanoxylon |
| Distribution | Native to Tasmania and eastern Australia also introduced to Africa, South America, and southern Asia. This wood has been recently nationalized in New Zealand, Brazil, and Africa. This tree prefers to grow in cold and wet uplands. In the wetter area of Tasmania, it is grown on a large scale for commercial purposes. This tree grows best in deep, moist and fertile soils. It also grows fairly well in sandy, alluvial soil and in wet nearly swampy places. |
| Tree Size | This tree can grow up to a height of about 65-100 ft (20-30 m) tall with a trunk diameter of about 2-3 ft (.6-1.0 m). |
| Dried Weight ( average ) | 40 lbs/ft3 (640 kg/m3). |
| Specific Gravity | .54, .64 |
| Janka Hardness | 1,160 lbf (5,180 N) |
This tree belonging to the acacia species is native to Southeastern Australia. The Australian Blackwood tends to favor the cool and wet uplands. although remarked as “Blackwood,” the name is somewhat of a reputation, as its wood isn't in any respect black. Rather, its lustrous golden brown grain has been used as a sustainable alternative to Koa. It is named blackwood as this wood stains the hands of the woodworkers black while operating with this wood.
The wood has several uses together with wood panels, furniture, fine cabinet work, tools, boats, decorated boxes, and picket kegs. This wood isn't solely well-known for its nice lumber qualities however conjointly for its medicinal and it's fishing properties that the indigenous Australians were conscious of.
Rated as moderately durable with reference to decay resistance. though this tree is poorly resistant to the attack of insects and pests. The timber could also be attacked by furniture beetles, termites, and powder-post beetles (sapwood). It is resistant to effective preservative treatments.
Though severe reactions are quite uncommon while operating with the Australian Blackwood, this wood in some cases has been reported as a sensitizer. generally, most common reactions simply include eye, skin, and metastasis irritation, likewise as asthma-like symptoms. This is precisely why the woodworkers ought to be given proper types of equipment to work with to ensure their safety.
The species has been introduced to a variety of regions worldwide for forestry plantings and as an ornamental tree. It now could be present in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, South America, and therefore the United states. either as an ornamental tree or on a plantation for lumber. In many areas, this hardy tree species has become troublesome as an invasive species. In urban areas this tree tends to destroy the pavements, paths, the roots go deeper and have an effect on the plumbing systems in some areas. In rural or forests it grows as an invasive plant competitor for daylight and nutrients with different trees and plants. it is a declared noxious weed species in South Africa and could be a pest in Portugal's Azores Islands. it had been also recently listed by the California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) as AN invasive weed which will cause restricted impact (Knapp 2003). In some regions of Tasmania, blackwood is currently considered a pest.
The Hawaiian koa (Acacia koa) is anatomically indistinguishable from Australian blackwood. once the Hawaiian koa became less accessible the Australian Blackwood is being used as it substitutes.
Color and Appearance: Color is extremely variable however, it tends to be medium golden or brown, almost like Koa or Mahogany. The sapwood is clearly differentiated from the heartwood. There are sometimes contrastive bands of color in the growth rings, and it is not uncommon to see boards with ribbon-like streaks of color. Boards patterned with wavy and/or curling grain also are not uncommon. On a fascinating note, the heartwood fluoresces beneath blacklight.
Grain and texture: The grain is typically straight to slightly interlocked, and typically wavy. Uniform fine to medium texture. It is relatively easy to work in areas that have fine texture but care must be taken when working in interlocked areas as it can cause tear-out. The quarter sawn surface may produce an attractive fiddle-back figure. Diffuse-porous; massive pores in no specific arrangement; few to terribly few; solitary and radial multiples of 2-3; slim rays, spacing traditional, is ruby color; parenchyma vasicentric.
Workability: Australian Blackwood is easily worked with each hand and machine tools, although patterned wood and items with the interlocked grain will cause tear-out. Australian Blackwood turns, glues, stains, and finishes well. Responds well to steam bending. It is moderately blunting to work with tools and bends well. It may be nailed or screwed with ease, but gluing may produce variable results. The wood is easily stained and produces a high-quality finish.
Odor: There is no characteristic odor even while working this wood.
Availability: Although Australian Blackwood is taken into account an invasive species and a pest in some areas, the lumber continues to be fairly overpriced, and patterned wood is even costlier. It has been used as a lower-cost alternative to Hawaiian Koa. This wood species has not been listed within the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of vulnerable species.
Common Uses: The Australian Blackwood is used to make veneer, furniture, cabinetry, musical instruments, gunstocks, turned objects, and alternative specialty wood objects. Indigenous Australians derive an analgesic from the tree. It was also used to make spear throwers and shields.
Acacia melanoxylon is cultivated in forestry plantings in eastern Africa (including Kenya and Ethiopia), South Africa, and Zimbabwe. It is used for lumber, fuelwood, and also in amenity plantings. The wood is used for light construction, tool handles, turnery, and fence posts. It is used as a nurse tree in the rehabilitation of disturbed natural forests.
It is approximately the same quality as walnut and is well-suited for shaping with steam. The bark has a tannin content of about 20%. It may also be used for producing decorative veneers.
The tree's twigs and bark are used to poison fish as a way of fishing. This tree can also be used as a fire barrier plant, amongst other plants, in rural situations
Plain and figured Australian blackwood is used in musical instrument making (in particular guitars, drums, Hawaiian ukuleles, violin bows, and organ pipes), and in recent years has become increasingly valued as a substitute for koa wood. The Hawaiian koa (Acacia koa) is anatomically indistinguishable from Australian blackwood. once the Hawaiian koa became less accessible the Australian Blackwood is being used as it substitutes.
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Frequently asked Questions
This tree belonging to the acacia species is native to Southeastern Australia. The Australian Blackwood tends to favor the cool and wet uplands. although remarked as “Blackwood,” the name is somewhat of a reputation, as its wood isn't in any respect black. Rather, its lustrous golden brown grain has been used as a sustainable alternative to Koa. It is named blackwood as this wood stains the hands of the woodworkers black while operating with this wood.
The wood has several uses together with wood panels, furniture, fine cabinet work, tools, boats, decorated boxes, and picket kegs. This wood isn't solely well-known for its nice lumber qualities however conjointly for its medicinal and it's fishing properties that the indigenous Australians were conscious of.
Visit https://exoticwoodzone.com/ to buy Australian Blackwood and get any information on other types of wood.
Visit https://exoticwoodzone.com/ to buy Tasmanian Blackwood and get any information on other types of wood.
References
- https://www.wood-database.com/australian-blackwood/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_melanoxylon
- https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/eafrinet/weeds/key/weeds/Media/Html/Acacia_melanoxylon_(Australian_Blackwood).htm
- https://www.britannica.com/plant/Australian-blackwood
- https://www.woodsolutions.com.au/wood-species/blackwood
