Cocuswood (Brya ebenus) also called Jamaican Rain Tree or Jamaican Ebony, comes from the the Caribbean primarily Jamaica and Cuba.
The heartwood is brownish-yellow to dark brown often with a greenish tinge. It is usually beautifully veined with darker streaks. The wood is hard and heavy weighing 68 to 80 lbs/cubic foot. This high density contributes to its wonderful acoustic properties, it fairly rings when struck. It is well known for its use in woodwinds such as flutes, piccolos, and bagpipes because of its fine and uniform grain, its beautiful coloring and its resonance. Traditionally, Cocuswood has been considered one of the very finest of tonewoods, used extensively for woodwind instruments in the 1800s. Today, the preferred tonewood for woodwinds has largely been superseded by African Blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon).
Common Uses: Turned objects, woodwinds (flutes, oboes, bagpipes, etc.), carvings, inlays, and other small specialty items.
Exports are essentially non-existent. Due to past exploitation, samples and turning blanks are exceptionally rare, and are likely to be very expensive.
The heartwood is brownish-yellow to dark brown often with a greenish tinge. It is usually beautifully veined with darker streaks. The wood is hard and heavy weighing 68 to 80 lbs/cubic foot. This high density contributes to its wonderful acoustic properties, it fairly rings when struck. It is well known for its use in woodwinds such as flutes, piccolos, and bagpipes because of its fine and uniform grain, its beautiful coloring and its resonance. Traditionally, Cocuswood has been considered one of the very finest of tonewoods, used extensively for woodwind instruments in the 1800s. Today, the preferred tonewood for woodwinds has largely been superseded by African Blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon).
Common Uses: Turned objects, woodwinds (flutes, oboes, bagpipes, etc.), carvings, inlays, and other small specialty items.
Exports are essentially non-existent. Due to past exploitation, samples and turning blanks are exceptionally rare, and are likely to be very expensive.