Artisan Rustic Indian Furniture produced from
Solid Sheesham, Acacia, Mango and Oak
exclusively from The Natural Selection Furniture

About our Indian Furniture and Oak Furniture with information about how to care for it

Every piece of wood is unique. The beauty of handcrafted furniture is it's individuality. Our furniture is handcrafted by skilled craftsmen in Rajasthan and as such, is not without it's imperfections.

Our ranges aren't machine made, molded or mass produced, we don't use mdf, chipboard or melamine - they are created individually from Sheesham, Oak, Mango, Fruitwood and Acacia hardwoods.

All measurements on this web site are approximate and do vary slightly from one production run to another as everything is hand made and not mass produced.

Timber information

Hardwood is a natural material which reacts to its environment. All the hardwoods used in our furniture are kiln dried to reduce the moisture content to match the average UK environment. This minimises the effects of changes in relative humidity which causes movement in the furniture.

Please bear in mind, however, that it is impossible to prevent some slight movement in natural materials such as hardwood. This can be minimised by the application of beeswax polish (Briwax or similar) which should be periodically applied as per the manufacturers instruction. This will also help to prevent any incidence of drying and cracking. Any split or scratch marks which do occur can easily be rectified with an appropriately coloured wax, wood filler or touch up pen.

Please note that there will also, to some degree, be small amounts of wood filler applied to knots in the wood. Again, this is part of the manufacturing process and is considered to be part of the character of the furniture, serving to add individuality to each piece.

Although the manufacturing process allows for normal swelling of the drawers and doors, in extreme cases some household environments may cause more swelling than normal, particularly if placed near a heat source. This will generally settle, but on very rare occasions this movement may not settle and a small amount may need to be trimmed from the door or drawer - in this case it is best to trim from the bottom of the drawer. Application of an appropriately coloured wax will finish the adjustment.

Caring for your furniture

The most important care for your furniture is to avoid any unnecessary drying, which can lead to cracks or splits, follow these simple guidelines to ensure you treat your furniture with the care it needs. * Treat with beeswax (available from any hardware store) as soon as you receive your furniture.

* Repeat treatment every 3 months to feed the wood and enhance the finish
* DO NOT USE ANY silicon based polishes, they can react with the stain and excessively dry out the timber
* As with any wood product, do not put your furniture next to a direct source of heat
* Any split or scratch marks which occur can easily be rectified with the appropriate coloured wax or touch up pen We also recommend that you wipe up any spilt liquids immediately and avoid placing very hot objects directly onto the surface of your furniture.

Sheesham hardwood

Most of our ranges are manufactured from solid Dalbergia sissoo (sheesham) or as some people like to call it Indian Rosewood, it is one of the most useful timber sources of India. The heartwood is very hard and close grained with a specific gravity of 0.62-0.82. It seasons well and does not warp or split; it is extremely durable and is one of the timbers least susceptible to dry-wood termites in India. Wood offers resistance to sawing and cutting but is excellent for turnery, takes a good polish and finishes to a smooth surface. It is used for high quality furniture, cabinets, decorative veneer, marine and aircraft grade plywood, ornamental turnery, carving, engraving, tool handles and sporting goods. Its root wood is used for tobacco pipes. In village industry Dalbergia sissoo (sheesham) is popular for doors and windows.

Tree management. A fast-growing species; growth rates of 3.7m in 1 year, 5m in 3 years, 11m in 5 years and 15m in 10 years have been recorded. Dalbergia sissoo (sheesham) plantations are established in block or strip plantations at 1.8 x 1.8m to 4 x 4m. Closer spacing is used for straight timber of good quality. When the canopy closes, at about 6 years, 30-40% of the stems are thinned to selectively remove suppressed, diseased and badly formed trees. Thinning is recommended every 10 years where the rotation is 30-60 years. There is evidence that the stumps begin to lose vigour after 2 or 3 rotations when managed as a coppice crop. It coppices vigorously up to about 20 years of age.

Acacia Hardwood

Our Kerala Range is manufactured from solid Acacia which grows all over the world and in particular in Northern India where our furniture is produced.

This tree can be raised either from seed, from cuttings, or by grafting; it will grow in any soil that is not too wet, and is a quick-growing but short-lived plant; but the quality of its timber undoubtedly varies according to the character of the soil in which it is grown. It may reach a height of seventy or eighty feet, with a diameter of two, three, it has been known to reach forty feet within ten years, sometimes making shoots eight or ten feet long in a single season.
The wood of the best varieties, when well grown, is hard, strong, and durable, takes a good polish, and is prettily veined with brown. Besides its use in ship-building and for agricultural purposes, it is employed in India for the sills of doors and windows, for cabinet work, and in the making of toys. When quite dry it weighs forty-eight pounds per cubic foot, being, in fact, heavier, harder, stronger, tougher, more rigid, and more elastic than English Oak. Speaking absolutely, however, it is an inelastic wood, to which quality, coupled with its hardness, it owes its value for treenail's. Acacia wood is somewhat twisted in its growth, and liable to crack, while the branches break off in a brittle, splintery manner.

Mango Hardwood

Our Chennai Range is manufactured from solid Mango wood which grows all over the world and in particular in Northern India where our furniture is produced.

Mango wood is a hard and dense wood and is excellent for making furniture, provided it is properly seasoned in salt water and kiln dried. It is greenish-brown or yellowish in colour, coarse-textured, medium-strong, hard, durable in water, easy to work with and finishes well. Seasoned and kiln dried mango wood is able to retain its diverse hues and shades, allowing each piece of furniture to exhibit colour variations unlike any other wood: from a multitude of browns, to shades of yellow. Furthermore, cutting the wood in various directions reveal different grain textures which resemble that of mahogany, oak, teak and other type of trees. Furthermore, because mango trees are almost always replanted when cut down, mango wood makes for a very responsible choice of wood.

American White Oak Hardwood

Our Brisbane, Melbourne & Canberra Ranges are manufactured from solid American White Oak.

White oak is similar in colour and appearance to European oak. The sapwood of American white oak is light coloured and the heartwood is light to dark brown. White oak is mostly straight grained with a medium to coarse texture, with longer rays than red oak. White oak therefore has more figure. White oak machines well, nails and screws well although pre-boring is advised. As it reacts with iron, galvanised nails are recommended. Its adhesive properties are variable, but it stains and polishes to a good finish. The wood dries slowly and care is needed to avoid checking. Due to its high shrinkage, it can be susceptible to movement in performance. The heartwood is resistant to decay, extremely resistant to preservative treatment, and the sapwood is moderately resistant to treatment.

The characteristics of real wood

We have put together a series of pictures below to illustrate various markings that our furniture has and the reasons for them. This can also be downloaded as a Adobe Acrobat File by clicking here.