Hobbies And Interests
Color
The outer sapwood of the blackbean tree yields wood from white to yellow in color while the hardwood, or center of the tree, offers wood colored dark brown to almost black. Parenchyma tissue surrounding the wood's pores form the white to gray streaks. Blackbean trees grow as tall as 131 feet (40 meters) in height and just under 4 feet (1.2 meters) in diameter.
Texture and Grain
Blackbean is a coarse, porous wood that contains medium to large vessels, or pores. The wood's oily consistency gives it a greasy feel and makes it difficult to glue, but the wood polishes well. The wood's grain may be wavy or interlocked and unlike many other trees, blackbean trees do not contain growth rings to indicate the tree's age.
Durability and Finishing
A moderately hard wood, blackbean timber requires extremely sharp cutting tools but nailing and screwing are done with ease. To prevent splitting, blackbean should be air dried slowly and with care prior to firing in a kiln. If not seasoned properly, blackbean timber exhibits irregular shrinkage and may collapse.
Because of its unique coloring, blackbean typically does not require staining. Its large pores, however, may require filling before the wood can be stained.
Conductivity
Blackbean timber boasts low conductivity and due to its insulating properties it is sometimes used for electrical manufacturing, including switchboards, electrical instruments, appliances, and electrical fittings and measuring instruments.
Resistance to Bugs
Blackbean heartwood resists termites to a moderate degree, but wood-boring powder post beetles may infest the sapwood.
Hazardous Qualities
The blackbean gets its name from its pod-like fruit, but the seeds of that fruit are poisonous. In addition the dry dust of blackbean trees may result in severe irritation to the nose and throat, upon exposure.