East African black Dalbergia, Dalbergia is a black rosewood species in the national standard of "Redwood".
At the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) held in Johannesburg, South Africa from September 24 to October 5, 2016, Dalbergia orientalis was listed as an international second-class endangered wild plant .
Importers often import East African Dalbergia as "ebony" or "black sandalwood". Currently on the market, some dealers call it "purple sandalwood" and "rhinoceros horn red sandalwood".
In fact, East African black rosewood is neither ebony nor red sandalwood, but belongs to black rosewood.
East African black rosewood on the market is mostly untreated round wood, with a radius of 20-30 cm, but also 40-50 cm, and a length of 2-3 meters. The sapwood is very thin, gray-white to yellow, and the heartwood is purple-black.
The wood is mostly twisted in an "S" shape, and the gray bark is irregularly raised and warped and cracked.
The logs of East African Dalbergia are not only ugly, but also often hollow.
Although the logs of East African black rosewood are not good-looking and the yield rate is extremely low, the material is more prominent.
In wood science and botany, East African Dalbergia has the following characteristics:
East African black Dalbergia Dalbergia melanoxylon Guili.& Perr. is a member of the leguminous family, Dalbergia, and black rosewood. Tree, 4.5-7.5 meters high.
Distributed in Tanzania, Mozambique and other places in eastern tropical Africa. Diffuse-porous wood, heartwood black-brown to dark purple-brown, often accompanied by black streaks; sapwood is mainly white and thin.
Growth rings are indistinct. The tube holes are visible to the naked eye, very small, and the number is small to slightly less.
The wood is shiny; no acid aroma or very weak; no special taste; slightly oily; texture changes greatly; structure is very fine and uniform.
The dry shrinkage rate of the total dry volume of the wood is very small 0.27%-0.50%; the dimensional stability of the dry wood is excellent. Very heavy, air-dry density 1.00-1.33 g/cm3. high strength.
The wood is very resistant to decay and is slightly resistant to termite attack. Drying is difficult, and due to the common occurrence of heart cracks, it is advisable to proceed very slowly. It is difficult to process, the tool edge is easy to blunt, and the turning and decorative properties are very good.
When East African black rosewood is processed, the wood is dense and hard in texture, and the cutting edge of the tool wears quickly, and it often needs to be polished and repaired, so the processing speed is also slow.
However, the processed wood has remarkable characteristics: the density is very high, up to 1.33 g/cm3, so the furniture made is heavy and hard; the material is very delicate, and the brown eyes (pipe holes) are small and rare.
The wood has a good luster, and after grinding and polishing, the reflection is very good, and it is really bright.
In fact, from the sensory point of view, the East African black rosewood is closer to the delicateness of ancient ebony, with a sense of tranquility and solemnity.
The stability of East African black rosewood wood is very good, it is not easy to shrink and expand, and it is not easy to warp and crack.
The smell of wood is very light, basically no sour aroma and spicy taste, but a dry and astringent taste; licking with the tongue, the wood has no taste.
Black-brown traces can be drawn on the white paper, the aqueous solution can extract the pigment to be dark brown, and the alcohol extracts a large amount of pigment, and the black-brown is slightly purple.
Because the texture of East African black rosewood is extremely fine, brown eye is rare, and the gloss is excellent after polishing, the finished wood has the so-called jade or rhino horn feeling in vision and touch.
Some people love it well, while some people think that such wood has less "woody smell", but it is more like artificial material, which is cold and tasteless.
In conclusion, Dalbergia is a wood with a strong personality:
The appearance of the log is ugly, distorted and hollow, the processing is also difficult, and the yield is low;
However, the processed wood has excellent wood, stable properties, fine texture and good gloss;
The color changes are small, and the wood grain is not obvious, but it can also be seen that the black stripes are looming, subtle but not public.
East African black rosewood is commonly used in foreign countries to make instrument and instrument panels. In the domestic market, it is mostly used to replace ebony for the production of musical instruments and wood carving handicrafts, as well as for the manufacture of Chinese classical furniture.
To make classical furniture styles or carving crafts similar to ancient red sandalwood and ebony, East African black rosewood can fully reflect the delicate and solemn and elegant effect of Shenmu.
The wood is delicate and tough, and is also suitable for complex and exquisite carving techniques.
For example, in classical furniture design, the use of yellow or red mahogany, or warm-toned wood such as delicate boxwood and East African black rosewood, as a color complement, can make the furniture lively in a stable atmosphere, Achieving a harmonious and not oppressive mood.
It is suitable for making imitation Ming-style or Qing-style hall furniture and study furniture into halls, which can achieve a serene and ancient atmosphere in elegance.
In terms of log prices, the ranking of red sandalwood is only in the middle of all mahogany. Although the logs are uneven and the span is large, it is basically only similar to the price of Burmese flowers and flowering branches.
The deep and quiet purple sandalwood cannot be processed by ordinary small mahogany factories, and the real big factories are not willing to touch it.
First, the degree of market recognition needs to be accepted. Second, although the price of logs is not high, because most of them are distorted and hollow, it is difficult to retrieve materials, and the yield rate is extremely low, only 10%-15%.
At the same time, due to the high hardness, the processing is also very difficult, and the labor cost is high.