SHIV SHAKTHI WOOD INDUSTRY

Minjur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

DESCRIPTION:  Padauk (pronounced Pa-DUKE) is certainly a hard wood to overlook -- as well as a hardwood to not overlook! When freshly cut, the wood appears bright orange to reddish-brown, and often features thin, dark streaks. When turning Padauk (Pterocarpus soyaxii), it's easy to be taken aback by the strikingly bright orange shavings flying around. Padauk cuts cleanly and is fairly easy to turn or carve. The wood also possesses a wonderful tonal resonance and is often used to make musical instruments. Padauk has a very unique reddish orange coloration. Unfortunately, this dramatic color is frequently lost due to improper or inadequate finishing. If finished properly, the orange color can be preserved for many years with little to no signs of degradation. (See the article Preventing Color Changes in Exotic Woods for more information.) Padauk is moderately heavy, strong, and stiff, with exceptional stability. It’s a popular hardwood among hobbyist woodworkers because of its unique color. Some common uses for Padauk include: veneer, flooring, turned objects, musical instruments, furniture, tool handles, and other small specialty wood objects. BOTANICAL NAME:  Padauk, African Padauk OTHER NAMES: Pterocarpus soyauxii MECHANICAL PROPERTIES: Heartwood color can vary, ranging from a pale pinkish orange to a deep brownish red. Most pieces tend to start reddish orange when freshly cut, darkening substantially over time to a reddish/purplish brown. Padauk’s initial orange coloration can be preserved through various finishing procedures; see the article Preventing Color Changes in Exotic Woods for more information. WORKING PROPERTIES: Padauk generates a lot of dust when sanded. The dust tends to cling to clothing and skin (giving one a John Boehner-like glow!), which can sometimes trigger allergic skin reactions. As with any potentially problematic dust, it is strongly recommended to shower immediately after stopping work. The longer the dust is in contact with the skin, the greater the chances for an allergic reaction. DURABILITY: Has excellent decay resistance, and is rated as durable to very durable. Padauk is also reported to be resistant to termites and other insects. SEASONING: Dries well, but slowly. Variations in drying rates can occur in individual pieces. Standing trees are girdled and left to dry for three years before felling. Small movement. USES:  Extensively used in ship and boat building for decking, rails, hatches, etc. Furniture and cabinetmaking, flooring, garden furniture, chemical vats, fume ducts, laboratory benches, plywood, and decorative veneers. COMMENTS: Acid and fire resistant.

DESCRIPTION:  Has an orangish-brown color when freshly cut, which ages to a darker reddish-brown. Color between boards can be highly variable. There are also small yellow mineral deposits found throughout the wood, making it easier to separate from other lookalikes. (These yellow deposits are water-soluble and can cause staining.) This wood has excellent strength characteristics, along with excellent stability, making it ideally suited for use as wood flooring and other applications where strength is important. It is commonly used for furniture and other specialty wood items in southeast Asia where this wood grows naturally. BOTANICAL NAME: Intsia spp. (I. bijuga, I. palembanica) OTHER NAMES:  Merbau, Kwila, Ipil MECHANICAL PROPERTIES: Has a unique smell when being sawed or sanded: which can also cause irritation and sneezing. WORKING PROPERTIES: Glues and finishes well, though it can be difficult to saw due to gumming and dulling of teeth. DURABILITY: Merbau is reported to be very durable, and resists both rotting and insect attack. SEASONING: Dries well, but slowly. Variations in drying rates can occur in individual pieces. Standing trees are girdled and left to dry for three years before felling. Small movement. USES: Floor underlayment, cabinets, paneling, furniture fixtures, and general plywood. COMMENTS: Acid and fire resistant.

DESCRIPTION:  Rubberwood is often the most misunderstood species of wood in the furniture industry. In fact, rubberwood is one of the more durable woods used in the manufacturing of today’s home furnishings. As a member of the maple family, rubberwood has a dense grain character that is easily controlled in the kiln drying process. Rubberwood has very little shrinkage making it one of the more stable construction materials available for furniture manufacturing. Like maple, rubberwood is a sap producing species. In the case of maple, it is sap; in the case of rubberwood, it is latex. Rubberwood produces all the latex used in the world for all rubber based products.  There is one more important feature of rubberwood that is very important in today’s world. Rubberwood is the most ecologically “friendly” wood used in today’s furniture industry. After the economic life of the rubber tree, which is generally 26-30 years, the latex yields become extremely low and the planters then fell the rubber trees and plant new ones. So, unlike other woods that are cut down for the sole purpose of producing furniture, rubberwood is used only after it completes it’s latex producing cycle and dies. This wood is therefore eco-friendly in the sense that we are now using what was going as waste. BOTANICAL NAME: OTHER NAMES: MECHANICAL PROPERTIES: Medium bending and high crush strength. Low stiffness and resistance to shock. Fissile and brittle with great dimensional stability. Moderate steam bending characteristics. WORKING PROPERTIES: Medium resistance to cutting tools with a severe blunting effect. Pre-drilling required for nailing. Gluing is good on freshly planed or sanded surfaces. Fine machine dust is a skin irritant. Stains well and takes a satisfactory finish, especially an oil finish. DURABILITY: Very durable. Susceptible to insect attack. Extremely resistant to preservative treatment. SEASONING: Dries well, but slowly. Variations in drying rates can occur in individual pieces. Standing trees are girdled and left to dry for three years before felling. Small movement. USES:  Extensively used in ship and boat building for decking, rails, hatches, etc. Furniture and cabinetmaking, flooring, garden furniture, chemical vats, fume ducts, laboratory benches, plywood, and decorative veneers. COMMENTS: Acid and fire resistant.

DESCRIPTION:  Our premium quality sal wood is a timber species and is ideal for commercial purpose. These malaysian sal woods give simple as well as complex design to the interiors and architectural work. Our range is slightly hard and widely used in building furniture and other industrial purposes. BOTANICAL NAME: OTHER NAMES:  malaysian sal woods MECHANICAL PROPERTIES: Class 2 plywood. Light Red Meranti has a density range from 25-40 pounds per cubic foot. Dark Red Meranti can range from 40-50 pounds per cubic foot. WORKING PROPERTIES: Medium resistance to cutting tools with a severe blunting effect. Pre-drilling required for nailing. Gluing is good on freshly planed or sanded surfaces. Fine machine dust is a skin irritant. Stains well and takes a satisfactory finish, especially an oil finish. DURABILITY: Very durable. Susceptible to insect attack. Extremely resistant to preservative treatment. SEASONING: Dries well, but slowly. Variations in drying rates can occur in individual pieces. Standing trees are girdled and left to dry for three years before felling. Small movement. USES: Floor underlayment, cabinets, paneling, furniture fixtures, and general plywood. COMMENTS: Acid and fire resistant.

DESCRIPTION:  Meranti plywood is produced from several species of trees in the Shorea family. The wood is similar in color and grain to Mahogany. The wood is commonly known as Lauan or Philippine Mahogany. Generally clear face with little to no knots, solid or veneer core, medium density plywood. Available with poplar core or combi core (poplar and tropical hardwood veneers). BOTANICAL NAME: Tectona Grandis OTHER NAMES:  Meranti (Malaysia, Sarawak, Brunei, Indonesia, China), Seraya (Sabah), White Lauan (Philippines) MECHANICAL PROPERTIES: Class 2 plywood. Light Red Meranti has a density range from 25-40 pounds per cubic foot. Dark Red Meranti can range from 40-50 pounds per cubic foot. WORKING PROPERTIES: Medium resistance to cutting tools with a severe blunting effect. Pre-drilling required for nailing. Gluing is good on freshly planed or sanded surfaces. Fine machine dust is a skin irritant. Stains well and takes a satisfactory finish, especially an oil finish. DURABILITY: Very durable. Susceptible to insect attack. Extremely resistant to preservative treatment. SEASONING: Dries well, but slowly. Variations in drying rates can occur in individual pieces. Standing trees are girdled and left to dry for three years before felling. Small movement. USES: Floor underlayment, cabinets, paneling, furniture fixtures, and general plywood. COMMENTS: Acid and fire resistant.

DESCRIPTION:  Burmese Teak heartwood is a uniform golden brown without markings. Grain is usually straight to slightly wavy. Texture is coarse, uneven and oily to the touch, sometimes with a white glistening deposit. Weight varies from about 38lbs to 43lbs per cu. ft. BOTANICAL NAME: Tectona Grandis OTHER NAMES:  Pahi, Mai Sak, Sagwan, Tekku, Sagon, Tegina, Jati Sak, Djati, Gia Thi. MECHANICAL PROPERTIES: Medium bending and high crush strength. Low stiffness and resistance to shock. Fissile and brittle with great dimensional stability. Moderate steam bending characteristics. WORKING PROPERTIES: Medium resistance to cutting tools with a severe blunting effect. Pre-drilling required for nailing. Gluing is good on freshly planed or sanded surfaces. Fine machine dust is a skin irritant. Stains well and takes a satisfactory finish, especially an oil finish. DURABILITY: Very durable. Susceptible to insect attack. Extremely resistant to preservative treatment. SEASONING: Dries well, but slowly. Variations in drying rates can occur in individual pieces. Standing trees are girdled and left to dry for three years before felling. Small movement. USES:  Extensively used in ship and boat building for decking, rails, hatches, etc. Furniture and cabinetmaking, flooring, garden furniture, chemical vats, fume ducts, laboratory benches, plywood, and decorative veneers. COMMENTS: Acid and fire resistant.

DESCRIPTION:  African Teak heartwood is a uniform golden brown without markings. Grain is usually straight to slightly wavy. Texture is coarse, uneven and oily to the touch, sometimes with a white glistening deposit. BOTANICAL NAME: Pericopsis Elata/Afrormosia Elata OTHER NAMES:  african oak , bubinga , irokoPahi, Afrormosia Lumber, Afrormosia Quarter Sawn, Afrormosia Flat Sawn. MECHANICAL PROPERTIES: Medium bending and high crush strength. Low stiffness and resistance to shock. Fissile and brittle with great dimensional stability. Moderate steam bending characteristics. WORKING PROPERTIES: Medium resistance to cutting tools with a severe blunting effect. Pre-drilling required for nailing. Gluing is good on freshly planed or sanded surfaces. Fine machine dust is a skin irritant. Stains well and takes a satisfactory finish, especially an oil finish. DURABILITY: Very durable. Susceptible to insect attack. Extremely resistant to preservative treatment. SEASONING: Dries well, but slowly. Variations in drying rates can occur in individual pieces. Standing trees are girdled and left to dry for three years before felling. Small movement. USES:  Teak Substitute, Flooring, Not Recommended for Outdoor applications. COMMENTS: Acid and fire resistant.