Coconut wood for furniture

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.

Instead of his 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 material for furniture. The uses 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. 

The advantages of coconut wood

As unique wood species, coconut wood has special properties and character that need to understand when utilize it. There are some advantages of coconut wood.

• Durability

 Coconut wood is strong and durable, he has high resistance to the physical distress. This wood is also quite strong to withstand the outdoor weather. The old and aged wood is also has durability to the insect. 

• Unique grain and color

The coconut tree is actually a monocotyl wood but with the strong structure. It does not have a cambium as the dicotyl wood. The coconut wood does not have the grain as the wood from the dicotyl 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 things to be consider when utilize the coconut wood 

To be used as raw material in the woodworking industry, the coconut wood requires process processing. Here are some things to be considered in the processing of coconut wood.

•   Wood treatment.

Even the coconut tree is considered has high resistance to the insect, but it is still susceptible for the insects attacked. The coconut wood that has high resistant is the wood that comes from the tree that is aged cut at the right time. Most of the wood are still high risk to get the insect attacked.  The preservation with wood repellent chemical is strongly recommended to minimize the insect problem to this wood. 

•  The drying process 

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.

• Machining and processing

It may the biggest challenge when do the coconut wood. This wood is composed of a composition of hard and sharp wood fibers that must be handled properly.   The wood need with special treatment in cutting, forming and sanding process to make a smooth and safe surface. 

• Finishing for coconut wood

The finishing for this wood is relative limited. It does not have the special grain and pores as other wood. 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.