lslands off India harbor treasure of hardwoods

Fr ESTING IN the middle

of TI India's Bay of Bengal are the Andaman Islands, a group of 204 little islands and islets about 300 miles southwest of Rangoon, Burma.

This territory of the Republic of India, along with the neighboring Nicobar Islands, boasts ideal natural conditions favorable to growth, Besides the islands' position amid a heavy trade channel, their temperatures are always warm, sometimes hot, and the rainfall is heavy, averaging 120 inches each year. As a result, the Andamans are blanketed with forest-covered interior hills, ripe with fine woods. And the forest produces two economic staples: coconuts, and the trees themselves.

Perhaps the most popular timber is Andaman padauk (Pterocarpus dalbergiodes), referred to in the U.S. as Andaman redwood or vermillion wood. It is a spectacular-looking wood, its heartwood varying in color from a rich crimson or brick red, often with dark red to purplish streaks. to a darker reddish-brown. A broadly interlocking grain gives a nice striped, sometimes curly appearance on quartered surfaces. The texture is medium to coarse.

Padauk is of medium weight, and bending strength, low in stiffness and impact properties. The wood is moderately resistant to termites, with a very durable heartwood. Although a superb turnery wood, it does have a moderate blunting effect on tools as machining is affected by the interlocked grain.

Its many uses include exterior and high-class joinery, furniture, bank counters, billiard tables, decorative flooring and boat building. Local Indian uses concentrate on vehicle framing, building and furniture. Selected logs are sliced to be used as

Story at a Glance

Indla's Andaman lslands rlpe wlth excellent hardwoods.. hardwoods ieaturc wlde range of colorr, pattems and gralne, though most are dlfflcult to work...startllng appearanoe results In more decoratlve than structural uges.

highly decorative -veneers.

Also highly visible is Andaman gurjun ( Dipterocarpus grandiflorus)

These are evergreen-type trees ranging in color from a pinkish-brown to dark brown heartwood, often with a purple tint. The grain is straight to shallowly interlocked, and the texture is slightly coarse but even.

The species is moderately heavy, high in stiffness, bending and crushing strength, but with only medium resistance to shock loads. Like padauk, gurjun is unsuitable for steam bending. The wood is moderately durable, due to its susceptibility to termites and powder post beetles.

Timbers dry slowly, making it difficult to dry them uniformly. Problems include oozing resin, high shrinkage, large movement, distortion (especially cupping) and even slight collapse.

Gurjun is most often used for plywood, though it is also commonly employed in light and heavy construction, wharf decking, bridges and flooring. After treatment, the wood can be used for vehicle construction, sills, wagon sides and floors, and exterior joinery.

The "East Indian walnut," kokko (Albizia lebbek), can also be found in the Andamans. as well as India and

Burma. Its heartwood is a mid-brown with striking, irregular dark brown markings and an irregular, often wavy grain. Texture is coarse but even.

The hardwood is of medium weight, density, durability, bending and crushing strengths, and resistance to shock loads. It is a good steam bending wood. But although kokko nails, screws, glues and finishes well to a splendid, walnut-like appearance if the grain is sufficiently filled, it is quite difficult to work due to its grain and texture.

It produces solid furniture, paneling, carving, boat building and structural items, in addition to its main end-product, sliced decorative veneers for cabinets and paneling.

Finally, the islands are home to marblewood ( Diospyros marmorata) , named for the marble-like appearance of brown-black spots on end grain surfaces. The wood is also known as zebrawood because ofdark brown or black bands which stripe the heartwood. The hardwood is smooth with a fine, even texture and usually a straight grain.

A very hard, smooth finish is obtainable, though marblewood is difficult to work, quickly blunting cutters.

While the timber is heavy, durable and very strong and tough in bending, crushing, stiffness and impact areas, it is preserved for its decorative, not its strength qualities. Cabinetry, inlay, small decorative trinkets, brushbacks, carving, turnery and decorative veneers are all among marblewood's uses.

While we may more frequently come in contact with the Andaman Islands' coconuts, it is their plentiful, beautiful hardwoods that make the more lasting impression.