it's indigenous to australia mate, not our shores...
Hi Steve....I have three big half-rounds; sections of log, about 2ft diameter and 18" long, cut along the pith line. They are amongst a batch that a turner in Worcester had amassed over the years, all of which had come from a friend of his, who is a tree surgeon. So I'm guessing that this must have come from a big country estate somewhere, and must have been one of those specimen trees that the Victorians loved to plant in the grounds of country houses.
smoothish grey bark similar to beech.
....but the bark is nothing like beech, having been very deeply textured. I found these images this morning, on Wikipaedia. The first is remarkably similar to the half-round logs that I have, especially the texture of the bark.....
....and the timber shown in this image from Wikipaedia shows a timber that is very similar to what I've just turned (it's not unlike laburnum).
One fact that I have come across several times, is that there are over 1300 sub-species of acacia, so I guess that we can't generalise too much about it. I normally use
www.wood-database.com and I tried in vain to find their search-tool last night.....but found it this morning (I must have been having a senior moment last night). They identify the acacia known as Australian Blackwood that you mention, Steve, and it is quite similar to mine, but they also mention an acacia with the bizarre name of Raspberry Jam, which is remarkably similar to mine.....and could explain the sweet, fruity smell that I encountered when turning it.
Les
