Ever wonder about Ebony?

[greenmtnguy]

I was talking with a wood supplier and he told me Ebony is brought out of the jungle on a person's back. They have to go so far in to find the trees.
Found this video which is interesting to all woodworkers.

Should Woodworkers Say Goodbye to Ebony? - FineWoodworking

 

[DB in VT]

That was great. Thanks for sharing it.

 

[Dehn0045]

Thanks for sharing. I have watched the video a couple of times in the past, but it was interesting to read the follow-up from Taylor. He is clearly a businessman and not a philanthropist (with regard to Ebony harvesting), but he seems quite ethical, a "doer" and not a "talker". Just my take...

 

[leehljp]

There are other quality "ebonies" and they two are probably in short supply too. There are some in SE Asia / Philippines and at one time there was a fellow here that some could be ordered through.

I was fortunate to know a fellow when I lived in Japan that had some rare black Japanese persimmon wood in which the boards were solid black except the sap wood. He used his for plane handles and other tool handles, and for decorative cuts on some fine furniture. I saw 5 boards, 8 to 10 inches wide, a full 2 inches thick, 6 to 8 ft long. Back in early 2000, he paid the US equivalent of $800.00 per board.

Beautiful wood, silky smooth feeling and very oily even dried. I was lucky to get a couple of cut-offs and still have some to this day.