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Coconut wood for furniture


Coconut tree
 
Coconut is tropical palm tree that is much grows in coastal areas. This palm tree has an important meaning for the human environment. Almost all parts of this plant provide benefits for human life. The
coconuts fruit is used for food. The young coconuts is a well known as beach drink, while the old fruit is used to make cooking oil and many other food ingredient. The coconut also could produce sweet liquid that is used to make brown sugar.
Besides the fruit, the coconut tree also has many benefits. Coconut wood is used to make house and buildings since many centuries ago. Today there are many gazebo are framed with coconut wood. Recently, the coconut wood is
also used as substrate for furniture. The use of coconut wood in the woodworking industry is still not as popular as teak or mahogany,  but with the price of wood that is tend to higher, the uses of coconut wood is become an attractive alternative. With the proper treatment the coconut wood can provide a distinctive appearance, unique and natural impression in the furniture product. 


Coconut wood for furniture.

To be used as raw material in the woodworking industry, the coconut wood requires correct processing. Here are some things to be considered in the processing of coconut wood.
  •   Wood treatment.
Coconut wood is susceptible for the insects attacked. In the past traditional people can preserve the wood by traditionally method. The coconut wood will high resistant to insect attack if it cut at the right season. But now when the woodworking industry requires the supply of raw materials every time, the method is difficult to be done.  Now we can use anti insect chemical to overcome the insect attack. The coconut wood should be soaked in a liquid insecticide before being dried and go for woodworking industry. The anti insect repellent also can be thinned with solvent and be applied to the dry wood.  
  •  The drying of the wood
Coconut wood as well as other wood must be dry when processed in the woodworking industry. The coconut wood needs to fulfill the standard moisture content at the woodworking industry. For the furniture product, the wood moisture content about 10 % is recommended.
This wood is hardwood that requires careful drying process. The drying process with too hot air or too fast drying should be avoided since the high risk of the damage such as cracked or warped. The wood requires slow drying process with the oven temperature is maintained to be in the medium temperature. Many people still uses the traditional way by aerated the wood boards in an open space so as it achieves it maximum dryness. Nowadays with the availability of wood oven technology, we can dry the wood faster with oven.
  •  Use the coconut wood which is age enough.
Coconut trees are planted mainly for its fruit. Therefore as long as he is still productive then the tree will not be cut. The young trees would be more advantageous to produce the fruit. Usually the trees are cut when they are already too old and not productive anymore in producing coconut fruit.  The fact is the wood from young trees will have a relatively low quality wood. The wood from young trees will higher shrinkage and more susceptible to defects and insect attack. Young coconut wood also has light color and relatively plain grain looked, which is not very interesting in the appearance.
  • Finishing for coconut wood
The coconut tree is actually a monocotyl wood. It does not have a cambium as the dicotyle wood. As the monocotyle tree, even the  coconut tree wood has a hard and strong structure, the coconut wood does not have the grain as the wood from the dicotyle trees. The coconut wood has grain pattern from its regular patterns of lignin and cellulose are scattered along the wood plank. The wood grain pattern could be relatively monotonous, but with the distinctive dark color from its cellulose and the light color from its lignin, the wood can produce a distinctive and attractive appearance.
The finishing with transparent color is the most interesting choice. Finishing a solid color is almost never used for this timber. AC, NC, PU coating or varnish application with thin stain or no stain is good option finish for this wood. The wood has rare but big size pores, therefore the filler with proper color is needed to make  close pores finish. 

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