East Indian Rosewood
| Common Name | Bombay blackwood, roseta rosewood, East Indian rosewood, reddish-brown rosewood, Indian palisandre, and Java palisandre. |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Dalbergia latifolia |
| Distribution | This premier timber species native to the tropical monsoon forests of southeast India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. |
| Tree Size | 100 ft (30 m) tall, 2-4 ft (.6-1.2 m) trunk diameter |
| Dried Weight ( average ) | 52 lbs/ft3 (830 kg/m3) |
| Specific Gravity | 70, .83 |
| Janka Hardness | 2,440 lbf (10,870 N) |
With a beautiful purple hue, this Indian rosewood would make an amazing piece of furniture that would look wonderful in your living room. Not only does the Indian rosewood makes an item of amazing furniture but also have you heard of an Indian rosewood guitar. Well, now you have. This wood is also used to make acoustic guitars that give it a sophisticated finish. And don't you worry about what to get your dear pen collector friends. The Indian rosewood is suitable for making pen blanks that have class, character and always leave a statement.
The East Indian rosewood or the Dalbergia latifolia is a type of exotic wood that came into demand when the Brazilian rosewood Dalbergia nigra had to be replaced. In the present, most of the Brazilian rosewood guitars have been replaced with the Indian Rosewood and is found to be better in many of the features.
The East Indian rosewood is native to the low elevation tropical monsoon forests of southeast India. It requires a moist climate. The tree grows to 40 meters in height and is evergreen, but locally deciduous in drier subpopulations.
Color: The heartwood can vary from a warm golden brown to very deep colors as the wood ages. The sapwood is a pale yellow color which in turn develops into this warm golden brown color.
Grain / texture: The wood has a medium texture with fairly small pores. Occasionally very few media to large pores can be seen too. sometimes the heartwood deposits can be seen in the form of tiny rays but these shouldn't be bothersome as they cannot be seen without a lens. the grains appear to be narrowly interlocked.
Odor: Like the many rosewoods, the East Indian rosewood has a pleasant rose-like odor mixed with moisture from the monsoon when it is freshly cut and while it is being worked on.
Workability: Although this wood has so many great advantages and will look amazing as a wonderful piece of furniture right in the middle of your homes, the effort it takes to change this piece of wood to your desired needs can be a bit challenging for the one behind the tools. This wood can take a toll on your tools if not very sharp. This type of wood tends to dissolve into the finishes and bleed into the surrounding areas, therefore alcohol-based wood finishes are highly recommended.
Availability: East Indian Rosewood requires a sufficient amount of time to grow and that is a problem faced by the sellers as they are not able to meet the ever-increasing demand of the customers. These woods are not officially on the CITES list (Convention in the International Trade of Endangered Species) but they are expected to join soon.
Uses: It can be used as a substitute for Brazilian Rosewood in stringed instruments. this wood is increasingly less common these days and is usually exported in small sizes including fingerboards, guitar backs, chair parts, fine furniture, turned, paneling, knife handles, cabinetry, etc.
Exotic Wood Products:
East Indian Rosewood back and sides.
The type of wood used to make the guitar greatly affects the sound, volume, etc. The East Indian rosewood is said to have great resonance and volume that every guitar player needs. it produces a warm sound.
East Indian Rosewood pen blanks.
The wood, when worked upon, produces different designs on them. Therefore each blank produces a different kind of pen. Leaving the user feeling unique as well. These types of pens are a must-have for any and every pen collector.
Rosewood turning blanks.
Woodworkers love Indian Rosewood for its ease in carving and the natural designs that they produce. Its rich and deep colors and swirling grain make each piece unique and natural masterpiece.
East Indian Rosewood bowl blanks.
This East Indian Rosewood, due to its deep purple to brown color, makes spectacular bowls that are each engraved with nature's designs. They can be used as kitchen bowls, cookware, or even a simple and not so fancy showpieces.
Here is the few finished products images:
Frequently asked questions
Rosewood refers to any of several richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. There are several types of rosewood varying from Brazilian Rosewood, East Indian Rosewood, Madagascar Rosewood, Burmese Rosewood, etc.
Rosewoods are slow-growing species and because of this, the sellers are not being able to meet the ever-growing demands of the consumers. Day by day their population is decreasing. Even though there are large plantations in Pakistan, because of the slow growth rate more and more trees are being cut without giving them sufficient time to repopulate. These woods are not officially on the CITES list (Convention in the International Trade of Endangered Species) but they are expected to join soon. Many attempts to save these trees have been undertaken by many governments. They have imposed laws on trafficking these woods either in the raw or finished form. The germplasm resources of Dalbergia latifolia have been preserved and maintained by the Kerala Forest Research Institute in Trissur, Kerala, India.
- Presence of hints of coarse grains with the shiny and silky smooth texture, compared to the glossy finish of artificial polishes
- Even texture with an orange/yellow-red to deep purple with black bars color range: Even if artificial dyes can reproduce the color if with an uneven texture it can be confirmed the product is not made of rosewood. Fake rosewoods products have a thick color or light colors with white color in some space.
- If directly bought from the workshop, the sawdust has a flowery aroma. If not, the product is compromised. Certain showpieces might have an unusual aroma; this is the effect of fragrant aerosol, not the quality.
- A drop of water mixed with sawdust makes the dust submerged and the droplet has purplish precipitation.
- A gentle knock on the wood produces a crisp sound without noise.
Rosewood, any of several ornamental timbers, products of various tropical trees native to Brazil, Honduras, Jamaica, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia, Africa, and India. The most important commercially are the Honduras rosewood, Dalbergia stevensoni, and the Brazilian rosewood.
These are fairly tall trees with dar deep reddish hardwood. these trees have a prominent smell even in furniture made from them which are many years old. The wood is hard and heavy.
The East Indian Rosewood can be a bit difficult to work with if proper and sharp tools are not used. These woods tend to dull the tools. They glue and finish well. But care must be taken while finishing as the natural resins of the wood tends to bleed into the adjacent areas. Shellac is the best sealer for oily woods like rosewood, but you can't topcoat it with polyurethane, as it won't adhere. If you want to finish the rosewood, either spray it with lacquer or apply a coat of resin-based varnish.
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalbergia_latifolia
- https://www.wood-database.com/east-indian-rosewood/
- https://treeplantation.com/rosewood.html
- https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/distinguishing-brazilian-rosewood-from-east-indian-and-other-rosewoods/
- http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/rosewood,%20east%20indian.htm
