As most of us are not furniture builders and have never visited a furniture factory, it’s tough to really know what goes in to the designing and manufacturing of teak furniture. From the harvesting of raw teak wood, to separating the teak in to its three main grades, to the actual building of the furniture itself, there are many different stages involved in transforming teak from a tree to a chair or table. In this article, we’ll explore the teak furniture building process, and learn how teak is transformed from a raw hardwood in to a finished product.
Harvesting the Raw Teak for Building Teak Furniture
Most of the teak that is made into teak furniture in modern times comes from plantations that are controlled by governments, as in the case of Indonesia, or corporations. There is very little old growth teak that is not on protected lands or other areas where harvesting is prohibited. Teak that is cultivated for commercial use is known as ‘Plantation Teak’, and is considered a renewable resource when the teak forests are properly and sustainably managed. There is no difference in the quality of old growth and plantation teak; these two trees are equal in every way, and plantation teak does not suffer from the quality or disease issues that affect other species of tree which are cultivated for commercial use.
As long as the local growing conditions are comparable to those in teak’s native Southeast Asia, teak trees will grow with little in the way of fertilizer or other treatments required. Teak has a short growth period compared to other trees, and a teak forest that’s around forty or fifty years old is ready for harvesting of the mature trees for use in furniture. The trees are harvested much like any other tree would be for commercial use, with specialized logging operations handling the selection of the best teak trees and leaving those that still need some time to mature.
Separating the Teak by Grade
There are three main grades of teak wood that are used to separate raw teak based on its quality: Grade A, Grade B and Grade C.
Grade A teak comes primarily from the heartwood of the teak tree, which is the part of the tree that has stopped growing and is found in its core. This Grade A teak makes up about 25% of the average teak tree, and is reserved for furniture and other materials that require very high quality teak. Grade A teak will be free of knots and streaks, have a tight fine grain to the wood, and will be rich in teak’s natural oils which impart strength and resistance to water and other external factors.
Grade B teak is that which is found on the outer layers of the heartwood and is less mature than Grade A teak. Grade B teak makes up around 35% of a teak tree, and is what most commercial teak furniture sets will be made from. Unlike Grade A teak, Grade B teak will have knots, blotches and streaks in the wood and the grain will be thicker and less fine. Although not considered ‘top of the line’, Grade B teak still finds a lot of use in teak furniture and other teak products, as it is less expensive and still creates an end product that is of higher quality than those made from lesser wood species.
Finally, Grade C teak is the lower grade of teak, and is found in the outer 40% of the tree which is known as the sapwood. This part of the teak tree is still alive, and the wood found here is much less dense than the inner heartwood. Grade C teak is soft as it is still rich with water and other nutrients and less of the teak’s natural oils are found here. Grade C teak wood will generally be used for handmade teak products, which are considered to be a lower quality that those made by machine for reasons we’ll discuss below.
Handmade Teak Furniture Building Process
Most individuals associate the word “handmade” with “high quality” as we’ve come to respect items that still have a human’s touch in the manufacturing process. Ironically, this is generally the opposite when it comes to teak furniture, and pieces that are handmade are generally of a lower quality that those that are made with the use of machines.
Making a piece of furniture by hand is a painstaking process that is nearly impossible to replicate exactly each time. As most teak furniture is sold in sets, having four or six handmade chairs means having a set of chairs that are different in many ways. Modern furniture is designed with precise dimensions in mind, and without the use of machines producing furniture to these exacting standards is very difficult.
The handmade teak furniture building process is one that is usually seen in small villages in Indonesia, Myanmar, Bali and other areas where teak harvesting is prevalent. Experienced carvers will obtain raw pieces of teak from local sellers, and turn this teak in to chairs, tables, benches and other furniture. These carvers will work using hand saws, planes and other tools to manipulate and shape the raw teak in to the various pieces that form the finished product. Once the carving, sanding and finishing is complete, the teak furniture will be left outside to dry. Teak unfortunately does not dry well in humid conditions such as those found in Southeast Asia, which is another reason that handmade teak furniture pieces are of a lower quality than machine-made pieces, which would be dried in a kiln.
The final step is for the carver to sell their finished teak furniture, whether at a local market to tourists or to a trader that will then ship the teak furniture to clients in foreign countries.
Semi-Machine Made Teak Furniture Building Process
Semi-machine-made teak furniture still sees much of the furniture made by hand, except the cutting portions are performed with power tools such as electric saws for cutting and power drills for boring holes. The benefit to using precision tools to handle the cutting portion of the teak furniture building process is that these pieces can easily fit together, and the process can be repeated multiple times to speed up production.
With semi-machine-made teak furniture, the artisans or carvers building the furniture will generally go through the same steps as they would when making a piece by hand. One key difference is that with semi-machine-made teak furniture, a higher grade of teak will be used (generally Grade B).
Fully Machine-Made Teak Furniture Building Process
Fully machine-made teak furniture is among the highest quality wooden furniture that’s available on the market today. Almost all Grade A teak furniture will be produced using a fully machine-made teak furniture building process, as this is the best way to ensure a consistent quality of level with every piece. Furniture manufacturers must undergo huge investments in technology, tool and die making, training of employees and process development to produce machine-made teak furniture. This investment of time and money pays off with every piece of teak furniture that rolls off of the line.
Another benefit of purchasing machine-made teak furniture is that all of the various parts and pieces should be both replaceable and interchangeable. For instance, perhaps you have a set of six teak patio chairs but somehow, one becomes damaged and unusable. This chair can be saved for parts as the chairs are exactly alike, having been cut and fitted by a piece of precision machinery. If you need a replacement chair arm or table leg, it should be possible for the retailer to order one in from the same factory that produced it.
If you’re shopping for the highest quality teak furniture available – it will be fully machine-made.
Putting the Finishing Touches on new Teak Furniture
The final step in the teak furniture building process is to package the new teak furniture for shipping. Depending on the manufacturer, the teak may be flat-packed for assembly by the end customer, it may be partially assembled with the receiver completing the assembly, or it may ship fully assembled. Pieces of teak furniture that are being imported from overseas destinations will usually be flat-packed, especially furniture made from Grade B or Grade C teak. Expensive pieces of teak furniture that are produced from Grade A teak may ship fully assembled, as the high cost and high margins involved with pieces such as these can warrant the extra shipping costs.
While it’s rare to see stains or paints applied during the teak furniture building process, some manufacturers will take this extra step to differentiate their furniture or to sell to a certain demographic. Teak is one of the most beautiful woods available and staining or painting teak can detract from this natural appeal. Most manufacturers will ship their teak in its raw state, or perhaps with a coat of teak oil to ensure the teak looks great when it reaches its final destination.
This is just a brief look at the huge amount of work that goes in to the teak furniture building process. From the initial harvest to arriving on its new owner’s doorstep, teak furniture goes through a number of processing and manufacturing steps. Whether your teak furniture is a machine-made masterpiece or a one-of-a-kind hand carved piece, know that it’s had a lot of sweat and time put in to produce the end result.