Architect turns to coconut wood for making furniture

Architect turns to coconut wood for making furniture

By Bambang Tiong

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Creativity can lead to a potential gold mine.
An architect from Bantul district, Yogyakarta has proved this to
be true. In his hands, glugu (coconut wood), which is usually
used as building material, has been turned into various
attractive items with high marketability.

Nurdi Antoro, who formerly designed and constructed buildings,
now produces furniture and tableware made of this wood.

A sturdy raw material is needed to produce a good product.
Ferry Santoso, Nurdi's assistant, said coconut wood from a
coastal area is good because its water content is low and the
wood is tough. To make good products, the wood must come from a
coconut tree that is over 35 years old with a diameter between 20
centimeters and 30 centimeters. Sumba, Riau and Manado are places
from which coconut wood meets the above criteria and is usually
available.

The wood, purchased between Rp 300,000 and Rp 350,000 per
cubic meter, is transported by truck to the workshop in Pleret,
Yogyakarta.

The lower part of the trunk is chosen for tableware because
the wood grain is very clear. When it is made into plates, bows,
salt and pepper shakers, spoons, forks or trays, the product will
look more artistic.

"In the case of furniture, the grain can be made visible with
the help of melamine. Melamine is also useful as a preserving
agent," said Nurdi.

The workers use simple tools, such as an ax, a carving device,
a plane, a lathe and sandpaper.

In joining the wooden pieces, they never use nails but bamboo
pegs and glue instead.

To make tableware, the device used is a dynamo-driven lathe
and sandpaper. "We do not need to join pieces with pegs or glue
them together because the items are made from a whole piece of
wood," Nurdi said.

It usually takes three weeks for two craftsmen to make one set
of furniture from a tree trunk.

To add a graceful appearance to an object, the grain on the
surface must be given prominence while efforts must also be made
to emphasize the naturalness of the furniture. For this purpose a
solution called milk liquid made from a number of materials,
including melamine and some additives, has to be used.

A set of tableware, comprising 4 place settings of plates,
spoons, forks, bowls, glasses and other dinnerware, plus kitchen
utensils, may be completed in one week by two craftsmen. The
items are usually not colored or given any melamine to ensure
that they look natural and also that they will not be harmful to
health.

"Foreign buyers are very serious about the health aspect. They
are afraid of a reaction produced by chemicals," Nurdi said.

He added that tableware such as plates, bowls and glasses
remain durable in quality up to 60 degrees Celsius.

A set of regular-sized furniture measuring 40 cm by 40 cm by
40 cm with a head support of 80 cm high, plus a table measuring
90 cm by 90 cm is sold from Rp 1 million to Rp 1.5 million,
depending on the model. A set of tableware consisting of 10 items
is sold from Rp 500,000 to Rp 1 million, also depending on the
items.

Nurdi said the biggest domestic demand comes from
Bali where some 35 sets of furniture and tableware are sold a
month. The company has exported an average of 75 sets of
tableware products to Singapore, Spain and France. "We have never
exported furniture because usually we send our products abroad by
sea and we are afraid that the color will dim as the lining
substance, which is made of a kind of oil, will be contaminated
by the sea air," he noted, adding that these items should be sent
abroad by air.

Nurdin's company, Griya 70, which is now dealing in
construction, interior designing and furniture making, was set up
in 1994. In 1997, it began to produce furniture and tableware
made of coconut wood. Nurdi is assisted by two staff members. One
is assigned to administrative affairs while the other is an
architect who oversees 20 experienced craftsmen.

The craftsmen are paid in two ways. First, the craftsmen are
paid between Rp 12,000 and Rp 15,000 a day, depending on their
skills. Second, for every item they make on order, the craftsmen
are paid about one third of its overall price.

Yanto, a craftsman who has been employed since the company
began to produce furniture made of coconut wood, prefers the
contractual payment system as it drives him to work harder. He
said the better the items they make, the more orders the company
receives and, as a result, their earnings also increase. Bukori,
30, agreed with Yanto and added that he liked working there
because, apart from the income, his superior treated him like
family.

Occupational safety is important in this company. All the
employees, most of whom come from rural areas, have to use gloves
and masks while working.

"Coconut wood has very fine fibers and there is a fear that
these fibers will be inhaled into the lungs. Also the wood chips
are very sharp and can get into the pores," he said.