African Blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon), also known as grenadilla or mpingo, and ebony are both highly valued woods, particularly in the creation of musical instruments and fine woodworking. This article delves into the distinct properties of African Blackwood and ebony, exploring their characteristics, uses, and conservation status.
Dalbergia melanoxylon, also known as African Blackwood.
What is African Blackwood?
Dalbergia melanoxylon (African Blackwood) is a flowering plant in the subfamily Faboideae of the family Fabaceae, native to seasonally dry regions of Africa from Senegal east to Eritrea, to southern regions of Tanzania to Mozambique and south to the north-eastern parts of South Africa. African blackwood is a small tree, reaching 4-15 m tall, with grey bark and spiny shoots. The leaves are deciduous in the dry season, alternate, 6-22 cm long, pinnately compound, with 6-9 alternately arranged leaflets. The flowers are white and produced in dense clusters. The fruit is a pod 3-7 cm long, containing one to two seeds.
The tree is an important timber species in its native areas; it is used in the manufacture of musical instruments, sculptures (vinyago in Swahili language) and fine furniture. The dense, lustrous wood ranges in colour from reddish to pure black. It is generally cut into small billets or logs with its sharply demarcated bright yellow-white sapwood left on to assist in the slow drying so as to prevent cracks developing.
Appearance and Color
Often completely black, with little or no discernible grain. Occasionally slightly lighter, with a dark brown or purplish hue. Portions of the lighter sapwood have been included to help illustrate anatomical features more clearly.
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Workability
Very difficult to work with hand or machine tools, with an extreme blunting effect on cutters. African blackwood is most often used in turned objects, where it is considered to be among the very finest of all turning woods-capable of holding threads and other intricate details well.
In woodturning, African Blackwood can maintain a fine edge without splintering due to its hardness and density, though it dulls tools considerably faster than other woods.
Durability
Heartwood is rated as very durable in regards to decay resistance, though only moderately resistant to insects/borers.
Allergies and Toxicity
Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, African blackwood has been reported as a sensitizer. Usually most common reactions simply include eye, skin, and respiratory irritation.
Pricing and Availability
African blackwood is very expensive, on par with true ebonies such as Gaboon Ebony in the Diospyros genus.
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Sustainability
African blackwood is listed on CITES appendix II under the genus-wide restriction on all Dalbergia species-which also includes finished products made of the wood.
Historical Significance
To be considered the original ebony, African Blackwood was imported and used in Ancient Egypt thousands of years ago. Even the name “ebony” has an Egyptian derivation as “hbny”-which has been shown to refer to primarily to Dalbergia melanoxylon, rather than the species which are considered to be ebony today: such as those in the Diospyros genus.
Density and Hardness
African blackwood is considered to be among the hardest and densest of woods in the world; indeed, among some 285 species tested, (including Lignum Vitae), Gabriel Janka originally found African Blackwood to be the very hardest.
The Importance of Blackwood and Its Role in Musical Instruments
Uses of African Blackwood
Good quality "A" grade African blackwood commands high prices on the commercial timber market. The timber is used mainly because of its machinability, density, dimensional stability, and moisture repellence. Those properties are particularly valued when used in woodwind instruments, principally clarinets, oboes, transverse flutes, piccolos, recorders, Highland pipes, and Northumbrian pipes.
The Deering Banjo Company uses blackwood ("grenadilla") to construct the tone ring in its John Hartford-model banjo because it weighs less than brass or bronze tone rings, and that the wood "plays in" (improves in tone) with use. Furniture makers from ancient Egypt on have valued this timber.
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A story states that it has even been used as ballast in trading ships and that some enterprising Northumbrian pipe makers used old discarded blackwood ballast to great effect.
African Blackwood in Bagpipes
To be sure, many different woods were used in the manufacture of bagpipes. African Blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon) gained popularity in the early 1900s although it was used from time to time prior to the turn of the century. It gained favor with pipers for the strong resonant sounds that it produced. Likewise, it gained favor with makers as it was less prone to splitting when exported to markets outside of the United Kingdom.
Blackwood is denser than most woods (about 75 pounds per cubic foot) and oily to the touch. It contains a thick resin or tar deep within its fibers. This tar perhaps contributes to its resonant qualities as well as to its relative durability. If one exposes even the driest piece of Blackwood to stove-top heat, he will witness this tar oozing from the wood.
Its musical and aesthetic qualities, however, have made blackwood the preferred wood for bagpipes. Blackwood experienced a perilous journey to Scotland, and even in the early days, supply was not good. This required pipe makers to stockpile wood for years, awaiting the next shipment. Waste is even higher than ebony.
Bagpipes made of African Blackwood.
Ebony
Ebony was perhaps the first foreign wood of choice. Ebony from Ceylon was preferred. It was, however, susceptible to cracking in certain climates around the world. Ebony from the forests of West Africa became the primary supply for bagpipe makers. This West African Ebony was divided into three classes, Gaboon, Duala, and Cameroon. Gaboon was considered the best due to color and texture. Cameroon is river-bank growth and its properties did not lend itself well to bagpipe making.
The Journey of Ebony
When Gaboon Ebony was first used in the bagpipe trade, it grew abundantly in the coastal lowlands. As time went on, these forests became depleted and users of this wood harvested Ebony that grew within the mahogany forests six hundred miles inland.
Due to the density of Ebony, waterways were useless for transporting the harvest to the coast. Instead, logs were split and cut into short billets, perhaps four or five feet in length and weighing about eighty pounds. These billets were carried on the heads of the transporters, one billet at a time. They were transported, in this manner, only to the border of their own territory. There they would be stockpiled until others could be found to transport the billets across their district. In this manner, billets would find their way to the coast in one or two years. Again, the Ebony was stockpiled until suitable transport could be arranged. Ebony was not a preferred cargo and often long delays occurred before the billets finally left Africa.
By the time the cargo arrived in Scotland, it had been picked over by other users at various other points along the journey. At this point, bagpipe makers had to move quickly. Quantities were bought up and stockpiled. In some cases, the time elapsed between the felling of the tree and the turning of the wood would exceed five years. Waste due to warps, splits, and worm infestation was approximately thirty to forty percent.
Conservation Efforts
Due to overuse, the mpingo tree is severely threatened in Kenya and is needing attention in Tanzania and Mozambique. The Mpingo Conservation & Development Initiative (MCDI, formerly the Mpingo Conservation Project) is involved in research, awareness raising and practical conservation of African blackwood.
Conservation of mpingo and its natural habitat can be achieved by ensuring that local people living in mpingo harvesting areas receive a fair share of the revenue created, thus providing them with an incentive to manage the habitat in an environmentally friendly manner. The African blackwood Conservation Project works around Mount Kilimanjaro replanting African blackwood trees, and in conservation education. Small growers in Naples, Florida have been successful in growing African blackwood there.
Other Woods Used in Bagpipes
Other woods have been used with varying degrees of success. Bagpipes made of Cocobolo are currently offered by a few makers. Cocobolo grows in the forests of Central and South America and has many of the best characteristics and properties of the woods mentioned above. Unfortunately, the dust from Cocobolo contains irritants that can cause serious allergic reactions. This is a problem for those working with the wood and special precautions may be necessary to protect some workers.
Comparison Table
| Property | African Blackwood | Ebony |
|---|---|---|
| Color | Often completely black, sometimes dark brown or purplish | Typically black, variations exist |
| Workability | Very difficult, extreme blunting effect on cutters | Difficult to work |
| Decay Resistance | Very durable | Durable |
| Common Use | Woodwind instruments, turned objects | Musical instruments, fine furniture |
| Price | Very expensive | Expensive |
| Conservation Status | CITES Appendix II listed | Varies by species, some are threatened |
