|
Teak / Jati / Tectona
Grandis
Tectona grandis
is the Latin name for TEAK, a
hardwood of the family Verbenaceae
Characteristics of the teak tree and its
location
Tectona Grandis is said to be indigenous
to India, Burma, Thailand, Indochina and
Java. It has been extensively planted
for timber or as an ornamental within
its natural range and throughout the
tropical regions of the world, including
East and West Africa, as well as Cuba
and the Caribbean, and South America
from Panama to Brazil.
Tectona grandis, is not a timber from
tropical rain forests, and indeed, teak
cannot grow in rain forests - it is a
deciduous tree which grows particularly
well in the dry, hilly terrain typical
of plantation forests in Southeast Asia.
Specifically in Java Indonesia, Perum
Perhutani is the government agency which
is responsible for managing Indonesia's
extensive forests and plantations. Java
has very large Teak plantations which
were first planted by the Dutch in the
early 1800's. These plantations are now
well managed by Perum Perhutani.
Perum Perhutani operate a strict policy
regulating the number and size of trees
which can be felled, as well as with
regard to the numbers of trees which are
replanted to maintain the productivity
of the teak forests for future
generations. The teak plantations
produce a high value crop that is a very
valuable source of income in their local
area. And the associated furniture and
timber products industry provides
regular local employment to many
thousands of people.
When plantation grown the tree will
attain a height of up to 45m [150ft]
with a dia. 1 - 1.5m [3 - 5ft]. It will
be ready for harvesting at around 50 -
60 years. If well maintained the tree
can produce a clear stem of up to 30m in
length giving a high timber yield. It
produces a very large leaf similar to a
tobacco leaf which is around 12" long
and wide.
Characteristics of teak wood
Teak is an extremely dense [40lbs cu ft
when dry] coarse grained hardwood.
Teak wood is generally straight grained,
but occasionally wavy. It has a coarse
and uneven texture. The wood contains a
high level of silica which causes rapid
blunting of cutting edges. When fresh
cut the surface of the wood is dull in
appearance, and the timber has a
distinctive, pleasantly aromatic odor
which has been likened to the smell of
leather. Fresh sawn teak has a slightly
'oily' feel due to the high oil content.
One of the most commonly quoted facts
about the characteristics of teak is its
durability. It is resistant to rot
caused by fungal decay, and the high
level of resinous oil present in the
timber helps to act as a natural insect
repellent giving the timber very high
resistance to attack by termites and
other wood boring insects.
The timber is said to be resistant to
water and many chemical reagents,
including acids. It does not have a
strong reaction when it comes in contact
with metals.
All these statements regarding the
durability of teak are born out by the
fact that we can see many instances of
the timber which have withstood the test
of time when used as key components in
the boat building industry, or more
sedately when used for making municipal
furniture for our parks.
All our
Teak Furniture is manufactured from
genuine Teak.
Teak Wood [Tectonis Grandis]
Real Teak, First Quality Tectona Grandis
Teak Furniture From Teak Etcetera
Caring for Teak Furniture
|
