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Does anyone have a source for Persimmons that would be long enough for bindings? Better yet a source that has them cut as bindings already? I've seen a few slabs online and they aint cheap that's for sure.

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Since persimmon is a true ebony, I'm surprised it isn't used by domestic builders for bridges and fingerboards.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I use it for bridges and fingerboards, and also for bridge plates. It's not (usually) black, but rather a light gray-brown, so it's not as good for fingerboards as it could be. I usually stain it with a walnut hull tea, which brings it to about walnut color, and doesn't show the dirt too badly. It's not as hard as Africa or Indian ebony, and wears more, and you go through the surface stain. One supplier did work out a method of dying it black all the way through a few years ago, but it was unreliable, and expensive, and people didn't like the idea of paying as much for a substitute as for 'real' ebony, so he stopped making it.

I got a supply years ago from a logger who got in touch via the 'net. I'm also taking a close look at a local wood; hop hormbeam. I've used 'blue beech; the local name for American hornbeam. Both are hard and, tough, light colored woods. American hornbeam has gnarly grain and is hard to work with, but looks really nice with stain and under finish. These are small understory trees that seldom get much more than 12" in diameter or 30' tall; so it might be hard to get anything larger than a fingerboard.

Persimmon used to be used for golf club heads, but these days none of these woods has any commercial importance that I know of, so it's hard to get them. You have to talk to loggers and folks who run small sawmills.

Color is immaterial to me. Hardness, that might concern me. Have not heard of hop hornbeam - sounds interesting. Thanks, Alan - I'll turn on my radar and see what turns up.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

The other common name for hop-hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) is “ironwood”, and for good reason. As Alan stated, it’s an understory tree and doesn’t usually reach large dimensions, although I think one could easily mill fingerboards and bridges. I have many scattered around my house in Québec, under a climax forest of sugar maple, red oak, beech and yellow birch. The “hop” part of the common name refers to the distinctive female catkins that look very much like hops used for beer making.

The hop-hornbeam/ironwood is in the same family (Betulaceae) as another species with very hard word known simply as “American hornbeam”, Carpinus caroliniana. It is also a smaller tree, but would likely yield pieces for fingerboards and bridges. Carpinus is a very large genus distributed throughout the northern hemisphere. Sometimes also known as “ironwood”, its female catkins look more like those of birch.


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Good to be aware that there are three species of “persimmon” common in the US. The American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) occurs in the southeastern US and probably the most common used for instruments. The Texas persimmon (D. texana) is an even smaller tree, but I have heard of someone who managed to mill a fingerboard. Probably the most readily available is the Kaki persimmon (D. kaki), introduced from the orient. While the American persimmon is sometimes eaten by locals, the persimmon seen in grocery stores is usually from Kaki persimmon orchards in California. Wood from decommissioned orchards shouldn’t be too hard to track down before it’s cut up for firewood.


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Looks like I found some so thanks for your replies.

Being that I live in Virginia it's probably the Virginiana that I see growing all over here. I tried to make jelly with it once but apparently I didn't let the fruit ripen on the vine long enough and it was bitter as all be.

Or you didn't peel them perfectly. Even when ripe, the skin usually still has the bitter stuff, and it would only take a tiny bit to ruin the whole batch. Safer to eat them one at a time.

Pretty sure that it's what Lie Nielsen and the new Stanley sweetheart chisels use for handles.

Hi chris . I have quite a bit of persimmon from grandview MO it is very streaky. The stock I have has colour all over the map . Greyish black grey , stark white an black etc . I have used it mostly for ukes. The density an hardness are not consistent. My guess is that it is close to EIR or brw in hardness. One downside is, that it tears readily and does not like to be planed. Sanding is the way to go . Try it? you might like it. If you can get a long enough piece it would make a great fb for elec gtr !. Also when harvesting persimmon wood it dries very unevenly and checks an cracks all over the place, The stock I got had worm holes as well . . If I was cutting it . I would double the FB thickness of green wood. The stock I had was air dried for at least 5 yrs prior to use. Hope this helps. PS I have also harvested hornbeam from the KC metro, I personally would not use it it. I/ve used it on several wood planes and its a bear to plane, chips readily and is very hard , and IMHO a very bland wood. Hornbeam makes excellent mallets. planes. etc. But I would hesitate to use it for fb/s or bridges

Great, Ernie - I need to get down to your place and eyeball that stuff - THIS YEAR!

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

As always , chris ,. you are welcome to visit the shop. Cheers ernie