What Is Acacia Wood?
The genus Acacia, in the family Fabaceae, comprises several hundred species of trees which grow plentifully in temperate, tropical and desert climates across the globe from Africa and India to Australia, the Philippines, and the Americas, including Hawaii. The smaller specimens provide food and habitat for wildlife. Acacia timbers were praised in 18th-century writings as durable and valuable for products such as treenails, ship posts, beams, furniture and cogs; one writer in 1791 enthusiastically proposed planting some 10,000 acres of the tree to provide an enduring source of building materials for the British Navy.
Acacia trees in various parts of the world grow up to about 3 feet in diameter and 40 to 120 feet high. They may have the fern-like leaf structure that is commonly associated with African acacia species, or a broader leaf shape in other parts of the world. The sapwood is typically pale yellow, while the heartwood may be more golden brown or even a chestnut color. The grain is usually straight, but may also appear wavy or interlocked, as in the Hawaiian koa, which produces attractive ribbons, rainbows, fiddelbacks and other patterns, making it prized for veneers.
Hawaiian koa is fashioned into items such as bowls and canoes, and is exclusively used for ukuleles, due to its natural resonance. In the Philippines, acacia species are used for boat-building, cabinetmaking, carvings, furniture, joinery, railroad ties and many other building projects. Other uses for species in the Southeast Asia region include flooring, parquet, stair rails, veneers and wardrobes. Some Central American species grow fat thorns, which are fashioned into jewelry, dolls and other souvenirs.
According to Woodworkers Source, Philippine species such as Albizia procera may be worked easily with ordinary woodworking tools, including hand tools. In general, acacia is reported to be moderately difficult to saw and machine due to its density. However, it can be planed and polished easily. Albizia lebbeck, a widely available species of acacia from Southeast Asia, has an interlocked grain which makes it more difficult to work with ordinary tools. Acacia is high in density and has a bending strength comparable to teak, and takes paint or varnish well.
Parkia pendula is a Central and South American species of acacia that is plentiful and used for rustic and utilitarian furniture as well as concealed components. Acacia mollissima, an Australian and South African species also known as black wattle, is smaller than other species and less suitable for timber or fine furniture; it is used for light construction, pulpwood and paper products. It is especially susceptible to decay and pests such as termites and beetles.
Gum arabic, a thickener commonly added to desserts and candy such as jelly beans, is derived from the acacia.
Patricia Rockwood has been a professional copy editor and writer for more than 25 years. She is an avid gardener with a certified Florida backyard habitat. Rockwood has practiced yoga for more than 40 years and taught for much of that time. She is also a professional mosaic artist.