Thread: Blackbean cost

Seen it for sale at around 6k m3
Wide quarter sawn would attract a premium
As would material that carries high figure
Black Bean is a difficult timber to season though
It will collapse (corrugate) and twist
So much care is needed during the curing process
And it grows generally in areas that are now protected from harvesting
This is reflected in the price no doubt
An absolutely stunning wood at its best
Purchased a few slabs of 'stump' wood years ago and it was figured in the extreme with intense birds-eye
Totally love the stuff!
Log Dog

$6K TO $7K run of the mill. Premium add 25%. Dust is an issue with this timber.

Originally Posted by rustynail

...... Dust is an issue with this timber.

Ab-sol-utely! It's one of the worst sensitisers around. It's also straight-out toxic & can make you quite ill if you absorb enough of the dust. It was used in huge quantities in the 60s, both as veneer & in the solid to emulate the "Scandinavian teak" look. I loved the stuff in my early woodworking days - until I started reacting to it rather severely, which didn't take long thanks to my total disregard of any sort of dust control....

A huge amount of furniture was made from BB in the 60s. It was the era of "Scandinavian style" with fine parts & simple lines & a lot of it suffered glue-failure within a relatively short time. The stuff I'm referring to was the very "spare" style, like dining tables with thin tapered legs 65mm diameter at the top & rails barely 16mm thick. My own assessment was it was partly due to some pretty questionable construction techniques (small, shallow tenons or very skimpy dowels) but the glue looked like it had turned to powder on the stuff I examined. It may have been the type of glue used at the time & how it was cured (this was still relatively early days in the application of synthetic glues in mass production) or possibly a reaction to something in the wood. It was also the time when I first embraced synthetic glues like "Aquadhere" - I thought it was such a gift after messy old hide glue. Until I had a few pieces literally fall apart on very hot days! Thankfully, things have come along a bit since then...

So I may be sounding caution unnecessarily - I certainly don't find things falling to pieces the same way with the current PVA glues like "Titebond" and its equivalents, which leads me to suspect it was more likely the glue and not a reaction with the wood...

Cheers,

I got hold of some small logs back in 2008.

Robinia

I still have all the boards, bar the one I gave to a friend.
I don't recall any dust issues but they logs were green and I milled then outside.

Originally Posted by BobL

....I don't recall any dust issues but they logs were green and I milled then outside.

It's a sensitiser, Bob, you are unlikely to have have too many issues on the first exposure to a bit of dust from it, but subsequent exposure may set off a nasty allergic reaction, so don't treat it too casually. Some people develop sensitivity very quickly, others seem to get away with it, at least for some time (it's similar with most allergens)..
Cheers,
Ian

Originally Posted by BobL

I got hold of some small logs back in 2008.

Robinia

I still have all the boards, bar the one I gave to a friend.
I don't recall any dust issues but they logs were green and I milled then outside.

I note the sapwood margin is quite slender Bob...indicating a slow growing tree perhaps.
Lovely colour though!
As with ALL timber species...wear a mask and work in a well ventilated environment with adequate dust extraction.
They are all potentially toxic!
Log Dog

IMG_20220629_155641.jpg
This is a sample of the. 35 m3 of blackbean I recently purchased, most of which are 4.2 meters long by 330mm x 30mm. Incredibly beautiful timber. Has sat in a shed for 22 years undisturbed. Hope the image attachment works

Be careful working this timber. The dust is highly irritating and can form a life-long allergy. Good dust extraction and PPE are a must.
I found out the hard way.

Originally Posted by rustynail

Be careful working this timber. The dust is highly irritating and can form a life-long allergy. Good dust extraction and PPE are a must.
I found out the hard way.

And so did a lot of blokes, Rusty - it was a popular flooring timber in N.Q. in the 60's. You didn't sand more than one floor without being MUCH more careful next time...
Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

And so did a lot of blokes, Rusty - it was a popular flooring timber in N.Q. in the 60's. You didn't sand more than one floor without being MUCH more careful next time...
Cheers,

All the floor sanders I have known from the 1960 & 70's around Cairns had major health problems, either from the sanding dust or the thinners in the "Estapol" finish.

It's easy to say "how dumb were they" but health and safety is a relatively "new" development. We routinely cut super compressed fibro floor sheeting with a 10" friction disk in a large old aluminium bodied Sher circular saw. We did use "dust masks" but not initially. How effective were they compared to the masks of today? Dad was considered a "nutter" when he purchased a "safety protector pack" 6 outlet power board in the mid 1970's. However it most certainly saved his apprentice's life at least twice.

Black Bean is only one of many that we used routinely, Miva Mahogany / Red Bean, Fish Tail Oak, Caledonian Oak, QLD Walnut, Western Red Cedar, Douglas Fir, ......