Three years ago while visiting my local lumber dealer I ran across a pile of very dense and extremely dark brown wood with just a few light sap wood stripes. I asked my yardman what is was and he said someone had given it to them suggesting it was rosewood that they had been using to make plane handles and had closed their business. He told me that if I wanted it I could take it for free. Well, never being the one to turn away from the right price, I accepted (after a $20 tip).
I took a piece of it to Atlanta with me on a business trip and stopped by Highland Hardware and asked them to id the wood. They were emphatic – African Blackwood. Now, if you have ever handled this stuff you know it is like cast iron in terms of density and weight. I planed one piece and my planer went dull immedialtely. I really can’t use it for the kind of furniture that I build, so I would like to sell it on eBay.
Now, my question. I have seen African Blackwood on the web primarily as pen blanks. This would require a lot of milling as I have an estimated 150 board feet in VERY odd sizes. The potential exists to use it for small to medium size boxes, but nothing larger due to the odd sizes. What would be the best way to market this on eBay?
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Wofat, African blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon) is a rosewood in that it belongs to the rosewood genus. Depending upon the quality and dimensions of the stock, this wood typically sells for well over $10 per board foot. You could list it on eBay and take your chances...or you could attempt to market it more directly. It's a popular wood among luthiers and I'm sure there are websites catering to guitar and violin makers. A post on one of these sites might just give you a stampede of potential buyers. Like all the rosewoods, this species is getting scarce.
Thanks, that makes sense. I will take a look for such sites on the web.
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