Wood shop in Dili

The wood shops in Dili make their furniture from scratch.

Large pieces of timber are brought in from Indonesia and the area in East Timor around Los Palos.

It is not kiln dried but worked down to size where it dries naturally.

The wood has a beautiful grain and looks sharp when made into tables and chairs and window frames.

This particular shop, near the Tiger Gas station, is a co-op that gets a little support from England.

It is scheduled for expansion so they have more room to work.

A lot of the carpenters and woodworkers lost their shops, equipment, and jobs over the past year when things were bad.

Many shops were ransacked and all the equipment stolen or destroyed.

The shop owners fled, figuring that they were better off saving their lives and families than their equipment.

There is still some unrest but many people are trying to rebuild and carry on with their lives.

It is encouraging seeing these guys working so hard to make a go of it. They take pride in their work and it shows.

Henry gets some of his tables and chairs for the Smokehouse Bar made up here. I like their work.

East Timor

woodshop in Dili