phinds

Huh??? It doesn't look the least bit like any cedar I've ever seen. What kind of cedar do you think it looks like?

Well, actually, I'm pretty sure it specifically means dohicky

No, acacia is a GENUS and it has a LOT of species (not subspecies). 20-25 isn't even getting started. Try 400+ just in my incomplete database and David Clark tells me there are over 900 Acacias in Australia and more spread around the world. Eric (the Wood Database that you linked to) says over 1,000

For general information on "acacia", I recommend: http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/acacia.htm

Or African mahogany. Chances of it being cumaru are near zero. Cumaru just doesn't have that strong ribbon stripe

I agree w/ highlander that it looks like some form of mahogany. If you post a clear end grain I can probably tell you whether it is an American variety or an African variety.

Try using a thick washable cloth place mat. That should mask the rocking.

Do your plates wobble? Do you you think any guests will kneel down and look along the edge to see if your table is perfectly flat?

maple is notorious for modest amount of warp. I have a maple dining room table that's done the same thing. I doubt if will flatten.

Best thing w/ cherry is keep the boards out of sunlight, build what you're gonna build, and then let it go back into sunlight or at least indirect sunlight. Cherry darkens to a very rich attractive color over time.

And just to be clear, this is NOT a 100% guarantee that it is Texas ebony, but it is a guarantee that it is not lignum vitae or katalox. My bet is very strongly that it IS Texas ebony but I don't like to imply a 100% ID unless I can see the end grain better.

Yes, they say Texas ebony, not lignum vitae and definitely not katalox.

What do you base that on? I'm not saying you're wrong, since katalox is at least a possibility, but the sapwood does seem small for katalox but right for Texas ebony plus the color makes Texas ebony more likely (but does not absolutely rule out katalox). Coop, is there any chance you could get a very close hi-res pic of the end grain? Texas ebony and katalox are easy to tell apart that way.

Not a snowballs chance in hell

Texas ebony http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/texas ebony.htm