There is a tree that grows in the Patagonian region of South America with the genus and species of Caesalpinia Paraguariensis. And its growth has been encouraged in South America much the same way that we encourage oak trees here in the US.
It is considered a "forage" tree by cattle ranchers in Argentina. So where we in the US might encourage the growth of oak trees as forage for deer, turkey, and squirrels, Argentine Gauchos encourage their native Caesalpinia Paraguariensis as forage for cattle.
And the wood of Caesalpinia Paraguariensis is hard and dense, with a fine texture that polishes quite nicely. It also tends to have a lot of character: layers of brown and tan fibers sandwiched between layers of nearly black fibers, oftentimes interlocked in these rich, undulating patterns.
But like many woods from South America, there is a lot of confusion. For instance, there are three or four different woods called "brown ebony" coming out of Latin America these days.
And then there is the confusion that enters when the wood changes hands, and the people who are harvesting it are dealing with a dozen different species of timber, and they look at a stack of lumber, and they can not remember exactly what it was inside that stack.
So they sell the wood to the next guy, and the next guy sells it to the next guy, and by the time it makes its way into the US, God only knows what you are buying, exactly.
But apparently a few folks have recognized the superb qualities of the wood from Caesalpinia Paraguariensis trees and started calling it "Argentine Brown Ebony" to distinguish it from other "brown ebonies" from South America.
Oh, did I mention that Caesalpinia Paraguariensis is not even in the Ebenaceae family? "Argentine Brown Ebony" is about as close to being a true ebony as oak is. It is actually much more closely related to our mimosa and redbud -- being in the family Leguminosae -- than it is being related to ebony.
Yes, I know: confusion, confusion, confusion.
But I have pretty much concluded that, if you look for either "Argentine Brown Ebony" or "Caesalpinia Paraguariensis", chances are pretty good that you will find the particular wood I used to make the pipe below. (Be careful about terms like "brown ebony" without the "Argentine" part, and beware of simply "Guayacán", as there are several different woods being referred to as "Guayacán" these days.)
I purchased my lumber from NCWood on Ebay, but you can also buy it by the board-foot in 8/4 thickness from West Penn Hardwoods, Exotic Wood Group, and others.
If you have never dealt with green wood before, you will probably want to double-check that your Argentine brown ebony is kiln-dried. I personally have seasoned green lumber before with good results, but my method has generally involved sealing the ends with Elmer's glue -- or whatever else I happened to have handy at the time -- and waiting a few years. You may not want to wait that long, so I highly recommend buying kiln-dried lumber from a reputable source like West Penn Hardwoods, etc.
Like I mentioned earlier, the wood is attractive, but you really have to move it around in the light to get the full effect.
It is dense. Argentine brown ebony's density is somewhere in the range of 1,180 kg/m3, which means that it will likely sink in water. Now, I like a heavier pipe because that extra mass makes for a cooler smoke. But a lot of guys like a lighter pipe, so if low-weight is part of your design criteria, you will probably want to stick to a less dense wood.
Argentine brown ebony is hard, but it is not so hard as to be difficult to work. I turned the pipe below on my little lathe with no problem, I will put it that way. But you do get a feel for the wood's fibrous nature, when compared to briar, as you turn it.
You will need sharp chisels, but you will also want to plan on doing some sanding to work your way down to final dimensions. This is more because the fibers seem a little torqued after being turned, and you will get a much better 3-D grain effect if the fibers are in a more natural state.
I do not know if I am explaining it correctly, but hopefully, if you turn some of this stuff, you will see what I mean. It cuts well, but it likes some sanding afterwards.
It is a fibrous wood, but it also has a fine texture. If I had to put it into a context, I would say it is somewhere in the range of, say, maple; Argentine brown ebony is not nearly as fine textured as briar, but it is definitely smooth enough to wax it and be done with it.
And this may or may not be of interest to anyone except for myself, but CITES says that Caesalpinia Paraguariensis is "assumed not to be in international trade." So virtually nobody is using this stuff currently.
Therefore, if we make a few pipes out of Argentine Brown Ebony -- along with a few knifemakers using it for handles and penturners making a few pens out of it -- we are not going to turn Argentine Brown Ebony into the next Brazilian Rosewood. There should be plenty to go around for a good, long time.
I guess I think about that kind of stuff sometimes: sustainability. I like the idea that this wood can probably be used sustainably.
Argentine brown ebony has no discernible smell when it is dry, and it smokes quite well.
I have put several half-bowls of tobacco through the pipe pictured below, and I could not taste anything out of the ordinary, which is strange, because most of the wood pipes I have broken-in had at least a little wang to them on at least a puff or two.
So whatever you choose to call it -- "Argentine brown ebony" or "weird South American coffee-brown kaleidoscope wood" -- Caesalpinia Paraguariensis offers a lot of promise as a pipe wood, I think. It can pack a lot of character into something so small as a smoking pipe. Or it can be purchased by the board-foot and turned into a pipe with dimensions we could never even dream of achieving with briar.
Cheers.
