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SIMBATTA - TOP - Simbatta's Premium Performance Ebony Bokken

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About Philippine Ebony

Ebony is The most precious wood in the world is from the Celebes Islands of Indonesia and prized for its lustrous marble-like figure & exceptional hardness.

Botanical Name

Diospyros celebica or Diospyros macassar of the Family Ebenaceae. The rough translation of Diospyros is "fruit of the gods."

Other Names

Macassar ebony, Indian ebony, marble wood, coromandel, calamander wood, tendu, temru, tunki, timbruni.

Height/Weight

Average tree height is 50 feet. Average weight is 68 pounds per cubic foot with a specific gravity of 1.09.

Properties

Macassar ebony can be difficult to work with hand or machine tools. Hardness of the wood contributes to blunting of cutting edges. The wood has a natural luster and finishes extremely well. The wood is very durable and extremely resistant to preservative treatment.

Seasoning

The timber is difficult to dry. The trees are usually girdled for two years before felling, and a further six months air drying in plank or scantling and stored under cover. Girdling involves cutting through the cambium layer around the circumference of a growing tree to terminate its growth before felling. In effect, girdling allows seasoning to begin while the tree is still standing.

History

The trees are native to the Celebes Islands, which are also called the Sulawesi Islands of the East Indies. It is also found in Maluku and Borneo, known as the Greater Sunda Islands of Indonesia. The name Macassar is most likely from the famous Macassar seaport on the islands. Some retailers have used the term Macassar ebony for any ebony that has a high contrast of light and dark streaks, although most people today limit the term to the species Diospyros celebica.

Ebony has an interesting history, filled with myths and legends. "Believed to be an antidote to poison," The Encyclopedia of Wood notes, "ebony was popular with the ancients for use in drinking vessels — such was their perennial agony. The Greek historian Herodotus records that Ethiopia paid an annual tribute of 200 ebony logs to the Persian Empire. Most supplies came from India and Sri Lanka, so it was not readily available in Europe until the 1600s.

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