614 - Snakewood

PB614 WA Snakewood Pen Blank, Dense Australian Acacia

WA Snakewood is a slow grown acacia from the arid inland of Western Australia, the same country that produces our Mulga and Minnerichi. It takes its name from the flaky, scaled bark on the standing tree rather than from the figure in the timber. This is one of the darkest Australian timbers we stock. The heartwood runs a deep, near black brown, and the grain moves in tight waves and ripples that catch the light once it is polished.

Where sapwood is present it is a bright golden tan, and the boundary against the near black heartwood is irregular and dramatic rather than a straight line. Some pieces carry patches of tight, swirling figure through that transition. Not every blank shows it. Some are a single dark shade end to end, which turns into a pen as close to black as Australian timber gets.

Worth knowing before you order: this is not the South American snakewood (Brosimum guianense) used for bows and knife handles. The Australian timber is a different species entirely, with its own character.

Like the other hard arid zone acacias, it rewards sharp tools and light cuts. A blunt gouge will burnish the surface rather than cut it, which means more sanding than the timber needs. Sharpen more often than you would on a softer blank. The occasional tight check turns up in slow grown timber, and thin CA wicked in before final sanding cures harder than the wood around it and disappears under polish.

Features

• Dense, heavy Australian acacia, one of the darkest timbers in the range
• Near black heartwood with a tight, wavy grain that lifts under polish
• Bright golden sapwood on some blanks for a dramatic contrast
• Polishes to a natural lustre with minimal finish
• Native Western Australian timber, sustainably sourced
• Supplied dry and ready to turn (not enclosed in wax)
• Ideal for pens, small turnings, and feature inlays

Specifications

• Approx. dimensions: 20mm x 20mm x 130mm
• Species: WA Snakewood, Australian acacia
• Supplied dry and ready to turn

Note: As a natural timber, colour and figure vary from blank to blank. Some pieces carry a band of golden sapwood with swirling figure, others are a single dark shade throughout. Each piece is unique.