Cocobolo is a tropical
hardwoodThe term 'hardwood' is used to describe wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood which...
from Central America.
Only the heartwood is used: this is typically orange or reddish-brown in color, often with a figuring of darker irregular traces weaving through the wood. By contrast, the sapwood (not often used) is a creamy yellow, with a sharp boundary with the heartwood. The heartwood is known to change color after being cut, lending to its appeal.
Cocobolo is oily in look and feel, and stands up well to repeated handling and exposure to water: a common use is in gun grips and knife handles.
Cocobolo is a tropical
hardwoodThe term 'hardwood' is used to describe wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood which...
from Central America.
Only the heartwood is used: this is typically orange or reddish-brown in color, often with a figuring of darker irregular traces weaving through the wood. By contrast, the sapwood (not often used) is a creamy yellow, with a sharp boundary with the heartwood. The heartwood is known to change color after being cut, lending to its appeal.
Cocobolo is oily in look and feel, and stands up well to repeated handling and exposure to water: a common use is in gun grips and knife handles. It is very hard, fine textured and dense, but is easily machined, although due to the abundance of natural oils, the wood tends to clog abrasives and fine-toothed saw blades, like other very hard, very dense tropical woods. Due to its density and hardness, even a large block of the cut wood will produce a clear musical tone if struck. Cocobolo can be polished to a lustrous, glassy finish. The high natural oil content of the wood makes it difficult to achieve a strong glue joint, and can inhibit the curing process of some varnishes, particularly oil based finishes.
Provenance
Cocobolo is yielded by two to four closely related species of the genus
DalbergiaDalbergia is a large genus of small to medium-size trees, shrubs and lianas in the pea family, Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. The genus has a wide distribution, native to the tropical regions of Central and South America, Africa, Madagascar and southern Asia...
, of which the best known is
Dalbergia retusa, a fair-sized tree, reported to reach 20-25 m in height: this is probably the species contributing most of the wood in the trade. Because of the wood's great beauty and high value, the trees yielding this wood have been heavily exploited: they are rare outside of national parks, reserves and plantations. Only relatively small amounts of this prized wood reach the world market and it is expensive.
Uses
Besides its use in gun grips and knife handles, Cocobolo is highly favored for fine inlay work for custom high-end
cue stickA cue stick , is an item of sporting equipment essential to the games of pool, snooker and carom billiards. It is used to strike a ball, usually the . Cues are tapered sticks, typically about 58 inches long and 18–21 ounces...
s, brush backs, musical instruments (especially guitars, drums and basses – Alembic Inc. consider cocobolo to be their house wood, and many famous players such as
Stanley ClarkeStanley Clarke is an American jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and bass guitar as well as for his numerous film and television scores. He is best known for his work with the fusion band Return to Forever.- Early life and education :Clarke was...
use such basses – but also some woodwind instruments such as
clarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet...
s and
oboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois", "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
s have been successfully made using cocobolo instead of the more usual
grenadillaGrenadilla is a name given to a number of different woods, all of them strong and dense. A famous wood so named is that of Dalbergia melanoxylon, in English African blackwood and in East Africa known as mpingo)...
(
African blackwoodAfrican Blackwood or Mpingo is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to seasonally dry regions of Africa from Senegal east to Eritrea and south to the Transvaal in South Africa....
), decorative and figured
veneerA veneer is a thin covering over another surface. More specifically, it may refer to:*Wood veneer, a term used in architecture and woodworking*Veneer, a single wythe of brick*Veneer , a thin layer of dental restorative material...
s, bowls, jewelry boxes, and other expensive specialty items. It is also used in making luxury pens. Some cocobolo has a specific gravity of over 1.0, and will sink in water.
Working it
Care must be used when cutting Cocobolo, as the wood's oils can induce allergic reactions if inhaled or exposed to unprotected skin and eyes. A
dust collection systemA dust collection system is an accessory found in commercial and home woodworking shops used to collect wood dust, chips and shavings at the point of origin. Dust collection systems work on the same principle as central vacuum systems in homes: A fixed motor creates suction, which is distributed...
, coupled with the use of
personal protective equipmentPersonal protective equipment refers to protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garment designed to protect the wearer's body or clothing from injury by blunt impacts, electrical hazards, heat, chemicals, and infection, for job-related occupational safety and health purposes, and in...
such as respirators, is highly recommended when machining this wood.