I have acquired a 54″ long x ~7″ diameter log of what I believe is Black & White Ebony or possibly Macassar Ebony. The log weighs about 96 pounds and is sealed in a wax-like coating. I am planning to sell it but I am unsure of a fair price. I haven’t been able to find anything comparable for sale on-line. All I can find are small pieces for pens or small bowls, and small boards that sell for somewhere between $10 and $20 per pound. Can anyone suggest a fair price or make me an offer? Maybe I should cut it into smaller pieces that are affordable.
Edited 10/2/2008 11:47 am ET by RonRocheleau
Replies
Perhaps you should determine what it is.
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SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES...THEY ARE NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING, BUT...THEY STILL BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN YOU PUSH THEM DOWN A FLIGHT OF STAIRS
I agree it is important to know what exactly it is. You will get a much better price if you can give an exact identification. Otherwise, you will have to discount it to account for the possibilities that the unknown wood doesn't behave as expected.
It's pretty easy to find out. Just send a sample to the Forest Products Laboratory. They will do a free identification--US Citizens can get up to 5 such ID's in a year. Go here for details:
http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/WoodID/idfact.html
Edited 10/2/2008 12:43 pm ET by SteveSchoene
Thanks for the link and for the advice. I guess I will need to cut a small sample to get it identified. I'll slice a board off the edge and I'll post a picture. I'm pretty sure it is Macassar Ebony but I need to confirm that before I can sell it.
Woodworkerssource.com sells a "craft pack" of 4/4 10 board feet on special for $586.17! How many BF in a log 54" long by ~7-7.5" diameter? I'm not sure I'm calculating correctly but I come up with about 8.25-8.5 BF, which would make it worth about $500 more or less. Of course, I'm still assuming at this point that it is Macassar.
Ron,<!----><!----><!---->
There’s no way to value it until you know what it is, so that’s the first thing. <!----><!---->
When you buy wood at a lumberyard you use the formula: Length (in inches) x width (in inches) x thickness (in inches) and divide by 144 to get the number of board feet. With a circular piece of wood, it's a little different. <!----><!---->
First you need to calculate the area of the circle that comprises the width of the piece. The formula for doing this is A = r² x 3.14 where A is the area of the circle and r² is the radius squared. The 7.5” dimension you gave is the diameter, so we need to divide it by 2 to get the radius. In your case, if the diameter is 7.5”, the radius would be 3.75”. Divide that by 12 to convert from inches to feet. 3.75/12 = .3125. Filling in the blanks, the formula would be .3125 x .3125 x 3.14 = .3066. Multiply that by the length of the piece, or 4.5 feet to get the number of cubic feet of wood. 4.5 x .3066 = 1.38 cubic feet in the piece. There are 12 board feet in a cubic foot, so you have 16.56 board feet of wood (12 x 1.38). Hope this helps.<!----><!---->
Jim<!----><!---->
Thanks Jim,
I guessed and used (diameter * pi * length)/144 but that is not correct as you indicated. The correct formula is V=pi *r*r *l.
So.... (3.14*3.5*3.5*54)/144 = 14.42 BF minimum. Actually, a bit more because the smallest diameter is 7" and the largest is 7.5". Also, there is no bark, so it is all usable ebony.
Using the "sale" price of about $58.62/BF at WoodWorkersSource.com would make the list price in the area of $850+.
I hope it's ebony.
Jim,
I'm very sure it is ebony, as that is the way it was represented to me when I bought it, and I'm pretty sure it is Macassar. I'll post a picture when I cut a slice off of it. If it's not obvious from the pictures, I'll get a sample tested to verify it.
I also acquired a few other interesting pieces along with it, like a 2' rough diameter maple burl cap, about 6-7" thick in the center, and a 1' rough diameter maple burl cap, that I will be putting up for sale as soon I can take some pictures.
Ron
Edited 10/2/2008 3:50 pm ET by RonRocheleau
Edited 10/2/2008 3:50 pm ET by RonRocheleau
Sounds good, Ron. I look forward to seeing the pictures.
Jim
I have no idea but just going at some of the prices I have seen for Ebony around Chicago. GASP!
I guess my real post is to state I have NEVER seen a 54 inch length of it anyplace! If there was it would have to be shown by appointment!
I think twice carried to the next power before selling it by board foot. I'd think that length may carry a BIG premium.
Just me thinking again.
Ebony Macassar Veneer 4 x 8 SheetPaper back veneer
I just looked.. that is for a 4X8 'foot' sheet of 10 mil (10 thousandths) thickness with paper backing. Not sure if the paper thickness is included with the 1`0 mil.. I'd say a fair price for that size. Whatever thickness.
I was thinking of 'sticks' you can cut up and not veneers.
Thanks. I may need to think on it for a while. I can't find any ebony in such a large size anywhere.
Here's a few pics of the whole log. I don't have the nerve to cut it yet.
Thanks for the pictures, Ron.
But that log does not look like Ebony to me. Ebony is genus Diospyros. And that log just doesn't look like genus Diospyros to me at all.
Your best bet is to follow up on the link at Forest Products Lab. They will ID a sample for you and then you can present the letter when you try and sell it.
Best wishes,
loveww
Hard to say for sure, but one other possibility is that the log is Lignum Vitae (the good kind - not the crappy green stuff sold as a substitute). The reason I say that is that it looks a lot like the Lignum logs that Gilmer Wood had on their web pages a while back.
The only way to tell for sure is to cut into it. One way to do that without devaluing it significantly is to cut 1" off of the end, then cross-cut that to get a look at the side grain. And that will also allow you to get a quarter-sawn and a flat-sawn small sample to send to the forest products lab if you choose.
Thanks for the comment. I checked Gilmer Wood and viewed the various wood pictures on the site. I don't think it is Lignum Vitae. The picture they have of Striped Ebony looks closer than the LV. The color of the log appears more black and has no brown/red tones than I can detect. If I only slice off 1" from one end and cross cut that will it really show enough grain? It wouldn't waste much and I could send the samples for analysis. I think I'll give that a try.
loveww,
Thanks for you help. Maybe it's something else then. The pictures don't capture the look of the wood very clearly as it is coated in a wax film. Next step is to cut it and send it off for analysis. Still debating with myself whether to cut off a slice at one end or cut it down the middle lengthwise.
Ron
Good luck to you.
I struck Black Gold! Or rather Gaboon Ebony! Check the enclosed pics. I finally cut off a small slice. The wood is solid black. No streaks or veins or grain. Just solid black. I think this would rate as AAA grade, very rare Gaboon Ebony. I will send off the sample to the national lab to confirm it but I think the pics tell the story. Wow! This log weighs 96 lbs. Any buyers?
Ron,While you have calculated the volume of the log as 14.42 B.F., you certainly will not get that yield from the log when it is cut into lumber-sized boards for drying. And it is only usable (actual, dried) lumber that commands the $50+ price. Logs are no-where near that valuable.But, yes, when you have the specie confirmed and have determined whether you are going to sell it in its present form, or have it sawed into boards, please post here. I would be interested in buying, as I'm sure a lot of others would.Rich
Rich,
You are correct that cutting into boards would not yield all the wood. But ebony is often used in very small pieces, such as pens and even plugs and stringing, so there should be little waste if one is prudent. It's worth the extra effort to minimize any scrap. Regardless of the size of a piece of ebony, the prices I have seen on the internet run about $70 per/BF or $20 per/lb. Though it is a log it is debarked, sealed, fully dried, and may have been felled decades ago. Based on the size and actual weight, and the fact that a BF should weigh 4.4 lbs, there is not much drying left after cutting. Since it is such a large piece of very solid black ebony, it may command a premium for guitar builders, pool cue makers, and others who have a use for it all. I'll post lab results when I get them. Then I'll have to decide whether to sell it whole or cut into pieces. I'd prefer to sell it whole if possible, and maybe keep a little for my use.
Ron
Ron,You are right about the value of ebony in "small pieces" for specialized uses. For instance, in sizes to make guitar bridges, about 6.5" x 1.5" x 0.5", at about $7.80 a blank, ebony costs upwards of $160/bf!It would take a little labor to cut it to size, but that log would bring you almost $2000 if used for guitar bridges, or other small pieces.On the other hand, the availability of long ebony "lumber" for furniture might be worth almost as much. I've got just such a project. I would much rather use real ebony for the legs of a table I'm designing, but "ebonizing" some other wood might be inevitable.Rich
Ron - Actually, Macassar ebony would've been more valuable than Gabon Ebony in that size. There's quite a lot of Gabon ebony available in the 'states right now - it appears that most of the continent of Africa is being clear-cut.
While it is valuable, I would not expect to get $20/lb.
I'm not expecting to sell it for that much but that's the retail prices that I found on several sites on the internet. I'm just trying to set a fair price, whatever that might be. I don't see ever needing such a large quantityof ebony for the kinds of woodworking projects that I build. I'd rather see it go to someone who can put it to good use.
I'd say slice a hunk off for yourself! Be sure to wax the exposed edge!
One 23 bd ft gabon ebony plank for sale
Rich,
I saw these postings - and although they're older, I figured I'd reach out anyway.... I happen to have a 72" x 13.5" x 3 - 3.5" Gabon Ebony plank I'm seaking a new home for..... If it interests anybody, feel free to respond, and I'll send some detailed pics.....
Thanks,
The Gaboon Baboon.....
One 23 bd ft gabon ebony plank for sale
Rich,
I saw these postings - and although they're older, I figured I'd reach out anyway.... I happen to have a 72" x 13.5" x 3 - 3.5" Gabon Ebony plank I'm seaking a new home for..... If it interests anybody, feel free to respond, and I'll send some detailed pics.....
Thanks,
The Gaboon Baboon.....
I sent a sample off to the US Forestry lab and they confirmed that the log is a species of Ebony. Any offers?
Ron,What is this eBay?Are we allowed to trade on this site? Or should we do this by email?
I would seriously make an offer, but I don't want to violate any rules of the site.Have you considered eBay for this kind of thing? If you go that route, alert us so we can see the auction.Rich
Rich,
Ron also posted in the classifieds here. I think it's fine to make an offer without fear of breaking any rules.
Lee
OK,I'll start the bidding at $50. What are the bid increments?Rich
I have a post in classified and that is where we should continue to discuss the sale of the ebony log. I will post a scan of the letter I sent in Classifieds. The reply is hand written on the letter and has an official stamp from the US Forest Service.
Email is probably the best way to negotiate a price.
RonI'd never noticed the Classifieds section before. I'll take a look there.Rich
What kind of ebony?
Can you post a copy of the letter?
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