Persimmon

Prepare for impact

-  Robert J. Settich

Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) is the only true member of the ebony family that grows in North America. But unlike its tropical counterpart and many other trees, the vast majority of persimmon lumber consists of cream-colored sapwood, with only a tiny portion of dark heartwood. Surprisingly, though, its sapwood is more highly prized and utilized. Persimmon trees can reach a height of 60 to 80 feet, with a diameter of up to two feet. The tree has a rating of 2300 on the Janka hardness scale, equal to Caribbean rosewood and far greater than hickory's score of 1820. Persimmon has a significant initial shrinkage rate, accounting for cracks in dried boards and blanks. In addition, the wood can exhibit substantial movement due to seasonal changes in moisture content, even in properly finished projects.

With its density, close grain, and small semiring-porous structure, persimmon is a good wood for kitchen utensils such as cutting and charcuterie boards, rolling pins, spatulas, spoons, and similar items. With its added virtue of shock resistance, it is a good candidate for mallets as well as handles for hammers and turning tools.

Persimmon's hardness made it ideal for weaving shuttles, billiard cues, and shoe lasts, which are the forms for shaping footwear. Later in its history, persimmon gained probably its greatest popular fame as the head of golf drivers. As early as 1900, club manufacturers in golf's birthplace of Scotland began importing wood from America to make clubs with persimmon heads and hickory shafts.

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