The term “rosewood” or “palisander” is used to refer to a variety of wood species. “Rosewood” offers many things. Strictly speaking, only woods of the Dalbergia genus deserve this designation. The best known examples of this are Rio rosewood(Dalbergia nigra), East Indian rosewood = indon. Sonokeling(Dalbergia latifolia), Amazonian rosewood(Dalbergia spruceana) and Honduran rosewood(Dalbergia stevensonii). Other Dalbergia species have their own names without the suffix “rosewood”. Examples include the prized East African grenadilla(Dalbergia melanoxylon), cocobolo(Dalbergia retusa), kingwood(Dalbergia cearensis) and rosewood(Dalbergia decipularis / D.frutescens). Most of these species originate from Latin America.
The basic color varies considerably from wood species to wood species. Dalbergias all have relatively large pores, in contrast to ebony with its numerous, extremely fine pores. Sapwood and heartwood are also sharply delineated, with ingredients occurring and sometimes visible in the pore grooves in the longitudinal section. Very decorative overall. Considered a precious wood.
The density at u=12% is approx. 0.80 t/m3 for Indian rosewood, otherwise well over 1.00 t/m3. When drying thick cross-sections, there is a risk of cracking and deformation. Otherwise, the wood is easy to dry. Processing is unproblematic. Smooth and closed surfaces can be created without great effort. Irritation of the mucous membranes can occur during processing, especially with cocobolo.
| References: |
Lounge Chair by Charles and Ray Eames “Anniversary Edition” for 999 pieces Flute headjoint, Honduras rosewood, Flute Fairy, GB & Munich |
| Sources: |
ATIBT (1990): Atlas de Maderas Tropicales de América Latina GOTTWALD (1970) Wood identification of the most important commercial timbers RICHTER, H.G. (1988) Wood as a raw material for making musical instruments, Moeck-Verlag |
Seat shell: rosewood
