Take a fresh look at teak

EIURMA may not be Bunna any- lJmore, but Burma teak is still Burma teak, and it's still available.

The country is now known as Myanmar, and it's the source for the world's best quality and largest reserves of teak. Due to both increasing naturally-growing stands and govenrment-rnanaged plantations, Myanmar's teak growing area covers 66,000 square miles.

Story at a Glance

Native Burma teak available yet costly propeilies similar to walnut ... prized for flooring, loinery, paneling, furnlture, cabinetry, ship decking.

About half of all teak imported by the U.S. comes from Myanmar. Nearly 40% of U.S. teak imports come from lndonesia, with the remainder imported from scattered Burma teak plantations started by early traders in a dozen or so South and Central American, tropical African and island nations (Malaysia Borneo, the Philippines, Java, the Caribbean).

Though available, teak is expensive. It has a well-deserved reputation, similar to walnut's, for its strength and durability, stability in fluctuating aunosphaes and excellent decorative appeariurce. True Burma teak (Tectotw grandis) has a unifomr pale yellow-brown sapwood and a dark golden-brown heartwood without markings, darkening to a mid to drk brown upon exposure. Yet most other types have a rich brown background with darker chocolate-brown markings.

The grain is generally straight in Burma teak, wavy and mottled in Indian teak from Malabar. The texture is coarse and uneven and feels oily, sometimes with a white glistening deposit

The hardwood's weight varies from 38-43 lbs. per cubic foot" averaging 40 lbs. per cubic foot" with a specific gravity of .65. The wood dries well but rather slowly. Variations in drying rates can occur in individual pieces. There is small movement in service.

The hard, medium density wood has medium bending strength, high crushing strength, and low stiffuess and shock resistance. It is bride and fissile (capable of being split along the grain) with excellent dimensional stability and provides fire and acid resistance. Teak can be steam bent to a moderate radius of curvature.

It works fairly well with both hand and machine tools and has a somewhat severe blunting effect on cutting edges, which must be kept sharp. Tungsten carbide-tipped saws are suitable. Fine machine dust can be a serious skin irritant. Pre-boring the wood is necessary for nailing. Gluing is good on freshly planed or sanded surfaces. It stains well and takes a finish nicely.

Though in favorable locations trees can grow to 130-150 ft. high with a diameter of 6-8 ft" wide, they average 30-35 ft. tall and 3-5 ft. wide. The timber is very durable, but liable to insect attack. It is extremely resistant to preservation treatment.

Teak is also lnown as mai sak and pahi (Burma); sagwan, tekku, kyun, sagon, tegina and tadi (India); djati and gia thi (Indonesia), and jati sak (Thailand).

Its many uses include high-end flooring, furniture and cabinet making, decking for ship and boat building, deck houses, handrails, bulwarks, hatches, hulls, planking, oars, masts, higb classjoinery for doors, scaircases and paneling, dock and harbor worh bridges, sea defenses and garden furniture. Its good chemical resistance makes it suitable for laboratory benches, fume ducts and chemical vats. It is cut for all grades of plywood and sliced for decorative and face veneers.