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Decision of Teak Furniture
by Michael Ochoa
You are contemplating your first purchase of Teak Furniture and
you are wondering if you are making the right decision? Well,
you are and in this quick article, I will explain why I believe
that.
If you already use Teak Wood in some of your favorite outdoor
furniture, then this article will just be fun information for
you to know and share with your friends when they ask you, “why
did you buy Teak Wood” versus?.
It is no surprise, or it should not be, that Teak Wood has been
the favored wood for generations. The secrets of this wood are
out and they have been for a long, long time.
First, a little history lesson:
It is not a well known fact, but is has been written that the
Chinese have been renowned sailors for generations. Many of
their ships were built and designed to not only sail in the
oceans, but also to move up river. Much of the trade then, was
done several thousand miles up river and not out in the ocean.
These ships needed to be versatile, durable, and tough.
The wood used to build these early Chinese ships was Teak. It
is also said that the Chinese shipbuilders would bury the wood
logs in moist soil for years prior to building their ships.
This made the wood much stronger and impervious to anything
that could be encountered on the high seas,including enemies.
Why was this important? It was important because approx. 600
years ago the Chinese were set out on a task by the Ming
dynasty to sail to the edge of the world. Apparently they
circumnavigated the world several times. But this is going off
to another subject. Let’s get back to the subject at hand (I'll
bet you didn't know that you would actually be learning
something too?).
Later in years, British naval ships were made from Oak, also a
very hard and durable wood. The British encountered two
problems with oak: Wood Worms and a lack of Oak trees.
Woodworms were destroying the ships in the British Naval Fleet.
Woodworms were the scourge of wooden ships throughout history.
It could take 850 oak logs to repair one ship. It took a little
over 2000 oak logs just to build one ship. The British needed
ships as they continued for some time to have maritime issues
with the French and to be able to go on to conquer and take
control of British colonies. The British naval fleet was their
primary means to accomplish this.
The Oak supply in Europe was being quickly depleted. They knew
about the Teak wood used on the Chinese ships and how rugged
they were after having run into them, literally in the shipping
lanes. The British had learned how impervious these ships were
to all of the elements at sea: Saltwater, ocean wind, and the
blistering sun. It was also learned then that Teak was found to
not to splinter when hit by gunfire or artillery fire. This was
a very important issue as splintering wood was the chief cause
of casualties among naval warfare in the eighteenth century.
Britain was very interested to grow and produce this wood. The
British quickly realized they did not need to grow Teak Wood as
they could annex those countries where the Teak wood was grown
and have a plentiful supply. India, Thailand and Burma were
quickly annexed into the British empire. It is not to say this
is why the British took over these areas, but it certainly
helped to give reason. Myanmar (formerly Burma), which is just
south of India, and Yangoon became the first places where Teak
was being harvested for British ships. Calcutta was set up as
another British shipbuilding site. All of the British merchant
ships built in Calcutta were built with Myanmar Teak logs which
were said to be the best. Once the wood was depleted from India,
logs were harvested from Thailand and Burma.
Teak forests were quickly being depleted. Teak was now the
preferred wood used for building ships, Yachts, Ocean liners
and furniture. Under ocean conditions, the wood had very little
shrinkage or warpage. This meant little maintenance. The wood
was also impervious to wood rot and insects, like the mighty
woodworm. The famous Ocean liner “Queen Mary” used no less than
1000 tons of teak when built. The British quickly realized the
depletion that was taking place and developed a re-forestation
plan. They appointed a leader to head this new bureau and began
replanting Teak trees on what are now called Teak “plantations”.
A set of very strict laws were enacted regarding who can cut
Teak Wood and who can purchase it. Once these laws were set in
place, one needed to have permission from the British
Government to be able to cut a Teak Tree down and or export it.
Teak was also being used by the locals for huts, fence posts,
and furniture. India is the third largest importer of Teak
today, behind China and Japan. As much as 80% of India’s timber
consumption is Teak. The wood is used in India today for local
consumption; building homes, furniture, fencing, etc. It is the
one wood that can withstand the monsoons, the blistering heat
and the humidity. It is the wood that all other timber species
are compared to.
Teak Wood contains natural oil and Silica (sand) which makes it
impervious to insects, and wood rot. These substances also help
it to maintain it luster for many, many years, but make it a
little more difficult for the manufactures as their blades tend
to dull sooner.
When many of the English ships of WWII were taken apart for
salvage, the Teak Wood decks were re-manufactured into outdoor
furniture like park benches. Even today they can be seen in
many parts of Europe still functioning.
Most of the Teak grown today is grown on Plantations that are
governed by the local governments. The demand for Teak is
growing at an estimated 10% per year. Teak is a heavily
regulated (and rightfully so) commodity, and is sold through
the auction process. Teak is not very easy to get. There are
regulatory permits that must be purchased and other expenses
that go along with regulation. For example, once purchased, it
is usually the purchasing companies’ responsibility to provide
transportation if the wood is to be exported and certain
countries have regulations on how many logs can be exported.
Currently, Java, Indonesia is the largest exporter of Teak.
There are several companies that are located in Java that will
process and fashion the Teak into furniture, or planks for
flooring or siding, and then export the finished item or semi
finished item to countries around the world.
Teak grows very rapidly but still takes approx. 50 years to
mature. Many countries are reviewing the possible rotation
after 30 or 40 years. This is mainly due to the large demand
for Teak. The consensus with this rotation is that the wood
will not be inferior at that rate. There are some countries
that are trying tree rotation after only 25 years. The results
are timber that is smaller in diameter, color, and grain.
So, when add it all up, you get a much better understanding not
only of what the hype about Teak Wood is all about, but the
numerous qualities of Teak Wood and the supply and demand side
of Teak Wood.
Many people for generations have been enjoying the warm
benefits of owning Teak Wood products. Outdoor Teak Wood
furniture is a Standard for many families and in many gardens,
terraces, patios, verandas, ships, and yachts around the world.
If you are investing in outdoor furniture, you really owe it to
yourself to step into the world of Teak.
Michael Ochoa operates Macs Teak Furniture
http://www.macs-teakfurniture.com.
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