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Featured Category:
MASKS
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Wood & Metal Properties
Magnolia
More commonly known as "Magnolia" wood, it is also known as "Kepelan" in Indonesia.
Its' scientific name is Manglietia Glauca and it is favored for making
furniture and carved panels. Magnolia wood is very hard but chips easily
making it difficult to carve. Therefore, it is never used to carve statues
or sculptures. It has a brown color appearance which is typically improved
to a glossy finished with a brown stain.
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Grey Hibiscus or Waru
Better known as Waru in Indonesia, grey
hibiscus is known in the scientific community as Hibiscus Tiliaceus. It offers
high quality wood that is white to light gray in color which could sometimes
be mistaken for crocodile wood. However, the center of the wood is dark gray
and at times, almost black in color. As a result, grey hibiscus wood can
offer a gradient of color that will yield excellent wood carvings. It can
also be well-sanded down to a smooth surface and polished to a shiny gloss
with natural or brown shoe polish.
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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. |
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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. |
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Chinaberry
Chinaberry's formal name is Melia Azedarach. It is a medium density hardwood
and coarsely textured. Due to this texture, chinaberry wood carvings are
finished with paints or partially painted. However, if it is properly
finished, this wood can be quite smooth and the visibly irregular patterns
will enhance its appeal. Chinaberry wood comes in a natural ran and light
yellow color.
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Jackfruit
Jackfruit wood is also widely known as "Ketewel" in Bali 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. |
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Mango Wood
Mangifera Indica Anacardiaceae, or simply Mango tree, has some wonderful
qualities. First of all, it bears abundance fruits that enjoyed by many.
Mango fruits turn yellow, sweet and soft when ripe compared to its crunchy,
slighly green and typically sour younger siblings.
When it
reaches 20-30 years old, mango fruit yield and quality drops. As a result,
mango wood is also harvested for its unique quality. Tree sections are left
to dry for a period of time before being cut into manageable pieces for
artisans to work with. Resulting dried wood are dried in a kiln before being
crafted into various designs and color finishes. Its deep and generally rich
color lends itself naturally to a contemporary feel. Mango wood can be
splash-proof to water when waxed, further enhances its usability and
durability.
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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.
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Satin or 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.
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Rain Tree or Suar Wood
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.
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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.
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Black Rosewood
Also known as "Indian Rosewood", "Sonokeling", "Sonobrits" or Dalbergia
Latifolia, black rosewood is a high premium quality wood. Because of its
premium stature, it is typically used to produce high end pieces such as
ornamental gifts, wood carvings, decorative paneling, furniture, etc. Black
rosewood is very similar to Ebony wood which is an even higher quality wood. |
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