Types of wood | Teak, Rosewood and more
Often people are wondering what kind of wood should go into their furniture or wardrobes. What made us write this piece today was for the very same reason. Most of us hear “Teak” as the first choice of wood. Of-course there are other types of wood out there as well. We covered MDF boards on Aavaas in the past. Today we hope to give a small brief of the other types.
Image Courtesy : buildingconservation.com
a) Teak
An undisputed first choice for making furniture and doors, Teak has come a long way from being a practical choice to a lifestyle statement. Its prices are always on the rise and coupled with the fact that it’s maturity time varies between 50-70 years, purchasing it is easier said than done.
Teak is classified as a hardwood due to it’s properties. It is famous for its weight (heavy feeling) and durability.
b) Rosewood
If teak is the king, then rosewood would be considered to be the queen of wood. It is heavy and hard. Rosewood is noted for it’s stability and resistance to decay. Being dark reddish brown in color has perhaps earned it the name. Good quality rosewood also possesses a distinct fragrance.
c) Rubberwood
A new entrant into the furniture scene in India, Rubberwood is from the same tree which is used to extract latex for manufacturing rubber! It is sturdy and cheaper compared to the king and queen woods we mentioned above. Very few people are even aware of such types of wood.
It is estimated to be nearly 30% cheaper than traditional types of wood like teak or rosewood which are also tough to source. Although lighter than teak, rubberwood still has a good density and is quite resistant to screw and nail withdrawal. This means longer life for your fixtures. Rubberwood is also easily available as its maturity varies between 7-16 years.
d) Plywood
The first three wood types are naturally occurring. Plywood like MDF is artificially created.
Plywood is preferred by many carpenters because it is cheap, resistant to cracking, shrinkage and has a high degree of strength.
You can read all about Plywood at Wikipedia – - > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plywood
More on types of wood can be read here, here and here. We will cover laminates in the coming days.
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What was the main wood used for windows 100 years ago in Jodhpur, India.
please differentiate between teak and rose wood, based on their characteristic strengths and other properties.
teak is using for furniture like door,window,chair and teak is verry beautyful its a golden color after work especially Nilambur forest teak (“World famous”).If you want to know more about teak wood pls contact “thanveervp@gmail.com”,” Mob:09995854534 “
Hi,
From my architect, I came to know there is one type of wood named as “Douglas” which is cheap from other woods and worth to use in Doors / Windows but when I reasearched about this wood. I didn’t get anything about this “Douglas” wood.
Can anybody help me so that I can decide like whether I should go with or not.
Thanks in advance.
-Arvind Saini
Hi Vivek
I am a brand-new wood worker(as a hobby) mainly scrolling and intarsia ,seeking your advice on the natural colored wood available in India as the second part of my hobby (intarsia) requires different colored wood in a single project,as for scrolling plain wood sheets of 6mm size varies depending on the design.
Will you be kind enough to let me know what names should I use while approaching the timber market and also please if you have any idea of the cheaper soft and hard wood.
I was away for 34 years and now that I have returned back to my homeland I have no clue where to start with the main ingredients for my hobby.
I shall really appreciate your help .
Have a good day!
Regards
Mahendra
which is d cheapest wood?
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