Name African Blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon)
Type Hardwood.
Other Names Also known as Mozambique ebony, Senegal ebony, mpingo, grenadillo, banbanus, ebene, mufunjo, and Congowood.
Sources Grows in East Africa. Dark purplish brown heartwood with black streaks and narrow, white sapwood.
Appearance Mostly straight grained with fine texture, dull luster, and slightly oily nature. Dark purplish brown heartwood with black streaks and narrow, white sapwood.
Physical Props Extremely heavy and hard and rates high in strength, stiffness, shock resistance, and decay resistance (heartwood). Very stable in use.
Working Props Has severe blunting effect on cutting edges but otherwise cuts smoothly and cleanly and can be easily tapped for screw threads. Pre-drilling required for screwing or nailing. Glues well and polishes to a very smooth, lustrous finish.
Uses Often used for woodwind instruments such as flutes, piccolos, oboes, clarinets, recorders, bag pipes, and so on. Also used for brush backs, knife handles, chess pieces, bearings, pulley blocks, walking sticks, inlay, and carving.
Comments Considered one of the best woods in the world for turnery.

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Name Australian Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon)
Type Hardwood.
Other Names Also known as black wattle.
Sources Grows in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania.
Appearance Usually straight grained, sometimes with a fiddleback figure, even textured with lustrous appearance. Straw colored sapwood, reddish brown to black heartwood with attractive bands.
Physical Props Heavy and strong with moderate stiffness, shock resistance, and decay resistance. Fairly stable in service. Steam-bends well.
Working Props Works easily with hand and power tools. Reduced cutting angle recommended during planing to prevent chip-out. Turns well. Takes nails and screws well and polishes to an excellent finish.
Uses Used for high-quality furniture, cabinets, paneling, veneering, interior joinery, tool handles, gun stocks, turnery, canes, and billiard tables.

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Name Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)
Type Hardwood.
Other Names Also known as Abassian, Circassian, European, Persian, or Turkey boxwood depending on country of origin.
Sources Found in Europe, western Asia, and N. America.
Appearance Straight to very irregular grain, very fine, uniform texture and a uniform light yellow color.
Physical Props Very hard and heavy with moderate stiffness, shock resistance, and bending strength. Quite stable in service and not especially decay resistant.
Working Props Sometimes difficult to work due to hardness of wood (may cause burning) and irregular grain which tends to tear in planing. Pre-drilling required for nailing and screwing. Glues easily and polishes to an excellent finish (clear finish often used to preserve its unique color).
Uses Considered one of the best species for wood engraving. An excellent turnery wood making it ideal for shuttles, textile rollers, pulley blocks, mallet heads, and especially tool handles. Also used for carving, rulers, engraving blocks, musical instruments, and inlays.

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