Knob Thorn, African Rosewood and Ash Traditional Tree

Traditional-style trees made from three woods glued into one blank, running in a gradient from dark chocolatey knob thorn at the base, through red African rosewood, to golden ash at the tip. They’re 14.5cm tall and 4.5cm across at the widest.

The knob thorn, African rosewood and ash tree: golden ash boughs at the top, red rosewood below, and a dark knob thorn trunk and pot

I made them at the same time, and in the same way, as the ash and purpleheart trees. The blanks came from Dalmann UK.

The glued-up blanks before turning: knob thorn, African rosewood and ash beneath, with the ash and purpleheart blank above

The big difference was the knob thorn. It’s definitely the hardest wood I’ve turned to date, and it was really hard work. The colour is amazing, but I’ll be holding the rest back for specialist use in future.

The prototype also taught me a lesson I should have guessed with hindsight: don’t turn a thin trunk on the glue join. Sure enough, the joint failed. Luckily it broke cleanly partway through finishing and I was able to glue it back, so there’s an extra tree at home.

The two compound trees side by side: this knob thorn, African rosewood and ash tree on the left, and an ash and purpleheart tree on the right

Knob thorn is a southern African acacia, named for the thorn-tipped knobs that stud the bark of its trunk.

Finished with chestnut friction polish.