Blackwood is over rated.

[tea lady]

WHY is it so ......... swooned over? Its just brown. And its a PITA to turn cos it has tear out easily. Is all finicky if it gets hot when you are sanding it. And then gives you bad lungs. So why do people seem to like it so much?

[DJ’s Timber]

Probably because if you persevere with it you can get one that looks absolutely magic, such as this one turned by me some 6 yrs or so ago

[tea lady]

? Can't see the pic DJ.

[DJ’s Timber]

? Can't see the pic DJ.

Log onto www.woodworkforums.com and you'll see it

[Grumpy John]

Probably because if you persevere with it you can get one that looks absolutely magic.....................

I'm with DJ.
You're right about the tearout TL, but if it was easy you wouldn't appreciate it when you turned a spekky bowl like the one DJ did.

[ElizaLeahy]

Some might be nice, but all the bits I've had are pretty dull. Lots of timber in the world, it's just not one of the nicest!

[echnidna]

all fancy timber is over rated,

that's why its dearer than crapiata

[artme]

Like all timbers there are interesting pieces and dull pieces and then there are pieces to die for. Some of the most spectacular grain I've see has been in pieces of Blackwood.

[hughie]

dunno about bowls etc. But most flooring is very ordinary, so much so I dont even consider it these days.

But as to bowls I think as turners we look for figure and therefore pick timber to suit our likes etc. Where as flooring its some many sqm paid for and delivered.


By and large its not high on my list of timbers to turn

[Rattrap]

I love the look of blackwood myself tho i do agree its a real pain to work with. As u said it tears out easy, its hard on your lungs & blackwood splinters fester up really badly. But i still use it regularly. The grain is awesome, the various colours u get in the 1 piece of timber is excellent & with a nice shellac finish u get the most beautiful golden glows out of it.
Wash your mouth out Tea Lady

[rsser]

As Artme says, it varies.

The chatoyance in some bits I've turned is eye-popping.

As for tear-out, that's what good technique is for.

[Tiger]

I've seen some spectacular results with Blackwood. There is some perseverance involved but it is worth it. Tear out is minimised with good technique but turning a lot of it is hard on the lungs.

[NeilS]

It does vary a bit TL, as most good turning woods do. Perhaps you just ended up with some dull stuff.

As others have said it can be quite specy at times, like the attached example. I quite like Blackwood whenever I can get it, as it is one of the better native timbers in my local area.

Hadn't noticed any more tear-out than many other species, but then, others may not think my finish meets muster...

Neil

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

If you ever come across a piece of heavily fiddle-backed Blackwood, you'll change your mind, AM.

It's the end-grain that's chatoyant so if the piece isn't figured you need to turn a form that reveals at least as much end-grain as it does long-grain.

ie. A platter, or shallowly dished bowl isn't usually a good choice for "plain" Blackwood.

[Woodwould]

When I first arrived in this country, I visited Museum Victoria and there spied an ugly piece of furniture made from some incredibly beautiful Blackwood. On the strength of what I saw and 'While in Rome...' and all that, I ordered some fiddleback Blackwood from Adams Timber (out at Coldstream) and made myself a dining table from it. I was so disapointed with the finished article that I sold it within a month of making it. Maybe I bought a bad lot.

I restored a panelled fiddleback Blackwood hall in a large house in Melbourne some years later. It was quite spectacular, but was very old timber.

On the whole, I just don't get it. DJ's bowl is the only nice bit of 'new' Blackwood I've seen. From what I have seen of it, its iconic status was probably deserved of older, mature timber, but I think there are numerous currently available species that are better working and finish better. Just my two cents worth.