Of discarded pallets and novice carpenters
KUALA LUMPUR: Wooden pallets are widely used in handling and storing goods, and end up discarded when no longer needed.
However, thanks to these discarded wooden pallets, a number of innovative and resourceful people like Azmi Aripin and Aidee Ismail have found a new use and a new vocation as well. They have created decorative panels, furniture, souvenirs and a new future for themselves using wood from these pallets.
Due to the easy availability of information on social media, many have been trying their hands at carpentry and some are successful.
The wood from the pallets are often imported pine with its grain and shape providing aesthetic value compared with other wood. Moreover, it can withstand heat and rain, making it suitable for making furniture and decorations.
Though it has been only three years since pallet wood products started appearing, there is already a strong demand for them. It is also no longer the material for the weekend woodworker to work on. Even entrepreneurs are cashing in on pallet wood.
With only a handful of basic tools then, I managed to finish it. Since then my woodworking interest grew and I started making many other things from the wood derived from the pallets as souvenirs for family and friends. After seeing my work, some of my friends have been asking me to do things for them. Azmi Aripin, carpenter
Rise of novice carpenters Though he has to put up with the wood dust daily, Azmi Aripin, 33 is euphoric on his new vocation as a carpenter. The former Income Tax Department employee ventured into woodworking two years ago under his own setup known as Mie Woodworking.
The father of four shared with Bernama on how he started woodworking as a hobby in 2012. He started by trying his hand at making a house- shaped piggy bank for his children Nur Amira, Damia, Wafil and Adam.
Naturally pallet wood was his choice as he had seen abundant discarded pallets in his area of Bandar Baru Bangi. He took home several pallets and salvaged the wood to make the piggy bank.
“With only a handful of basic tools then, I managed to finish it. Since then my woodworking interest grew and I started making many other things from the wood derived from the pallets as souvenirs for family and friends. After seeing my work, some of my friends have been asking me to do things for them,” he said. Learning through
social media Azmi slowly picked up woodworking skills from likeminded friends through social media, especially Facebook. They shared their skills through the medium and tried their hands at making many items.
“The carpentry skills of Malaysians working with pallet wood and their designs are remarkable. Some of their works have their own identity especially in their ideas and designs,” he said.
Moreover, pallet wood is easily available and this encourages many to translate their ideas into creative woodwork.
Azmi sources pallet wood from factories around Bandar Baru Bangi and up to Nilai. He also buys some of the pallet wood from suppliers. He will dismantle the pallets that he finds, pull out the nails and plane the wood to smoothen the surface before using the wood to make the items ordered by customers.
“It is not difficult to source pallet wood as they can also be bought from pallet suppliers. The only thing is that they are getting increasingly expensive.”
“Nowdays, to source the pallets on your own is not easy as collecting the pallets itself is a new business and carpenters like me have to buy them when neccesary,” he said.
Hence, it is not surprising that many customers think that the carpenters making use of the pallet wood are making huge profits as they are using discarded wood available for free, when in fact they have to buy the wood.
Future opportunities Pallet wood carpentry also opened the doors for consumers to have a say on how they want their furniture to be. They can now custom- make their furniture, with their own dimensions and design instead of buying readymade ones from furniture shops. When placing orders, customers can share their design ideas with the carpenters which in turn provides greater customer satisfaction.
“This is why pallet wood products are increasingly the choice and I believe this sector will expand in the future,” according to Aidee Ismail, a wood entrepreneur in Bukit Rangin, Kuantan, Pahang.
Aidee ventured into the world of carpentry a year ago when his company, an oil exploration vendor, faced a severe manpower shortage. While seeking new opportunities, he came across wooden pallets left behind at the port and in industrial areas around Kuantan. He felt that these discarded pallets could be reused and hence tried his hands at carpentry. He started by making chairs and tables for his own use.
“By coincidence, I had some carpentry skills that I picked up while attached to the Royal Malaysian Navy for 12 years. Hence, I have no problems in woodworking.
“The pieces that I completed drew the interest of those who saw them and I started taking orders for custom-made pieces,” he said adding that now he also supplies pallet wood for carpenters in Selangor, Terengganu and Kelantan.
Starting with RM5,000 capital, he opened his woodwork workshop known as De pallet Man. There is no looking back for Aidee and today, he receives orders from around Pahang and beyond. It takes between one to two weeks to get the orders done.
Aidee has 20 assistants in his workshop and hopes to emerge as the biggest Bumiputera pallet wood supplier in Peninsular Malaysia by 2020.
“Wood entrepreneurs need government support especially in skills training and in financing woodworking machineries that are costly. This way, we will be able to expand the industry as pallet wood products enjoy high demand,” he said adding that this will also help revive the woodworking skills which the Malays were known for. — Bernama