Mango Wood Furniture – What Is It? Where Does It Come From?
Many people have never heard of mango wood, knowing only of the fruit of the same tree (Mangifera indica). This magnificent species of tree is native to India but over the years has been exported all over the world and is now cultivated on all continents. Preferring a warm climate which is free from frost, the tree is most notably grown in Asia and South America, mainly for its fruit.
Mango fruit trees are a fast growing, large tree which have been known to grow to over one hundred feet tall and up to a diameter of five feet. This long lived evergreen flowers in small, white bunches and has leaves which start off orange in colour then turn through red to green as they mature. The fruit takes between three and six months to ripen and is very popular in Asian and Indian cuisine.
While mango trees are an extremely long-lived species, as the tree ages it will eventually stop producing fruit. Once a tree reaches this stage, it is cut down and replanted and the trunk is used for beautiful mango wood timber. In its native India, the timber is commonly crafted into furniture, culinary equipment, vases, bowls and decorative carvings and is becoming more and more popular in Western countries.
Mango timber is a relatively hard, dense timber but is deceptively light. It has a wondrous close grain which varies in colour within each tree, changing from a light tan colour all the way through green and grey hues to a mid to dark brown. It is this stunning grin which makes mango wood desirable for furniture and provides a charming rustic look to any home.
Mango wood is especially notable for its use in both rustically styled and more modern furniture and carvings as it is a lot easier to cut than tougher hardwoods such as mahogany or teak and looks especially beautiful when used for turnings or in large flat panels which allow the full range of colours present in the grain to show through.
As the mango timber comes from a tree which is grown primarily for its fruit, the wood is actually a recycled waste by-product. The perpetual turnover of these large trees means that mango wood is an extremely sustainable and ecologically sound material for furniture production. It would be extremely wasteful to not use such a beautiful timber and so the mango farmers sell on this wood to local woodworkers to subsidise their income.
Most mango wood products found in western countries are fair trade items. This means the highly skilled craftsmen that produce the furniture, as well as the farmers that grow the wood, are paid a fair price for their produce. As the cost of living in India is substantially lower than that of the UK and US, added to the recycled nature of the timber, means that furniture and decorative items produced from this versatile wood are not only affordable but also provide a good living for the traditional craftsmen and farmers whose hard work produces them.
If you enjoyed this articles, and would like to find out more please visit Mango Wood Furniture. This particular article is written by James Rockford, who has a passion for furniture and also writes regularly for sites likeOak Sideboard amongst others.
