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| Home Painting Skills and Basics Paperhanging Home Decorating Interior Decorating Wood Identification |
SandalwoodSandalwood has been prized since classical times both for its oil and its wood. True sandalwood from India is  considered to produce the best-quality wood and best yield of oil, but closely related species with aromatic woods occur in Australia and on many Pacific Islands. In many parts of the world, quite unrelated but scented woods are sometimes known as sandalwood. Indian sandalwood, from southern India, mainly Mysore, comes from a small tree parasitic on the roots of other trees; the wood is so valuable that the tree is not felled Dut uprooted, and every piece containing heartwood is kept. Sandalwood has a very fine and even texture and a straight or irregular grain; it is pale yellow-brown when freshly cut, but darkens on exposure to a medium brown; it has a characteristic and persistent aromatic scent and a slightly oily feel. It is heavy, about the weight of rosewood. Sandalwood dries slowly but without splitting; it saws readily and is noted for its excellent working properties; it carves especially well. It is very durable. Sandalwood has two main uses. Heartwood chips and shavings are distilled to give sandalwood oil, used throughout the world for perfumery; solid wood is used for carving, especially for fancy boxes, picture-frames, combs, paper-knives and similar small objects. It is traditionally burnt as incense at Hindu funeral services. Oil from East African muhuhu may be used as a substitute for sandalwood oil. Extract from 'The International book of WOOD' curtesy Michael Beazley Publishers Limited 1979. |
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