WOW #7 Gabon Ebony

R

RSB-Refugee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This is the one, everyone thinks of when they hear "ebony". Jet-black in appearance, it provides great contrast for inlays.

Diospyros is its scientific name. It is in the Ebenaceae family.

Ebony is native to the African continent. It grows on the west side near the equator, along riverbanks. It is a medium sized tree, at 50-60' tall and around 2' in diameter.

Ebony is another wood that may cause dermatitis. One can be sensitized to these allergens. So limiting contact is a good idea, even if you do not seem to be affected by them.

Ebony is a very hard wood, with a Janka hardness of 3220. Just a reminder, Janka Hardness is measured in pounds of force required to drive a .444" steel ball .222" into the wood. Looking at this number can tell you a woods dent resistance. Shaft wood measures 1450, for reference.

Ebony is hard on tooling and is also hard to dry. It is resistant to taking glues and finishes also.

Ebony, like last week's Cocobolo, is a very popular wood for use in pool cues. Ebony and maple are a classic combination. I am sure there are some really awesome pictures, which you all could share with us this week.

Tracy
 
What can be said? It is black, it is smooth, it finishes very easily, it hits hard and it is heavy. The really black stuff will show any flaw in the finish. There is a misconception about Gabon ebony being the blackest. It is not. The Madagascar black ebony is jet black and a little nicer than Gabon. But Madagascar is most popular for their more abundant striped ebony. I used to import the jet black ebony from there until a Typhoon and fires wiped out the best mills there. Hopefully that will open back up soon. Until then the ebony will have a little more gray tint to it, as most cuemakers have noticed the last couple of years.
Chris
www.cuesmith.com
www.internationalcuemakers.com
 
All there was to say about black ebony is said.

But one thing is very important to know... Gaboon Ebony is very sensitive to fungus and woodworm, so please keep the wood in a dry place, without touching the ground or other wood.

TIP: When you want to purchase black ebony, look at the color first, then at the weight (the heavier, the better), and when you're left with around 40 squares out of a 1000 (that's about the right ratio when buying quality ebony), ask the mill or dealer to plane the wood on all four surfaces.
Then choose again wich pieces still remain beautiful.
This minimizes the risk of buying black ebony wich will turn out not to be that black, once turned...

TIP #2: Save the fine sawdust and turning dust of the ebony so you can mix it with epoxy to hide glue lines between Double Black Linen and wood. You can also mix it with acethon to rub it on clear woods. That will make the light wood turn darker...

Tom Penrose
 
Penrose Cues said:
TIP #2: Save the fine sawdust and turning dust of the ebony so you can mix it with epoxy to hide glue lines between Double Black Linen and wood.
Click to expand...

Just a quick comment on this tip ... golf club builders use black epoxy for the same reason, to make the glueline disappear. You can buy black epoxy off the shelf from club maker suppliers (Golfworks, Golfsmith in the US for example).

My cue is mostly ebony (with a fine Canadian maple shaft of course).

Dave
 
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