Zebra Wood Tamper

Zebrawood (Microberlinia brazzavillensis) has a coarse-textured heartwood that is pale golden yellow, and features narrow streaks of dark brown to black (zebra stripes), often with an interlocked or wavy grain. Zebrawood can also be a pale brown with regular or irregular marks of dark brown in varying widths. The tree can reach heights up to 150 feet and several feet in diameter, but more typically is about 50 feet high, and commonly grows along riverbanks in the West African countries of Gabon, Cameroon and Congo (its Latin name is derived from the Congo city of Brazzaville).

Because of the striking “zebra” effect, the wood is expensive and therefore produced and used as decorative veneer and inlays for furniture and flooring. It can also be used for skis and tool handles because of its hardness and high density (1000 kg per m3). The wood is quartersawn, which enhances the zebra stripes and improves its stability when dry. The coarse texture and interlocking grain make it challenging to obtain a clean, smooth finish with machine or hand planning, and sanding and polishing is required.

Palisander Wood Tamper

Palisander Wood (Dalbergia nigra) ranges from shades of lemon pink or red-scarlet to bright red or redish-brown, with distinctly darker lines or markings. The species occurs both in rainforest as well as savannah vegetation in Madagascar and belongs to the Rosewood family.

Because of its density, hardness and stability, Palisander is suitable for cabinetry, turning and carving. Palisander is primarily produced as veneers and flooring because of its relative scarcity and high price. It is also used in musical instruments manufacturing. The natural oils in the wood enable a lustruous polish.

Violet Wood Tamper

Violet Wood (Acacia homalophylla) is a rich dark wood with a luxurious straight grain and fine texture. The heartwood has variegated colors with a background of rich violet-brown, shading almost to a black with streaks of violet-brown, dark violet and black, sometimes with golden yellow, presenting an unmistakable appearance. Violet Wood grows as small and slender trees in Brazil and is a member of the Rosewood family.

Because of its relative scarcity and high price, it is used chiefly in veneer form for inlays and marquetry. Violet Wood is a hard, dense (1200 kg per m3) and stable wood, suitable for turning and small accessories. When finished it has a bright luster and high natural polish.

Burled Walnut Tamper

The Persian walnut (Juglans regia) is hard, dense (1000 kg per m3), tight-grained and polishes to a very smooth finish. The color ranges from creamy white in the sapwood to a dark chocolate color in the heartwood. When air-dried, the wood can become a rich purplish-brown. The Persian walnut grows as tall decidious trees in southeast Europe and southwest and central Asia.

Because of its color, hardness and grain, it is a prized furniture and carving wood. Walnut burls (several feet across in size) are commonly used to create bowls and other turned pieces. Veneer sliced from walnut burl is one of the most valuable and highly prized by cabinet makers, prestige car manufacturers and musical instrument makers. Walnut wood has been the timber of choice for gun makers for centuries.

You may also wish to consider our matching burled walnut knockbox.

African Blackwood Tamper

African Blackwood or Mpingo (Dalbergia melanoxylon) has dense, lustrous heartwood that is usually dark-purple brown to black in color with predominantly black streaks. The trees are small (15 to 20 feet tall) and heavily branched, the trunks are seldom straight, the bark is rough with many fissures, and the branches have small spines. The plant is native to seasonally dry regions of Africa from Senegal east to Eritrea and south to the Transvaal in South Africa. The African Blackwood used for these tampers is harvested in the northern provinces of Mozambique.

The tonal qualities of African Blackwood make it particularly suitable for woodwind instruments. It is also used to make furniture. The heartwood is ideal for turning and carving because of its exceptional density (1400 kg per m3). A lustrous finish can be achieved because it is naturally oily and finely grained. It is highly environmentally stable and does not distort when exposed to heat and humidity, which makes it a perfect choice for a tamper handle.

Makassar Ebony Tamper

Makassar Ebony (Diospyros celebica) is one of the plants commonly known as ebony. It is variegated streaky brown and black, nearly always wide striped. The tree grows to 20 feet and is native to Indonesia, in particular the island of Sulawesi, and was named after the main exporting seaport Makassar. This is an exquisite and much sought after wood.

Ebony heartwood is one of the most intensely black woods known, which combined with its very high density (1200 kg per m3), fine texture, and ability to polish very smoothly, has made it extremely valuable for turning and fine cabinetry and joinery. The mechanical properties of this wood make it ideal for a tamper handle.

Nero Matte Tamper

The handle of the Nero Matte tamper is handcrafted from high-grade aluminum and finished with a lead-free, black matte coating.

The piston is turned from the same food-safe stainless steel or black titanium as the other TORR tampers. In comparison to the TORR tampers with wooden handles, the Nero Matte tamper weighs almost 3 ounces more.

Rosso Macchiato Tamper

The handle of the Rosso Macchiato tamper is handcrafted from high-grade aluminum and finished with a lead-free, fire-engine red glossy coating. The stainless steel insert on the top of the handle provides an attractive contrast to the red finish.

The piston is turned from the same food-safe stainless steel or black titanium as the other TORR tampers. In comparison to the TORR tampers with wooden handles, the Rosso Macchiato tamper weighs 3 ounces more.