Persimmon wood

[petertay15]

A persimmon tree in south-central Illinois has a 60-foot bole. Friend is invited to harvest it. Anybody have experience with persimmon?

[Phil S.]

He's the entry for persimmon from the Wood Database -

https://www.wood-database.com/persimmon/

[jcousins2]

i've had some experience with persimmon - my first was a great piece of charcoal gray and black color - with nice grain patterns. the second was resawing a green limb about 2' x 4"- when it is first open it is bright white - but very soon in the air it turns a nice yellow - not sure if this will last. but in both cases it is very hard - i think they used to use for golf club heads. it works nicely and finishes smoothly - but not with a lot of chatoyance.
jerry

[AHill]

Persimmon is in the same family as ebony. Harder than heck. Used to be used for golf clubs because of its density and hardness. If you find someone to mill it for you, ask if they are charging a premium, because it's hard on tools.

[Stwood_]

Persimmon is in the same family as ebony.  Harder than heck.  Used to be used for golf clubs because of its density and hardness.  If you find someone to mill it for you, ask if they are charging a premium, because it's hard on tools.

+1


I milled some one time for an old farmer that had lots of timber ground. I think the largest one he had there was 9-10" in diameter.
We got a lot of small boards, and some blocking. Yellow in color, with no distinct grain pattern if I remember correctly.

[jstraw]

I have some and use it for tool handles, mainly chisels. Turns pretty well. A local professional woodworker built a custom piece out of the largest and oldest persimmon tree I’ve seen. Came down in a hurricane. The hart wood is narrow, unless you end up with 14” wide boards.

https://www-woodshopnews-com.cdn.ampproj...-sides.jpg

[TomFromStLouis]

Persimmon is currently in the lead as my favorite domestic hardwood. It is not as versatile as, say, walnut, but stay with me here.

Negatives first: 

• It is extremely unstable when drying and in use. For this reason we have taken to quartersawing persimmon whenever possible, even though most logs lack much diameter. It will still warp on you. We rarely cut less than 8/4 thickness for this same reason. 
  
• The color of the wood may not be to everyone's taste. It is cream colored with smokey streaks of gray, all of which over time mellows to a tan with darker streaks. I like the look myself. 
  
• It attracts powder post beetles.
  
• The heartwood has small amounts of deep black which recalls its ebony relationship, but these ALWAYS have checks. Getting grade lumber from a persimmon log is always a challenge and as a result I make smaller things with it.
  

Positives: 

• Dense and hard with almost no grain direction. As a carver this means I can shape it from any direction and it will do exactly what my gouge tells it and hold that shape for a long time. Despite its hardness I find it a joy to work for this reason. Yes, you must be scary sharp. It will shape like few woods under a rasp. Wood like this is exacting, but if you are up to it the reward is there.
  
• It will take an extremely high polish. As with osage orange, I use sanding disks that go up to 12,000 grit and the result rivals marble. If you’ve ever wanted to burnish wood persimmon is an excellent choice.
  
• Besides golf club heads it has also been used for loom shuttles because it is so resistant to abrasion. If you want drawer runners that will not wear, persimmon might be the choice.
  

[Scoony]

Plane makers use it as the boxing on moulding planes. I have used it on small cutting boards and still have one board in the shop. I really like the grain and texture of the wood.

[alnandy]

A persimmon tree in south-central Illinois has a 60-foot bole.  Friend is invited to harvest it.  Anybody have experience with persimmon?

We’ve worked with a lot of persimmon wood in our shop.  It’s in the ebony family, so it’s hard and machines well.   It does not have a strong grain; nice black streaks near the pith and by limbs.  Easily attacked by insects, so be ready to do some filling.

[Chuck 80]

A persimmon tree in south-central Illinois has a 60-foot bole.  Friend is invited to harvest it.  Anybody have experience with persimmon?

 I would love to watch, That will take a BIG, (Humongus) Chainsaw and some heavy equipment to handle that bugger!!