The Great Demand for Shorea Wood Products
Shorea is a scion of the hardwood species that belongs to the Dipterocarpaceae family. It is mostly grown in Southeast Asia. Shorea has many characteristics that are similar to teak from the US. Shorea is just heavier and a bit denser than teak. Budget-wise, it is always a better option because it is way cheaper.
The Strength of Shorea
One characteristic that the Shorea is known for is its strength. Shorea is also widely admired because of its resistant to strong weather conditions and elements. Shorea is a very dense tightly-grained wood and raw material. Its texture, however, is fine and even. Both Teak and Shorea are used for in making furniture, especially outdoor furniture sets. It is worth stressing, however that Shorea is a lot cheaper compared to Teak, not to mention the fact that it has an abundant supply.
Due to the strength and durability of Shorea it has been used for building ship for major shipping companies, heavy construction, and heavy-duty furniture, and for veneers. Another important attribute of Shorea is that even if it is left outside over extended periods of time, it can survive anything from weather to insect-infestations. Shorea is widely used for heavy construction wood in Holland due to the fact that the timber from the Shorea group that have been buried in mud for a century. When they are dug up the Shorea timber still do not show any sign of decay or deterioration.
Shorea Harwood
Hardwoods could be described as wood of non-coniferous tree species, and could be deciduous or ever green. So far it’s the Meranti that's most dominant of the Shorea species, but they all have similar properties. And Meranti is divided into two species, and the timber of these species are further divided into two which is the light red and the dark red and it's based on wood density than heartwood color. While the light red Meranti is easy to work with, its texture is coarse, while the grain is interlocked and give a stripped or ribbon effect on the surface. While the dark red, as the name implies is darker in color but it has a higher density and uniformity of color.
The timber actually works well with all kinds of hand tools, but there just need to be some adjustments on the machine knives and the saw blades due to variation in density and grain patterns because of some differences in the species. The only exception to this is the white Meranti, which causes problems when sawing by quickly dulling the cutting edges. Sometimes special knife blades are needed if one wants to have a satisfactory surface finish. The Meranti species finish well; it's just that some do have furry or woolly finish because of the interlocked grain. And it can also take nails and screws well, but sometimes there would be tearing that occurs, while doing cross cut and pre drilling is a must near the ends in order to avoid splitting.
Because of its strength and durability, Shorea is the choice wood for light construction and also for veneer making. And also because of its natural resistance to decay, it’s being extensively used for exterior finish for the boat building industry. The Shorea hardwood is mostly for internal applications, architraves, door jambs, and wall paneling. While the dark red Meranti is priced for staircase building, entrance doors, and furniture.
Shorea definitely is the most recognized and used hardwood finishing timbers around.
Our Shorea Patio Furniture is made of high quality Shorea and will give character and beauty to any backyard or outdoor setting
