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Types Of Wood
Information on Teak,Mahogany,Crocodile,Suar and Ebony Wood.The types of wood used for the manufacturing of indoor,outdoor Furniture and Woodcraft.Crocodile Wood
Scientifically known as the Zanthoxylum Rhetsa, crocodile wood is native to the lowlands from India to the Philippines. The name originates from Indonesia which is commonly known as "Panggal Buaya" to the locals. This literally translates to "crocodile teeth" due to its many knobby, tooth shaped protrusions that cover the trunk of the tree. Crocodile wood is usually white in color with occasional dark narrow stripes and a light purple center. Due to its white and smooth appearance, it has been likened to ivory and hence, known to many also as the Ivory of Woods. Generally, the older the tree gets, the darker is its color. Crocodile wood possess straight grain and medium hardness making it easy to carve and polished to a beautiful natural finished condition.
Rain Tree or Saur
Rain tree or scientifically known as Samanea Saman, is widely traveled. Also known as "Suwar" or "Suar" in Indonesia, rain tree is a native of South America but dispersed through out the tropics stretching from Asia, Africa, etc for at least a hundred years. Rain tree is a very hard wood that comes in a delicately natural brown color. it also has a straight grain and rather coarse texture which makes it easy to carve. It's huge trunks found in mature trees make it a likely candidate for creating large wood carvings. Because of its fast-growing traits and easily replaceable, rain tree wood is the favored wood for importers outside of the tropics. Its crisscrossed interlocking grain eliminates cracking due tin dryer environment. In addition, rain tree can be finished to a fairly high gloss to further bring out its beautiful natural brown appearance.
Jackfuit
Jackfruit wood is also widely known as "Ketewel" in Indonesia or "Nangka", which translates to Jackfruit in Indonesia. It is a strong, hard and durable woods suitable for carving sculptures, musical items and general carpentry use. With its deeply interlocked grain, it resists cracking under exposures to the elements. It naturally comes in lemon yellow however, it tends to darken to a light brown tone with age. It grows well especially as a shade tree and for its abundance fruit yields that many enjoy.
Ebony
Ebony's scientific name is Diospryus Sp. and it is found in mainly in Africa, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and other Asian countries. It comes naturally in a solid black, dark brown or black and brown with lighter streaks. Ebony is a hard and dense wood. As a result, ebony wood is a prized wood for high end decorative carvings and for musical instruments such as piano keys, violin finger boards, pegs and check rest. Lighter ebony wood is also used in golf club heads because of its excellent resistance to impact.
Mahogany
Better known as the Myroxylon Balsamum in the scientific community, Mahogany is widely distributed in South America spanning from southern Mexico through Central America and all the way down to Argentina. The very fine and even texture, along with its striped figuring, complements the attractive natural dark to reddish brown color. Its grains are typically interlocked. One a freshly cut surface, it has a medium to high gloss in addition to emitting a pleasant spicy scent. In addition to being recognized as a beautiful wood, Mahogany is more well known for its strength. It has excellent durability and toughness. It sands beautifully to a high natural polish and shine. Therefore, Mahogany is generally a prized materials to use for furniture, boat/yacht building and high end decorative products only. In recent years, Mahogany has also been used in wood flooring as well as an active ingredient in some perfume
.Teak
More commonly known as teak wood, it originates from Tectona grandis. Teak is native to Asia and are found in abundance in India, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Borneo, etc. Teak tree grows to a height of 150 feet with a straight solid trunk and matures after about 40 years. Teak wood possesses a beautiful golden to dark brown color but it also comes in a reddish brown tone. It has a straight grain and contains natural oil that adds to its natural appearance and resistance to elemental exposures. Therefore, teak wood is the favored for furniture and boat building. Its medium density and high toughness lends to an easier time for artisans to carve. Finished carvings are extremely durable and most attractive left in its natural state.
Albesia or Belalu
Albesia wood is a pretty common wood and is native from India to the Philippines. It's also spelled Albecia by many and its formal scientific name is Ablizia Falcata. It is typically white in color however, certain regions may produce a light brown coloration at the heart. Due to its irregular grain, Albesia is usually used for simple and inexpensive painted wood carvings.