Sorry folks, but except for pen blanks, I am completely out of Texas Ebony in any size. I am presently looking for a tree to mill and re-stock, but it will be a few weeks at least.

You might want to check out my fresh-cut burly mesquite on the Mesquite page.

Thanks for looking, Lloyd
Oct. 29th, 2011

Texas Ebony Wood For Sale I have begun cutting, hauling and selling Texas Ebony wood from deep south Texas. This beautiful wood is hard and very dense, and reportedly oily or waxy (although I haven't noticed that so far). References suggest that it machines and turns very well, and finishes to a high natural luster, and I can certainly confirm that - have a look at some of the finished Texas Ebony turnings at my Prairie's End Woodshop. Weighing approximately 63 pound per cubic foot, it is heavier than water (i.e. - it will not float in water). The colors of Texas Ebony heartwood range from a dark chocolate brown (almost coal black) to a dark brown with thin stripes of lighter brown. This banded and somewhat swirling pattern of light brown streaks in the dark matrix resembles cream poured into coffee. When this very dark wood spalts, linear inter-grain areas turn to a light orange-brown, and (rarely) includes small closed, orange-brown circles (spots). The sapwood is a bright golden yellow color, an attractive contrast to the heartwood. I generally water-dampen the surface before taking photos, to suggest what each piece might look like once a finish is applied. As you can see in the example turned vase below, the bark of fresh Texas Ebony is tight and excellent for natural-edge turning. Note : As elsewhere, the dimensions given below are Length x Width x Depth of the blank. Theoretically these numbers indicate the dimensions of the largest bowl, box/goblet or spindle that might be turned from that piece if no flaws are encountered. The approximate weight (in pounds) as well as obvious physical features (checks, etc) are also indicated. Note also that most of these are rough cut. I do not have the time or equipment to routinely surface the cut sides - although sometimes I think that the grain is interesting enough that I will take it to the jointer before I take the photo. Please note - the wood that I presently have is fresh and green - it is not kiln-dried or yet air-dried - so it may not be suitable for turned boxes or any other form that involves precision-fitting parts (unless you employ "green-wood turning techniques). Each block is sealed on the end-grain faces (and sometimes on all cut surfaces) to reduce drying and possible cracking of the wood during storage and shipment. That "waxy" surface you see in some photos (taken after sealing the blank) is just that - a wax emulsion - not an oily Ebony surface. You can see examples of various bowls and vessels that I have turned from these "exotic" Texas woods on our companion website, www.prairiesend.com.

Texas Ebony blanks: Pen Blanks Rectangular pieces, 1-3" thick End-grain pieces, 1 to 1.5" square End-grain pieces, ~2" square End-grain pieces, ~2.5" square End-grain pieces, 3-4" square Square and half-log bowl blanks

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Texas Ebony Pen Blanks 1"x 1"x 6"" I have recently cut and dried a number of Texas Ebony pen blanks. The wood is beautiful and can be finished to a beautiful, high luster. These blanks include a mix of Ebony colors and patterns that ranges from the full dark Chocolate brown of the heartwood to a combination of dark brown heartwood and the bright golden yellow of sapwood, and some include the intergrain bands and the numerous "spots" of dark brown to orange areas of spalted heartwood. If you have a preference, please let me know when you place your order, otherwise you will get a "run-of-the-mill" mix. Texas Ebony Pen Blanks $3.00 each, no minimum.

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Texas Ebony Lot TE-528 2 "x 11-3/4"x 3/4" 1 lb. This is a very nice rectangular block or narrow board of Texas Ebony. It is primarily dark brown heartwood with just a touch of creamy sapwood on part of one edge. The grain pattern is strong and very attractive. There is a small pith (a secondary limb?) that passes thru one side of this board. (lower right side, top photo and upper right side, bottom photo). Several small, short and fairly tight radial cracks (faintly visible on the photos), are associated with the pith and may reduce the effective/useful width of the board to 1-1/2". I see no other cracks, checks or structural flaws. SOLD Texas Ebony Lot TE-528 $15.00

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Texas Ebony Lot TE-529 2 "x 12"x 7/8" 1 lb. This is another nice rectangular block or narrow board of Texas Ebony. It is primarily dark brown heartwood but includes fairly large portions of creamy sapwood on the ends of the backside. The grain pattern is strong and very attractive. There are two prominent borer holes in the sapwood area. They appear to be confined to that sapwood (as is typical for Texas Ebony - too hard for the beetles to chew??). There are also several small, short and tight drying checks in those sapwood areas. One check just does pass thru into the heartwood, but it appears to be very shallow. I see no other cracks, checks or structural flaws. Sold Texas Ebony Lot TE-529 $15.00

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Texas Ebony Lot 527 2" x 3" x 6-1/2" 1-3/4 lbs. This is a very nice block of Texas Ebony - suitable for knife scales, bottle stoppers, or a whole lot of pen blanks. It is about 60% dark brown heartwood and 40% golden yellow sapwood, with a complex grain pattern on one end. It was cut from a large crotch section and the pith of one of the secondary limbs passes thru the center. There is a single radial crack at the center of the pith on one side (bottom photo) that does not extend thru to the opposite side (top photo). There are also several borer holes in the sapwood, all but one on one edge, are very shallow. The other may be as deep as 1/4". I see no other significant flaws. SOLD Texas Ebony Lot 527 $20.00

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Texas Ebony Lot 518 1-3/8 "x 1-7/8"x 11" 1-1/4 lb. This is a very pretty and colorful rectangular block of spalted Texas Ebony heartwood. It is primarily brown heartwood with just a touch of creamy sapwood on one corner. That heartwood includes prominent bands of variably darker and lighter brown colors. The grain pattern is strong and very attractive. I see absolutely no cracks or other structural flaws. SOLD Texas Ebony Lot 518 $15.00

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Texas Ebony Lot 405 1-3/8"x 1-3/8"x 8-1/2" 3/4 lb. This is a beautiful small stick of Texas Ebony suitable for small projects such as bottle stoppers and Christmas ornaments. It is 100% rich chocolate brown heartwood, with a gently undulating grain pattern. I see absolutely no cracks or other flaws. SOLD Texas Ebony Lot 405 $10.00

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Texas Ebony Lot 369 1-1/2"x 1-1/2"x 9-1/2" 1 lb. This is a very nice stick of ~1-1/2" section Texas Ebony. It is almost 100% rich chocolate brown heartwood, with only a thin layer of sapwood on one side (top photo). I see absolutely no cracks or other flaws. SOLD Texas Ebony Lot 369 $12.00

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Texas Ebony Lot 505 1-3/4"x 1-3/4"x 12" 1-3/4 lbs. This is a very nice stick of ~1-3/4" section spalted Texas Ebony. It is approximately 95% rich reddish-brown to golden-brown heartwood, and 5% golden-yellow sapwood. The heartwood includes a nice subtle to strong pattern of dark brown to black, irregular pencil-line spalting that commonly mimics the overall grain pattern. There a several clusters of small burl buds that should be very attractive in the finished turning. I see no cracks or other structural flaws, but there are two thin bark inclusions on one end (lower portion of the annotated face, top and bottom photos). I would reinforce these with thin CA glue before turning. Texas Ebony Lot 505 $14.00 Sold

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Texas Ebony Lot 399 1-1/2"x 1-1/2"x 14-1/4" 1-1/2 lb. This is another long stick of Texas Ebony. It is approximately 70% rich, chocolate brown heartwood, and 30% golden yellow sapwood. The sapwood contains an interesting shading pattern of a light blue-gray and yellow-brown color. There are two prominent borer holes in the sapwood (top photo). Located close to the edge, they should turn off completely as the blank is rounded. I see no cracks or other obvious flaws. Sold Texas Ebony Lot 399 $10.00

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Texas Ebony Lot 377 2-1/8"x 2-1/8"x 10" 2-1/4 lbs. This is an interesting piece of ~2" square Texas Ebony. It is approximately 60% dark chocolate-brown heartwood and 40% yellow sapwood, with a large section of wane (absent bark) on one edge of the sapwood. The heartwood exhibits a strong wavey pattern of "coffee-cream" colored intra-grain laminations. The sapwood includes bands of light blue-gray shading. I see no cracks, checks or other structural flaws. However, there are two large areas of included bark on one end (bottom photo). There are several small and shallow beetle holes and remnants of holes in the sapwood section. Sold Texas Ebony Lot 377 $15.00

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Texas Ebony Lot 457 2"x 2"x 10" 1-3/4 lbs. This is another interesting piece of ~2" square Texas Ebony. It is approximately 60% chocolate-brown heartwood and 40% yellow sapwood, with a large section of wane (absent bark) on one edge of the sapwood. I see no cracks, checks or other structural or cosmetic flaws. Sold Texas Ebony Lot 457 $15.00

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Texas Ebony Lot 458 2"x 2"x 6" 1-1/4 lbs. This is a very nice, small block of ~2" square Texas Ebony. It is 100% chocolate-brown heartwood. There is a small, tight drying check on one end. It is about 1-3/4" long and 1/2" deep on that end-grain face (middle photo, left side). I see no other cracks, checks or structural flaws. Sold Texas Ebony Lot 458 $12.00

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Texas Ebony Lot 424 2"x 2"x 7" 1-1/4 lbs. This is a very nice, small block of ~2" square Texas Ebony. It is approximately 95% chocolate-brown heartwood and 5% sapwood. There are two prominent drying checks on the annotated face. They are faintly visible on the top photo, but they have grown a bit since the photo was taken. The deeper one is ~1/2" where it intersects the end-grain face. There is also one small check on the back side of that end (bottom photo). It is very shallow and cuts across the nearby edge - it will turn off immediately as the blank is rounded. I see no other cracks, checks or structural flaws. Sold Texas Ebony Lot 424 $12.00

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Texas Ebony Lot 491 2"x 2"x 12" 2-1/4 lbs. This is a very pretty 2"-square end-grain blank of spalted Texas Ebony. It consists of approximately 95% heartwood with a small amount of sapwood that will turn off as the blank is roughed out. The heartwood is a nice mix of very dark brown and lighter, reddish-brown to golden-brown color. That linear grain pattern is overlain by a dark brown to black pattern of undulating, frequently grain-mimicking, pencil-line spalting - very pretty stuff. The sapwood is a nicely contrasting golden-yellow and will likely result in a small attractive, spot on one end of the finished form. This block was cut well away from the pith and I see absolutely no cracks or other significant flaws. SOLD Texas Ebony Lot 491 $18.00

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Texas Ebony Lot 434 2"x 2"x 12" 2-1/2 lbs. OK - no excuses here! This is a longer 2"-square end-grain block of Texas Ebony with no apparent "flaws". It is entirely very dark chocolate-brown heartwood with a strong linear grain pattern that lies parallel to or at low angles to the sides. I see no sign of cracks, checks, bugholes or significant flaws in this block. It is very nice piece. Sold Texas Ebony Lot 434 $22.00

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Texas Ebony Lot 424 2"x 2"x 7" 1-1/4 lbs. This is a smaller 2"-square end-grain section of Texas Ebony. It is approximately 95% chocolate-brown heartwood with a very nice grain pattern. That 5% golden-yellow sapwood is shallow and most, if not all, will turn off as the block is roughed to round. There is a single, very thin and tight crack on the annotated face (top photo, thru that small knot). It is off center and appears to be very shallow; most if not all of the crack will turn off. I would simply reinforce it with CA glue before turning. I see no other cracks, checks or significant flaws. Sale pending Texas Ebony Lot 424 $12.00

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Texas Ebony Lot 465 2-5/8" x 2-5/8"x 6" 2 lbs. This is another square end-grain section of Texas Ebony. It is roughly 60% chocolate-brown heartwood and 40% nicely contrasting golden-yellow sapwood. The heartwood is darker with a strong grain pattern just below the sapwood and a lighter brown deeper into the blank. There is a patch of bark and a fairly thick section of phloem on one corner (top photo). Most, if not all, of this bark and phloem will turn off as the block is rounded. I see no cracks, bugholes or excessive spalting. Texas Ebony Lot 465 $15.00 Sold

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Texas Ebony Lot 460 4"x 4"x 12" 9 lbs. This is a very nice 4"-square, end-grain section of spalted Texas Ebony. It is almost entirely heartwood in a reddish-brown color and with a dark brown to black pattern of grain-crossing pencil-line spalting. There is a patch of golden-yellow sapwood and a small patch of bark on one edge and corner - all of which will turn off as the block is rounded. The block was cut well away from the pith but the terminal ends of two pith-related radial cracks are present on one side. The larger and most obvious (and photogenic) is in the outer portion of the backside, at the lower end (visible on both the middle and bottom photos). Most of this crack will turn off as the block is rounded - and I would simply reinforce any remaining with CA glue. The other "crack" is actually a series of very thin and tight cracks (or checks?) in the center of that backside - not very photogenic and not visible on my photos. These appear very shallow and I expect most, if not all, to turn off. I would simply reinforce them with thin CA glue before turning. I see no other significant flaws. SOLD Texas Ebony Lot 460 $50.00

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Texas Ebony Lot 487 3"x 3"x 12" 5-1/4 lbs. This is another beautiful and near perfect 3" end-grain section of spalted Texas Ebony - it is the prettiest block out of this tree so far. It is approximately 80% light to dark brown heartwood and 20% golden yellow sapwood. As with many others, the colors of the heartwood are very dark brown close to the sapwood and a lighter, reddish- to golden-brown color deeper into the block. But in this piece, there are also two thick stripes of dark brown within the lighter brown section - very attractive. Also, as with other blocks from this portion of the tree, the gently curving linear grain pattern is overlain by a dark brown to black pattern of undulating, frequently grain-mimicking, pencil-line spalting - very pretty stuff. That section of the golden-yellow sapwood is restricted to one side of one end of the block, most of which will turn off as it is rounded. The remaining portion should form a nice contrasting color at one end of the finished piece. The block was cut well away from the pith and I see no significant cracks. There is one very small crack close to one corner (bottom photo, top right corner); most if not all of this will turn off and the tail-end, if any remain, should be reinforced with CA glue. The only real flaw that I recognize is the presence of an approximately 3/8th inch-thick phloem layer at the outer edge of the sapwood on that one end (that extends 1-3/8 inchs from that end). If you choose to turn this off, that end of the block will be reduced to an approximate maximum diameter of 2-1/4 inches. SOLD Texas Ebony Lot 487 $45.00

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Texas Ebony Lot 439 7-1/4" x 8" x 2 to 3" 4 lbs. This is a beautiful half-log blank cut from a small Texas Ebony crotch log. It is fairly thin at the upper end so it is suitable only for a shallow bowl of up to 7" in diameter. The heartwood is a dark, chocolate brown with thin to thick intra-grain laminations of "coffee cream" color - this in a strong linear grain pattern with a large area of crotch-related "flame figure". The sapwood is a light brown to yellow with faint blue-gray shading and areas of black pencil line spalting. All of the bark on the backside is gone, so it would not be suitable for a "full bark" natural-edge piece. There also are a number of large and distinctive borer holes in the sapwood so if much sapwood is included in the finished piece, you will have to decide how to handle them (infilled, or left open for "character", etc). Note- since my initial listing of this blank, significant drying checks have developed in the sapwood side. It is now less suitable for bowl turning but still valuable for other purposes such as resawing for segmented turning, bottle stoppers, pen blanks, knife scales and the like. The price has been reduced to reflect that condition. Sold Texas Ebony Lot 439 $20.00

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Texas Ebony Lot 479 6" x 6" x 4" 6-1/2 lbs. This is a deep, square bowl block of spalted Texas Ebony. It is made up of approximately 85% brown heartwood and 15% golden yellow sapwood. The colors of the heartwood range from very dark brown just below the sapwood to a light brown deeper into the heartwood. There are numerous small areas of dark brown to black pencil line spalting. There are also several thin, gaps in the grain pattern (annotated on the enlarged versions of the top and middle photos). These appear to be bark-lined and may be small, thin zones of included bark. The ones visible on the outside of the block are on the back and one side, and will turn off for a conventional bowl form. If similar features remain in the finished bowl form, I would consider filling them with CA glue or colored epoxy. I see no cracks or other structural flaws. There is a large gap on one corner where a bit of complex grain was broken off during sawing. That gap will turn off as the block is initially trimmed or turned to round. SOLD Texas Ebony Lot 479 $35.00

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Texas Ebony Lot 435 6-1/4" x 7-1/2" x 2-3/4 to 3-1/2" 4-1/4 lbs. This is a beautiful half-log blank of spalted Texas Ebony suitable for a bowl of up to 6" in diameter. The heartwood is a dark, chocolate brown with thin, intra-grain laminations and large patches of "coffee cream" color - this in a very attractive and strong grain pattern. The sapwood is a light brown to yellow with faint blue-gray shading with occasional areas of black pencil line spalting. All of the bark on the backside is gone, so it would not be suitable for a "full bark" natural-edge piece. There also are a number of large and distinctive borer holes in the sapwood so if much sapwood is included in the finished piece, you will have to decide how to handle them (infilled, or left open for "character", etc). Note- since my initial listing of this blank, significant drying checks have developed in the sapwood side. It is now less suitable for bowl turning but still valuable for other purposes such as resawing for segmented turning, bottle stoppers, pen blanks, knife scales and the like. The price has been reduced to reflect that condition. SOLD Texas Ebony Lot 435 $20.00

Listing last updated 25 January 2012


Nothing here that suits your needs?
Then send me an email at: l.stahl@maroon.com
or a telephone call at: 281-392-5336
There is a possibility that I have more, either cut into blocks or in the rough log,
so I may be able to meet your specific requirements.
If not - send an email with your requirements and I will put it into my
"wood requested by species"
files and see if I can cut it next time I have a log of that species up on the mill.