Our Woods
African hardwoods are famous for their beauty and durability, and the greatest of all is Zambezi Teak, formally known as Rhodesian Teak. Zambezi Teak has the consistency of steel and whilst this quality makes it virtually indestructible it also renders it a difficult substance to work and mould manually. Specialised equipment is needed for all aspects of manufacture – cutting, planning, sanding, etc. Much of the reclaimed timber that is used has to be carefully examined for ‘foreign objects’ such as brass spikes that were used to attach rails to sleepers. If a circular saw hits one of these that is the end of the saw and is very dangerous for anyone close by. Sanding of hardwood is extremely dusty and is a long and painstaking process. After manufacture the finished item is waxed and varnished with several coats of a strong, long-sting varnish, with sanding in between, to get that perfect finish. The beautiful, rich, golden brown grain, darkened to a deep red brown with age is simply one of the most attractive furniture woods in the world.
Our Zimbabwe partners specialise in the recovery of antique timbers of the highest quality from sources in Central Africa, harvested up to a hundred and fifty years ago to build factories, sawmills, railways, houses, and other buildings. They then refurbish the wood at their Victoria Falls factory and reworks the wood into beautiful furniture.
Rhodesian Teak is harvested from the huge forests growing on the largest expanse of sand in the world, the Kalahari Sand Veldt. This expanse of sand extends from the Northern Cape through Botswana, Western Zimbabwe and Zambia, Angola, Congo and into Gabon. All harvesting is done on a strictly sustainable basis with extensive audits to calculate sustainable off take volumes under strict supervision. People from the communities living near the forests are employed for this, so it is in these communities’ interests to actively preserve the forest around them. If they did not garner such a good living from the forest they would be forced into slash and burn farming. This would be an environmental disaster. The wonderful Zambezi Teak forests would be lost for ever (over one million six hundred thousand hectares in Matabeleland North alone, with millions more in Zambia, Botswana, Angola and the DRC), and the fragile soils of the Kalahari sand veldt would soon become desert wasteland. The sustainable utilisation of these forests is essential to their preservation.
We use and market Timberlife Wood Products 
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