Wooden Furniture from Leilem

Wooden furniture is always attractive. The natural color of wood with beautiful grains is always the most sought after material in furniture industry. There is a village in Indonesia that is famous for its furniture products. Its name is Leilem. Located in the province of North Sulawesi, Leilem can easily be reached by car from Manado city. When entering the village, visitors will be able to see boards that are arranged in inclined position in front of the villagers houses. These wooden planks, and blocks, facing the sun, are being dried before undergoing further treatment.

When the wooden planks have reach the desirable dryness, they will be planed and sewn in particular sizes. Then they will be assembled and nailed or pinned to form a cabinet or table. Majority of the buyers come from the surrounding towns and villages in Minahasa but in recent years, through the promotion on the internet, the number of national and international customers is increasing. Here, people can buy tables, beds, desk and bookshelves. The furniture can be sent overseas using containers. The same thing also happen to wooden houses in the nearby Woloan village that are sold to foreign buyers. The types of wood that the carpenters like to use are linggua, and nangka (jackfruit). Customers from such countries as the United States and the Netherlands prefer knock-down tables or chairs that are made of teakwood.

The manufacturers in Leilem village realize that they cannot rely on wood that is directly cut from forests in Minahasa. The supply of wood is dwindling now. Most of them are going to the southern region of Minahasa to find wood. With the price of teak and linggua wood is extremely high, farmers in Minahasa are now considering of planting trees to meet the market demand. It will take at least 25 years before trees can reach a minimum diameter for cutting.