Dalbergia Sissoo Sheesham WoodWhen it comes to buying furniture, one of the primary concerns that consumers have is the quality of wood used. Sheesham wood, widely considered to be among the best, is hence a good choice, thanks to its strength and durability. A native of India and Iran, sheesham is the common name used for the Dalbergia Sissoo species which is also known as Indian rosewood or Bombay blackwood.

These trees are usually grown in an altitude of 3,000 ft to 4,500 ft and they are largely adaptable since they can survive in alluvial, sandy and saline soils alike. Sheesham is a deciduous tree and it can grow as tall as 80 ft. It is grown extensively in the Indian states of Bihar, Punjab, apart from parts of Pakistan and Iran. It can endure temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius and an average rainfall of close to 80 inches a year interspersed with about three months of drought.

Sheesham finds maximum use in the wooden furniture industry and is the most sought after wood type among buyers too. Considered among the highest quality of timber, sheesham wood has to be seasoned well before it is ready for the manufacturing process. This is usually done in closed chambers with hot air for about a week or two. Throughout this period, the moisture level has to be maintained at about 5 to 6 percentage for thinner pieces of wood, while for thicker pieces it is about 11 percentage. This is the ideal moisture level that this timber is supposed to have to avoid cracks.

The tree is susceptible to fungal attacks though. As per Indian news reports, the government (of India) had expressed concern over the decreasing number of sheesham trees and this prompted scientists in the country to even develop a new species of sheesham that is not so vulnerable to fungal attacks. Reports state that one will have to wait for at least 14 years or so to arrive at a conclusion about how effective the experiment will be.

Sheesham is however different from teak, though both are hardwood varieties. Teak is essentially grown in India, Burma, southeast Asia and even parts of the Caribbean and is used to make floors, veneers, countertops, doors, windows, columns, beams and so on. Teak has a high oil content making it resistant to insect attacks and is hence also used in outdoor furniture. Sheesham wood, on the other hand, is used extensively to make cabinets, shelves and so on, besides being used to make chairs, tables, beds and other kinds of furniture. Besides, it is relatively affordable too.

With a little bit of proper maintenance, your sheesham wood furniture will continue to remain brand new. For starters, keep your sheesham wood furniture indoors as much as possible and ensure that it is not exposed to direct sunlight or high levels of heat as this may alter the moisture content in the wood. Regular cleaning and dusting will make your furniture last longer. In addition, you could also polish it occasionally, say once in three to four months, with beeswax, for instance, to ensure it does not lose its sheen. It is advisable to always clean in the direction of the grains in the wood and if you happen to spill something on it, do not fret; simply wipe it with a soft cloth.

So, given all its obvious advantages, perhaps it’s time you decked up your home with Satara’s range of sheesham wood furniture.

 

Image Source:

By Khalid Mahmood (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons