Name African Ebony (Diospyrus spp.)
Type Hardwood.
Other Names Includes varieties from Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Kribi, Gaboon, Madagascar, and Zaire.
Sources Grows primarily in central to southern Africa.
Appearance Very fine texture with an indistinct grain and metallic luster. Uniformly black heartwood and yellowish white sapwood.
Physical Props Very heavy, hard, strong, and stiff with high shock and decay resistance. Steam-bends reasonably well. Requires pre-drilling to nail or screw.
Working Props Works with some difficulty - tends to chip and quickly dulls cutting edges. Turns well. Finishes to a naturally dark polished surface.
Uses Used for piano keys, musical instruments, turnery, inlay, novelties, billiard cues, brush backs, and cutlery handles.

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Name East Indian Ebony (Diospyrus spp.)
Type Hardwood.
Other Names Also known as Indian ebony, camagon, golden ebony, and other names such as Macassar ebony according to origin.
Sources Grows in Sri Lanka and southern India.
Appearance Straight to irregular grain with a fine, even texture and metallic luster. Heartwood color varies from medium brown to jet black to gray depending on species. Light gray sapwood.
Physical Props Very heavy, hard, strong, and stiff with high shock and decay resistance. Steam-bends reasonably well but wood is brittle.
Working Props Works with difficulty due to hardness. - heartwood has severe blunting effect on cutting edges. Requires pre-drilling to nail or screw. Glues satisfactorily and takes an excellent finish.
Uses Used for luxury furniture, carving, and various turned items including knife and tool handles, billiard cues, and brush backs. Also used for combs, piano keys and other musical instrument parts, inlay, and decorative veneer.

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Name American Elm (Ulmus americana)
Type Hardwood.
Other Names Also known as white elm, water elm, soft elm and gray elm.
Sources Grows in eastern half of United States and southern Canada.
Appearance Straight or interlocked grain with a coarse texture. Light brown to brown heartwood, usually with a reddish tinge, and light-colored sapwood.
Physical Props Moderately heavy and hard, tough, elastic, difficult to split, and wear resistant. Steam-bends very well. Low decay resistance and moderate dimensional stability.
Working Props Works with some difficulty - tends to dull cutting edges and often produces fuzzy surfaces. Glues, screws and nails satisfactorily. Does not polish easily but otherwise finishes well.
Uses Used for boxes, baskets, cooperage stays, sporting goods, agricultural implements, furniture (bent parts especially), plywood veneers, flooring, and miscellaneous woodenware.

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