Coconut Wood for Furniture

Coconut is a tropical palm tree that is much grown in coastal areas. This palm tree has an important meaning for human life, especially in tropical countries. Almost all parts of this plant provide benefits for human life. The coconut fruit is used for food. The young coconuts are well known as beach drinks, while the old fruit is used to make cooking oil and many other food ingredients. The coconut also could produce a sweet liquid that is used to make brown sugar.

Instead of his fruit, the coconut tree also has many benefits. Coconut wood has been used to make houses and buildings since many centuries ago. Today there are many gazebos framed are made of coconut wood. Recently, the coconut wood is also used as material for furniture. The uses of coconut wood in the woodworking industry are still not as popular as teak or mahogany, but with the price of wood that is tending to be higher, the coconut wood is becoming an attractive alternative. With the proper treatment, the coconut wood can provide a distinctive appearance and a unique and natural impression in the furniture product. 

The advantages of coconut wood

As a unique wood species, coconut wood has special properties and characteristics that need to be understood when utilized. There are some advantages to coconut wood.

• Durability

Coconut wood that is taken from mature trees is strong and durable; it is hard and has high resistance to the physical distress. This wood is also strong and durable enough to withstand the outdoor weather. The old and aged wood also has durability for the insect. 

• Unique grain and color

The coconut tree is actually a monocotyl wood, but with a 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 a special grain according to its regular patterns of lignin and cellulose 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 considered when utilizing 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 to have high resistance to the insect, but it is still susceptible to the insects attacked. The coconut wood that is highly resistant is the wood that comes from the tree that is aged and cut at the right time. But as with the other wood, the coconut wood is still at risk of getting the insect attacked, although not as much as other popular woods such as mango, mahogany, mende, etc. The preservation with wood repellent chemicals is strongly recommended to minimize the insect problem with 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 of about 10% is recommended.
This wood is hardwood that requires a careful drying process. The drying process with too hot air or too fast drying should be avoided since there is a high risk of damage such as cracked or warped. The wood requires a slow drying process, and the oven temperature is maintained to be in the medium range. Many people still use the traditional way by aerated the wood boards in an open space so as to achieve maximum dryness. Nowadays, with the availability of wood oven technology, we can dry the wood faster with an oven.

• Machining and processing

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

• Finishing for coconut wood

The finishing for this wood is relatively 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 a good option finish for this wood. The wood has rare but large pores; therefore, the filler with proper color is needed to make close pores finish.