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Many visitors to the holiday island of Bali are charmed
and sometimes overwhelmed by the choice of solid wood
furniture on display and at such attractive prices.
After all there is nothing to match the beauty of
natural wood - properly finished, and the temptation to
replace all that chipboard and laminate back home with
the real thing is strong indeed. Many holiday makers are
put off when they discover the price of transporting
back to their countries which often is far more than the
cost of the product itself!.
For those who cannot resist, what lies in store for them
when their new purchases finally arrive back at their
eventual destination? How is the inexperienced buyer
able to discern the factors that will determine
satisfaction with their new purchase? Freshly finished,
it may look nice in the showroom, but what is it really
like?
Let's take a look at the elements that go into your
Balinese furniture. Where do we start? Well why not with
the wood itself. It may be from Teakwood - good quality
Indonesia Teakwood, properly finished although not as
fine as the more famous Burmese variety has great
natural beauty. Indonesia Mahogany is an inferior and
lighter wood - not at all like the West African variety
favoured by the great European pioneers of Cabinet
Making. It is also very prone to worm infestation and
great care should be taken to check the product for
those powdery dust deposits that confirm their unwanted
presence. Other woods like Albasia are favoured by
carvers for ease of working.
Where was your furniture made? It may have been made in
Bali but the chances are that it was made in Java. After
all the biggest centers of furniture wood and production
are in Java. Huge factories often with International
investment turn out furniture for the mass produced
market.... but the furniture you see on display in Bali
probably originated from small workshops in the villages
or "kampung".
Many "kampung" operations are capable of producing a
high quality product, there is no shortage of skilled
woodworkers but due to economic pressures there is a
high percentage of substandard workmanship - in a
shortsighted effort to save cost.
When you first view that chair or cabinet - it may be
difficult for you to discover if it has been properly
constructed with joints in the correct places - perhaps
it is just glue that holds it together. In one year it
may be reduced to a pile of wood pieces...it happens!
Check the drawers......sometimes they are only half the
depth of the space they slide into..
That table top looks nice and thick...or is it just a
frame hiding matchwood thin planks inside.
The list can go on...
Lets return to the wood....wood supplies are strictly
regulated by Government and at certain times of the year
there are shortages. As a result freshly cut green
timber is often converted into sections and sold to
furniture workshops without drying. To make things worse,
the shortages often occur in the rainy season between
November and March when the drying process is slower and
the wood left uncovered in the rain.
Freshly cut wood will have a moisture content of about
35% and by kiln drying or drying naturally given time it
will settle to around 15% which as about ambient for a
tropical country like Indonesia. Unfortunately the wood
may be turned into furniture long before this drying
process is finished. The result can be severe cracking
or twisting. The doors of that nice cabinet may already
be distorted by the time they reach the showroom and the
table top or the side of cabinets where the wood is
restrained by framing may very well crack or the joints
open up.
Now cracking is a problem inherent an all solid wood
furniture and cannot always be considered a fault. You
can own a solid wood cabinet for years without problems
but central heating or under-floor electric heating
without humidifiers can lead to serious cracks some
years later. It also depends on the country or region.
For example, the ambient moisture content in UK maybe
10-12% but in the Mediterranean Region as low as 6-8%.
So the simple fact is that if you buy furniture from a
tropical region like Bali, it is impossible to guarantee
that cracking will not occur. However, ensuring the wood
is dried to around 15% before it is made into furniture
will reduce the build up of stress in the wood fibres
when further drying occurs and will minimize the risk
considerably.
We have explained some of the risks of touristic
furniture buying. Maybe in the long run the tourist
would be better off to buy from the friendly importer
back home who will be aware of these problems and take
care of them.
There are also companys like YMB Furniture who are
experienced in minimizing these problems. They do this
by ensuring that best quality driest available woods are
used, that the construction techniques follow the best
practice and apply strict quality control before goods
are shipped.
Their Clients are Furniture Galleries in various
countries to whom YMB Furniture supplies their A grade
product. YMB Furniture work with these gallerys to
educate them in dealing with any problems...should they
arise, so their customers can be confident that an after
sales service is available to take care of them.
For further information please
contact us. |
