Description:
The heartwood is black with reddish or brown streaks, which can sometimes be grey-brown, pale brown or yellowish-brown. The grain is usually straight but can be wavy or irregular, and has a fine texture, giving the wood a distinctive metallic lustre.
Typical dry weight: 68 lb/ft³ (1090 kg/m³)
Specific gravity: 1.09
Properties:
Macassar ebony is a very dense, very hard and very heavy wood. The black heart is usually brittle. Because of its hardness and brittleness, Macassar ebony is very difficult to work with both hand and machine tools. Pre-boring is always required for nailing and screwing, and the wood has a fairly severe blunting effect on cutting edges. Gluing is rated as satisfactory to difficult, but the wood turns well and can be brought to a first-class finish.
Seasoning:
The wood should be seasoned slowly, and the trees are sometimes girdled for two years prior to felling. Deep, long, fine checks can develop, and fast drying may bring about surface and end checks.
Durability:
The heartwood is vulnerable to the forest longhorn beetle, but has a high natural resistance to decay. It is highly resistant to preservative treatment.
Typical Uses:
Quality cabinetwork, decorative carving, turnery, billiard- or pool- cue butts, inlay, fingerboards and other parts of musical instruments, decorative veneers, tool handles and brush backs.
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