Ok people, I thought this was ebony, this is a BLACK wood, it also has stripes, AND curls. It has a radiant grain.
I don't know what it is. I don't have much of it since I had to take apart a small stand to get it (the stand was trashed by the previous owner) but it should be good for some decorative work.
When I first saw it I was thinking it was an artificial wood, or some man-made plastic wood look-alike. But it cuts like wood, sands like wood, smells like wood and splits like wood. Oh, the shine is from belt sanding with 80 grit.
The pictures I took are not so great, but will give you an idea of what it looks like. Anyone know what it is? I didn't find anything like it on the websites that have been posted in this thread.
Aloha, Tony