
Australian blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon)
Family: Leguminosae
Common names: Australian black acacia, Australian blackwood, Black sally, Black wattle, Blackwood, Cedar, Cedar lightwood, Lightwood, Swarthout, Tasmanian blackwood
Distributed in: Argentina, Australia, Chile, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania (Africa, Latin America, Oceania and S.E. Asia)
Distribution overview: Australian Blackwood grows in Eastern Australia from Queensland southward to Victoria and also in Tasmania. It has been introduced into East and South Africa, India, Ceylon, Chile, and Argentina. It's distribution is closely linked to rainfall. The tree can be found in various habitats, chiefly wet sclerophyll forest and in or near cooler rainforest.
Common uses: Bedroom suites, Bent Parts, Boat building (general), Boat building: framing, Cabinetmaking, Carvings, Chairs, Chests, Cooperages, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Drawer sides, Drum sticks, Excelsior, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Flooring, Flooring: commercial heavy traffic, Food containers, Fuelwood, Furniture , Furniture, Gunstocks, Joinery, Kitchen cabinets, Light construction, Living-room suites, Musical instruments , Musical instruments, Office furniture, Organ pipes, Paneling, Piano keys, Pianos , Plywood corestock, Plywood, Poles, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Railroad ties, Rifle stock, Sounding boards, Sporting Goods, Structural work, Tables, Tool handles, Turnery, Vats, Vehicle parts, Veneer, Veneer: decorative, Violin bows, Violin, Walking sticks, Wardrobes, Wheel spokes, Wheels, Xylophones, agricultural implements
Product sources: Supplies of the timber are adequate in Australia, but are limited in other parts of the world. Prices are in the high range when the material is available.
Environment profile: Questionable
Tree size: Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm
Colors: the heart isYellow, Yellow to golden-yellow to orangeand the sapwoodWhite to yellow, Yellow.The grain isWavy, the textureUniformand the lusterMedium
Natural durability: Susceptible to insect attack, Untreated wood in contact with ground could decay in less than 5 years
Odor: No specific smell or taste
Kiln Schedules: Kiln Drying Rate (in days) is fairly rapid
Kiln Drying Rate: Rapid (<10 days for boards < 32 mm, to <30 days for boards >= 63 mm)
Drying Defects: Slight surface checking, Splitting
Ease of Drying: Slowly
Tree Identification: Bole/stem form is unknown
Comments: General finishing qualities are rated as good
Blunting Effect: Moderate
Boring: Fairly easy to very easy
Carving: Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult
Cutting Resistance: Material with interlocked grain can be difficult.
Gluing: Satisfactory gluing properties
Mortising: Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult
Moulding: Poor to Very Poor
Movement in Service: Poor to Very Poor
Nailing: Pre-Boring Recommended, Satisfactory nailing properties
Planing: Very Good to Excellent
Resistance to Impregnation: Sapwood is permeable
Response to hand tools: Satisfactorily
Routing recessing: Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult
Sanding: Satisfactory sanding results
Veneering qualities: Veneers easily, Veneers moderately easy
Steam bending: Very good
Screwing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy, Good screw holding properties; Turning: Very good
Polishing: Very Good to Excellent; Staining: Very Good to Excellent;
- Numerical data Metric
- Numerical data English
- Strength properties
- References
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 |
 |
 |
Item |
Green |
Dry |
Metric |
Specific Gravity |
0,5 |
0,54 |
|
Density |
|
657 |
kg/m3 |
Bending Strength |
704 |
1076 |
kg/cm2 |
Crushing Strength |
55 |
96 |
kg/cm2 |
Hardness |
|
487 |
kg |
Impact Strength |
98 |
93 |
cm |
Shearing Strength |
|
144 |
kg/cm2 |
Stiffness |
125 |
149 |
1000 kg/cm2 |
Tangential Shrinkage |
7 |
|
% |
Radial Shrinkage |
2 |
|
% |
Weight |
641 |
528 |
kg/m3 |
Maximum Load |
|
|
cm-kg/cm3 |
Toughness |
|
165 |
cm-kg |
Static Bending |
409 |
608 |
kg/cm2 |
|
 |  |  |  | Item | Green | Dry | English | Bending Strength | 10023 | 15313 | psi | Crushing Strength | 784 | 1377 | psi | Density | | 41 | lbs/ft3 | Hardness | | 1075 | lbs | Impact Strength | 39 | 37 | inches | Maximum Crushing Strength | 5381 | 8437 | psi | Shearing Strength | | 2062 | psi | Static Bending | 5831 | 8653 | psi | Stiffness | 1789 | 2122 | 1000 psi | Toughness | | 144 | inch-lbs | Specific Gravity | 0.5 | 0.54 | | Weight | 40 | 33 | lbs/ft3 | Radial Shrinkage | 2 | | % | Tangential Shrinkage | 7 | | % | Volumetric Shrinkage | 10 | | % | |
Density (dry weight) = 38-45 lbs/cu. ft. 0 Bending strength (MOR) = medium 0 Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = medium 0 Max. crushing strength = high 0 Hardness (side grain) = soft 1 Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = medium 0 Max. crushing strength = medium 0 Density (dry weight) = 46-52 lbs/cu. ft. Shrinkage, Tangential = moderate Shrinkage, Radial = very small Shrinkage, Radial = small Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = low Shrinkage, Tangential = fairly large Shrinkage, Tangential = small Toughness-Hammer drop (Impact strength) = medium Shrinkage, Tangential = very small Shrinkage, Tangential = large Shrinkage, Radial = moderate Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = high Hardness (side grain) = medium Density (dry weight) = 31-37 lbs/cu. ft. Bending strength (MOR) = high Shrinkage, Radial = fairly large Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = low Max. crushing strength = low Toughness-Hammer drop (Impact Strength) = low Resists denting and marring Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = very high Heavy Hardness (side grain) = very soft Density = high Compression strength (parallel to grain) = high
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