Blackwood, Acacia melanoxylon, the most commercially available and widely used Tasmania specialty timber.
Blackwood trees are found in a wide range of forest types across the state. The best and largest blackwood resource is found in the wet forests and blackwood swamps of North West Tasmania.
Blackwood timber colour ranges from light tan to red-brown to dark chocolate with a contrasting white sapwood.
While most logs trend to straight grain, it is possible to recover occasional figured pieces with fiddle-back or tear-drop grain. Air dry density about 640 kg / m3 (Bootle).
Availability:
IST Geeveston and IST Smithton sell blackwood logs and IST Geeveston processes and sells air and kiln-dried sawn timber including slabs, and waxed turning blanks.
Caution:
While wood dust in general is an acknowledged carcinogen, the sanding dust from blackwood is especially known to cause irritation to the skin and bronchial tubes of many people.
Therefore due care needs to be taken when working with this species.
