THE TIMBER SOURCE, SPECIES & PRODUCTION PROCESS

Timber is sourced predominantly from demolished 'Colonial Buildings' (the days of the British Empire) and from Myanmar traditional 'lucky' homes (see below). Due to increased land prices and poor maintenance buildings are demolished and we are working to preserve these historic timbers from all corners of Myanmar. Some of the timber is in excess of 100 years old and was originally extracted from the jungle by an elephant and mahout. We aim by using reclaimed timber to not add to the destruction of the elephant's home any further. We source the very best timber for our products. The main timber species used are old growth Burmese Teak and Pyinkado. Although not widely used outside of Myanmar Pyinkado is an excellent constructional grade hardwood. It is extremely strong and durable with beautiful coloured heartwood. It ranges in colour from a golden to reddish brown with darker streaks and often speckled with dark spots. Other timbers are considered when they become available including the beautiful Padauk and Thinwin.


'Lucky' Homes

When building a lucky home the owners needed the knowledge of a 'soothsayer' (astrologer). He would inspect the earth dug from the foundation and thus determine a correctly chosen site. He would also state the day and hour to commence the building. Posts were also carefully selected to determine which were feminine, masculine and neuter and also the position and number of the knots. All things had an effect on the owners' fortunes. We hope our products will bring you good fortune too.


Production Process

Our skilled carpenters and wood carvers carefully select timber for a consistent look and style and products are then carefully processed. Where ever possible we try and use only traditional hand tools and limit the use of electricity. Due to the use of reclaimed timbers and the handmade process many of our products are truly unique and we thrive on individuality at Chindits. We are careful to check our products at each stage of production. Later the products are passed to our finishers for final inspection and finishing.