NELSONWOOD PORTFOLIO
  • NELSONWOOD PORTFOLIO
  • Crochet Hooks
    • NELSONWOOD HOOK REVIEWS
  • Bowls and Platters
    • Bowls and Platters A-B >
      • AFRICAN BLACKWOOD
      • AFZELIA BURL
      • ASH
      • AMBOYNA BURL
      • AMBROSIA MAPLE
      • ANDIRA
      • APPLE
      • APRICOT
      • ARIPIN
      • BIMBLE BOX BURL
      • BIRD'S EYE MAPLE
      • BLACK and WHITE EBONY
      • BLACK FOREST CHERRY
      • BLACK LIMBA
      • BLOODWOOD
      • BLUE MAHOE
      • BOCOTE
      • BOLIVIAN ROSEWOOD
      • BORNEO ROSEWOOD
      • BOX ELDER
      • BRADFORD PEAR
      • BRIAR BURL
      • BROWN EBONY
      • BROWNHEART
      • BROWN MALLEE BURL
      • BUBINGA
      • BUCKEYE BURL
      • BURMESE BLACKWOOD
      • BURMESE PADAUK
      • BUTTERNUT
    • Bowls and Platters C-G >
      • CAMATILLO
      • CAMPHOR BURL
      • CANARYWOOD
      • CARANDA
      • CEBIL
      • CEDAR
      • CEDAR ELM
      • CEYLON OAK BURL
      • CHAKTE VIGA
      • CHECHEM
      • CHERRY
      • CHERRY BURL
      • CHINABERRY
      • COCOBOLO
      • COCOBOLO BURL
      • COCOBOLO BIG
      • COCUSWOOD
      • COFFEE BURL
      • COOLIBAH BURL
      • COTTONWOOD
      • CRATE MYRTLE
      • DALMATA
      • EAST INDIAN ROSEWOOD
      • EBONY
      • ELM
      • GMELIA BURL
      • GRANDILLO
      • GRAPE ROOT BURL
      • GREENHEART
      • GUAYACAN
    • Bowls and Platters H-L >
      • HACKBERRY
      • HOLLY
      • HONDURAN MAHOGANY
      • HONDURAN ROSEWOOD
      • HONDURAN ROSEWOOD BURL
      • HONEY LOCUS
      • HORISTES BURL
      • HORMIGO
      • HORNBEAM BURL
      • HUBUBALI
      • IMBUIA
      • IVORYWOOD
      • JARRAH BURL
      • JATOBA
      • JOBILLO
      • KAKAWATE
      • KAMANI BURL
      • KATALOX
      • KINGWOOD
      • KNOBTHORN
      • KOA
      • KOU
      • LACEWOOD
      • LACEY SHEOAK
      • LEOPARDWOOD
      • LILAC
      • LIMESTONE CEDAR
      • LOGAN BERRY
      • LOURO PRETO
    • Bowls and Platters M >
      • MACAWOOD
      • MACASSAR EBONY
      • MACHICHE
      • MADRONE BURL
      • MANZANITA BURL
      • MAPLE BIG LEAF BURL
      • MAPLE CURLY
      • MAPLE SPALTED
      • MAPLE QUILTED
      • MAPLE TEXAS GROWN
      • MORADO
      • MARBLEWOOD
      • MASUR BIRCH
      • MESQUITE
      • MILO
      • MONTERILLO
      • MORA
      • MOVINGUI
      • MUN EBONY
      • MULBERRY
      • MUSKWOOD
      • MYRTLEWOOD
      • MYRTLEWOOD BURL
    • Bowls and Platters N-P >
      • NARGUSTA BURL
      • NARRA
      • NECTARINE
      • NORFOLK PINE
      • OAK
      • OAK CURLY
      • OBSIDIAN BURL
      • OLIVEWOOD
      • OSAGE ORANGE
      • PADAUK
      • PAELA BURL
      • PANGA PANGA
      • PASTACHIO
      • PECAN
      • PECAN SPALTED
      • PERNAMBUCO
      • PHEASANTWOOD
      • PINK IVORY
      • PLUM
      • POST OAK
      • PRADAUK
      • PURPLEHEART
    • Bowls and Platters Q-S >
      • QUEENWOOD
      • RED BUD
      • RED BUD BURL
      • RED GUM
      • RED MALLEE BURL
      • RED PALM
      • REDHEART
      • REDWOOD
      • REDWOOD BURL
      • RIB FRUITED MALLEE BURL (CORRUGATA)
      • RUSSIAN OLIVE
      • SABAH EBONY
      • SAPELE
      • SAPELE POMMELE
      • SASSAFRAS
      • SATINE BLOODWOOD
      • SATINWOOD
      • SCYAMORE
      • SHEDUA
      • SINDORA BURL
      • SNAKEWOOD
      • SPALTED TAMARIND
      • STAGHORN SUMAC
    • Bowls and Platters T-Z >
      • TAMBOOTIE
      • TASMANIAN FIDDLEBACK EUCALYPTUS
      • TASMANIAN EUCALYPTUS BURL
      • TASMANIAN MYRTLEWOOD
      • TEAK
      • TEAK BURL
      • TEXAS EBONY
      • THIN WIN
      • TREE OF HEAVEN
      • TULIPWOOD
      • TZALAM
      • VITEX BURL
      • WALNUT
      • WENGE
      • WHITE ASIAN PEAR
      • WHITE TOP BURL
      • YELLOW BOX BURL
      • YELLOWHEART
      • YORREL BURL
      • YUCANTAN ROSEWOOD
      • ZAPOTE
      • ZEBRAWOOD
      • ZIRCOTE
  • HANDCRAFTED SALT AND PEPPER MILL
    • AFZELIA BURL MILLS
    • AMBOYNA BURL MILLS
    • ASH BURL MILLS
    • BOCOTE MILLS
    • BIG LEAF MAPLE BURL MILLS
    • CANARYWOOD MILLS
    • CAMPHOR BURL MILLS
    • COCOBOLO MILLS
    • CORRUGATA BURL MILLS
    • LACEY SHEOAK MILLS
    • MANZANITA BURL MILLS
    • MIADOU BURL MILLS
    • NARGUSTA BURL MILLS
    • PURPLEHEART MILLS
    • OBSIDIAN BURL MILLS
    • REDWOOD (LACEY) MILLS
    • SPALTED TAMARIND MILLS
    • TAMBOOTIE MILLS
    • TEAK BURL MILLS
    • WALNUT MILLS
    • CLARIO WALNUT MILLS
    • ZEBRAWOOD MILLS
  • Bowls with Lids
  • Salad Bowl & Bowl Sets
  • Texas Burl
  • Hollow Forms
  • Miniature Bird Houses
  • Kaleidoscope Eggs
  • Vases
  • Nature's Signature
  • TEXAS CAPITOL HERITAGE WOODS
  • Other Work
    • GAME TABLE
    • August's Desk and Chairs
    • Pinocchio
    • Bedroom Furniture
    • Bubinga Coffee Table
    • Pool Cue Rack
    • Boxes
    • Lamps
    • Len's Recipe Card Box
    • Fireplace Mantles
    • Carvings
    • Ring Boxes
    • Clocks
    • Chess Set and Board
  • Contact Me
  • Reviews
  • Monster
  • About The Artist
  African Blackwood -(Dalbergia melanoxylon) - also known as Grenadilla, or Mpingo is a flowering tree in the family Fabaceae, native to seasonally dry regions of Africa from Senegal east to Eritrea and south to the Transvaal in South Africa.
   It is a small tree, reaching 20-45' tall, with grey bark and spiny shoots. The leaves are deciduous in the dry season, alternate, 6–22 cm long, pinnate, with 6-9 alternately arranged leaflets. The flowers are white, produced in dense clusters. The fruit is a pod 3–7 cm long, containing one to two seeds.
   The dense, lustrous wood ranges 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. 
   Good quality "A" grade African Blackwood commands high prices on the commercial timber market. The tonal qualities of African Blackwood are particularly valued when used in woodwind instruments, principally clarinets, oboes, transverse flutes, piccolos, Highland pipes, and Northumbrian pipes. Furniture makers from the time of the Egyptians have valued this timber. 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. 
   I find this wood to be one of the hardest to photograph. But on the the most beautiful to turn. 
© 2014  NELSONWOOD All Rights Reserved        All turnings,woodwork and photos by Bryan Tyler Nelson
  • NELSONWOOD PORTFOLIO
  • Crochet Hooks
    • NELSONWOOD HOOK REVIEWS
  • Bowls and Platters
    • Bowls and Platters A-B >
      • AFRICAN BLACKWOOD
      • AFZELIA BURL
      • ASH
      • AMBOYNA BURL
      • AMBROSIA MAPLE
      • ANDIRA
      • APPLE
      • APRICOT
      • ARIPIN
      • BIMBLE BOX BURL
      • BIRD'S EYE MAPLE
      • BLACK and WHITE EBONY
      • BLACK FOREST CHERRY
      • BLACK LIMBA
      • BLOODWOOD
      • BLUE MAHOE
      • BOCOTE
      • BOLIVIAN ROSEWOOD
      • BORNEO ROSEWOOD
      • BOX ELDER
      • BRADFORD PEAR
      • BRIAR BURL
      • BROWN EBONY
      • BROWNHEART
      • BROWN MALLEE BURL
      • BUBINGA
      • BUCKEYE BURL
      • BURMESE BLACKWOOD
      • BURMESE PADAUK
      • BUTTERNUT
    • Bowls and Platters C-G >
      • CAMATILLO
      • CAMPHOR BURL
      • CANARYWOOD
      • CARANDA
      • CEBIL
      • CEDAR
      • CEDAR ELM
      • CEYLON OAK BURL
      • CHAKTE VIGA
      • CHECHEM
      • CHERRY
      • CHERRY BURL
      • CHINABERRY
      • COCOBOLO
      • COCOBOLO BURL
      • COCOBOLO BIG
      • COCUSWOOD
      • COFFEE BURL
      • COOLIBAH BURL
      • COTTONWOOD
      • CRATE MYRTLE
      • DALMATA
      • EAST INDIAN ROSEWOOD
      • EBONY
      • ELM
      • GMELIA BURL
      • GRANDILLO
      • GRAPE ROOT BURL
      • GREENHEART
      • GUAYACAN
    • Bowls and Platters H-L >
      • HACKBERRY
      • HOLLY
      • HONDURAN MAHOGANY
      • HONDURAN ROSEWOOD
      • HONDURAN ROSEWOOD BURL
      • HONEY LOCUS
      • HORISTES BURL
      • HORMIGO
      • HORNBEAM BURL
      • HUBUBALI
      • IMBUIA
      • IVORYWOOD
      • JARRAH BURL
      • JATOBA
      • JOBILLO
      • KAKAWATE
      • KAMANI BURL
      • KATALOX
      • KINGWOOD
      • KNOBTHORN
      • KOA
      • KOU
      • LACEWOOD
      • LACEY SHEOAK
      • LEOPARDWOOD
      • LILAC
      • LIMESTONE CEDAR
      • LOGAN BERRY
      • LOURO PRETO
    • Bowls and Platters M >
      • MACAWOOD
      • MACASSAR EBONY
      • MACHICHE
      • MADRONE BURL
      • MANZANITA BURL
      • MAPLE BIG LEAF BURL
      • MAPLE CURLY
      • MAPLE SPALTED
      • MAPLE QUILTED
      • MAPLE TEXAS GROWN
      • MORADO
      • MARBLEWOOD
      • MASUR BIRCH
      • MESQUITE
      • MILO
      • MONTERILLO
      • MORA
      • MOVINGUI
      • MUN EBONY
      • MULBERRY
      • MUSKWOOD
      • MYRTLEWOOD
      • MYRTLEWOOD BURL
    • Bowls and Platters N-P >
      • NARGUSTA BURL
      • NARRA
      • NECTARINE
      • NORFOLK PINE
      • OAK
      • OAK CURLY
      • OBSIDIAN BURL
      • OLIVEWOOD
      • OSAGE ORANGE
      • PADAUK
      • PAELA BURL
      • PANGA PANGA
      • PASTACHIO
      • PECAN
      • PECAN SPALTED
      • PERNAMBUCO
      • PHEASANTWOOD
      • PINK IVORY
      • PLUM
      • POST OAK
      • PRADAUK
      • PURPLEHEART
    • Bowls and Platters Q-S >
      • QUEENWOOD
      • RED BUD
      • RED BUD BURL
      • RED GUM
      • RED MALLEE BURL
      • RED PALM
      • REDHEART
      • REDWOOD
      • REDWOOD BURL
      • RIB FRUITED MALLEE BURL (CORRUGATA)
      • RUSSIAN OLIVE
      • SABAH EBONY
      • SAPELE
      • SAPELE POMMELE
      • SASSAFRAS
      • SATINE BLOODWOOD
      • SATINWOOD
      • SCYAMORE
      • SHEDUA
      • SINDORA BURL
      • SNAKEWOOD
      • SPALTED TAMARIND
      • STAGHORN SUMAC
    • Bowls and Platters T-Z >
      • TAMBOOTIE
      • TASMANIAN FIDDLEBACK EUCALYPTUS
      • TASMANIAN EUCALYPTUS BURL
      • TASMANIAN MYRTLEWOOD
      • TEAK
      • TEAK BURL
      • TEXAS EBONY
      • THIN WIN
      • TREE OF HEAVEN
      • TULIPWOOD
      • TZALAM
      • VITEX BURL
      • WALNUT
      • WENGE
      • WHITE ASIAN PEAR
      • WHITE TOP BURL
      • YELLOW BOX BURL
      • YELLOWHEART
      • YORREL BURL
      • YUCANTAN ROSEWOOD
      • ZAPOTE
      • ZEBRAWOOD
      • ZIRCOTE
  • HANDCRAFTED SALT AND PEPPER MILL
    • AFZELIA BURL MILLS
    • AMBOYNA BURL MILLS
    • ASH BURL MILLS
    • BOCOTE MILLS
    • BIG LEAF MAPLE BURL MILLS
    • CANARYWOOD MILLS
    • CAMPHOR BURL MILLS
    • COCOBOLO MILLS
    • CORRUGATA BURL MILLS
    • LACEY SHEOAK MILLS
    • MANZANITA BURL MILLS
    • MIADOU BURL MILLS
    • NARGUSTA BURL MILLS
    • PURPLEHEART MILLS
    • OBSIDIAN BURL MILLS
    • REDWOOD (LACEY) MILLS
    • SPALTED TAMARIND MILLS
    • TAMBOOTIE MILLS
    • TEAK BURL MILLS
    • WALNUT MILLS
    • CLARIO WALNUT MILLS
    • ZEBRAWOOD MILLS
  • Bowls with Lids
  • Salad Bowl & Bowl Sets
  • Texas Burl
  • Hollow Forms
  • Miniature Bird Houses
  • Kaleidoscope Eggs
  • Vases
  • Nature's Signature
  • TEXAS CAPITOL HERITAGE WOODS
  • Other Work
    • GAME TABLE
    • August's Desk and Chairs
    • Pinocchio
    • Bedroom Furniture
    • Bubinga Coffee Table
    • Pool Cue Rack
    • Boxes
    • Lamps
    • Len's Recipe Card Box
    • Fireplace Mantles
    • Carvings
    • Ring Boxes
    • Clocks
    • Chess Set and Board
  • Contact Me
  • Reviews
  • Monster
  • About The Artist