Rattan to make furniture

Rattan is a natural forest product. It is mostly found in the Indonesian tropical forest. Rattan plants live by wrapping and twisting on the other tall trees to grow and get sunlight. Rattan is a kind of tree with a long rod that is strong, flexible, and unique. Rattan rods can then be cut, slashed, and woven to make many patterns. While the rattan rod can be bent and curved to make frames in any form. The rattan tree is a vine plant that lives by climbing the big trees in the forest. The rattan plantation is a good way to preserve the forest, because by taking the cane only and leaving the big trees mean maintaining the forest. The rattan that is harvested from the forest must pass a series of processes to become the finished product that can be used for human life. Here is the process of the rattan becoming the furniture.

rattan furniture

The processing to produce semi-finished rattan.

 
This process starts from the harvesting of rattan from the forest. Rattan is cut and cleaned from its leaf to make a long, wet rod. The rattan needs to be dried before it can be used to supply the rattan industries. There are several ways to cultivate the rattan. The first is by frying the rattan in the special mixed oil. The frying can make the dry rattan quick to prevent fungal and insect attacks. Frying the rattan also helps to make it be a more even color. This process also works to clean the wax coating that sticks to the rattan skin. After being fried, the rattan rod needs to be washed and cleaned of its oil and sap. Then it needs to be dried until it reaches a standard moisture content (about 10%).
Freshly cut rattan also can immediately be immersed in an insect repellent solution and then dried. The drying with the oven is recommended, since the drying can be faster and better controlled. Natural drying will require more time and have a high risk for fungal attack.

Cutting and slicing the rattan.
 
The dry rattan, then, is sent to a furniture or handicraft factory to be processed to make many products. Rattan can be cut to make rods in the required size or peeled or sliced ​​to produce weaves in any pattern. The rattan rod is used as a framework or leg, while the woven ones are used as panels, walls, or accents for the furniture.

The outer shell is usually separated and has a higher value because it is stronger, more flexible, and has a clear and bright appearance. The rattan rod with the skin also has a higher price than the rattan peel. The rattan peel has a rough surface because of its fibers and has a rather dull appearance.
In the furniture factories the rattan sticks can be cut and shaped to any size and certain forms to make components. Rattan can be heated with steam and bent or curved to make any form. The rattan sticks, then, are assembled with rattan wicker and other components to make furniture. Rattan can be combined with wood or metal to make furniture.

steamer to process the rattan

Sanding process to the rattan.

 
The unfinished rattan needs to be cleaned of its dirt. The peeled rattan will contain many fibers at its surface. The fibers can be cut by a sanding process or burning. The controlled fire can be directed to the rattan to burn the rattan fibers. Sanding is required to clean the fibers that are still left at the rattan surface. The sanding is also needed to the rattan skin to clean the residue of the rattan wax that may still be attached to the surface.

burning the rattan to clean up the fibers

Finishing the rattan.

 
The finishing for rattan is principally the same as the finishing for wood. The materials used are the same materials that are used for finishing the wood products. But finishing for the rattan products should be more accentuated to the unique shape of the rattan, whether it's its bent rod or its woven pattern.
We need to differentiate the rattan into two parts, the skin part and the peeled part. The rattan skin is a very dense material; it has very little absorption of the finishing materials. Rattan skin also contains wax that can interfere with the adhesion of finishing materials to the rattan surface. Some finishing materials suppliers provide a special material to handle the rattan skin. The finish layer for the rattan skin cannot be too thick since it increases the risk of adhesion problems.

While the peeled rattan tends to have a rough surface. It has a lot of fibers that will raise and stiffen when it is layered with finishing material. It also has high absorption of the finishing material. More coating layers and sanding processes are needed to make the smooth finish surface.