Thread: Cordia africana

Looks very similar to our Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon)

Getting a tree large enough for a large African drum may be the only issue.

Grumpy John did a WIP on making a djembe out of our Blackwood, see here.


PS - coincidentally, my son was on stage last night at WOMAdelaide playing his djembe

Thanks Hughie, Old Biker , NeilS and others for the helpful tips. After searching through a maze of confusing scientific and common names, I eventually found some useful technical data to help make a comparison. The information I discovered was found at the Centre for Wood Anatomy which is a branch of the United States Department of Agriculture. By the way the Burundian type of African Drum is called a Karyenda. It is like the djembe Grumpy John made, but the body of the drum is much deeper than a dejembe. In order to hollow it out I think I may require a miners licence. The blackwood djembe made by John looks fantastic Neil, but I need a timber that is more readily available. We have no shortage of Camphor Laurel on the mid north coast but it may be too soft? <o></o
Scientific Name: Cordia millenii. Common name: Drum Tree, West African Cordia. Other Common Names: Omo (Nigeria), ebe (Cameroon).
Distribution: Widely distributed in tropical Africa, found in closed forests and old secondary formations. The Tree: Grows to a height of 60 to 100ft, bole cylindrical, but rarely straight, 30 to 40 ft. in length; trunks about3 ft in diameter above buttresses.The Wood: General Characteristics: Heartwood pale golden brown to medium brown occasionally with a pinkish tint; sapwood lighter. Texture coarse; grain typically interlocked give a stripe figure; lustrous; brittle heart fairly common. Weight: Basic specific gravity (oven dry weight/green volume) about 0.34; air-dry density 25 pcf. <o></o
Mechanical Properties: (2-cm standard)<o></o
Moisture content (%)……………………………Green(40)…………………….12% <o></o
Bending strength (Psi)…………………………..7,800……………………………9,700 <o></o
Modulus of elasticity (1,000 psi)……………..880…………………………….1,000 <o></o
Maximum crushing strength (Psi)………….3,810……………………………5,200 <o></o
Janka side hardness 550 lb for green and590 lb for dry material.Amsler toughness 105 in.-lb for dry material (2-cm specimen).
Drying and Shrinkage: Dries rapidly and well with only a slight tendency to warp. A high temperature kiln schedule isnecessary to remove moisture pockets. Kiln schedule T1 3-C4S is suggested for4/4 stock and T1 1 -D3S for 8/4. Shrinkage green to oven dry: radial 3.4%;tangential 4.6%; volumetric 7.5%. Movement in service is rated as small. Working Properties: Works well with hand and machine tools and is easy to finish, in planing there is some tearing of interlocked grain, nails satisfactorily. Durability: Generally heartwood may berated as moderately durable. Preservation: Reported to be resistant to preservative treatments. Uses: Fine furniture and cabinetwork, joinery, and other decorative work where strength is not important.

Originally Posted by trevor carrick

I need a timber that is more readily available. We have no shortage of Camphor Laurel on the mid north coast but it may be too soft? <o></o

Camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora) has a Janka Hardness of 3.3kN or 990lbf/sq.in., so much harder than Cordia milleni.

Go for it, and you will also be helping eradicate a nasty weed.

First turned it 50 years ago. Nice wood to turn.

But, suggest you use a respirator.