Wicker furniture makers choose and prepare materials such as softened rattan or willow branches in order to produce wicker furniture such as chairs, tables and couches. They use hand, power or machine tools to cut, bend and weave materials to create the desired objects. Finally, they treat the surface to ensure a finished look and protect it from corrosion and fire using waxes, lacquers and other coatings.

Tasks

Tasks include -
(a) Preparing wood, straw, rattan, reeds, shells, or similar materials;
(b) Carving floral and artistic designs on wooden surfaces for decorative purposes;
(c) Painting freehand decorative designs on glass and pottery or porcelain ware;
(d) Carving, assembling, weaving, painting and decorating various articles for personal or household use such as salad bowls, serving-spoons, cutting-boards, trays, vases, jugs, baskets, straw hats, straw mats and similar objects;
(e) Carving, assembling, weaving and painting various decorative articles such as statues and other sculptures, chess pieces, jewellery and similar objects;
(f) Making wicker furniture from peeled and softened rattan, reeds, rushes, willow branches and similar materials;
(g) Making various kinds of baskets by interlacing osier, rattan, reeds, rushes or similar materials;
(h) Forming bottom of basket by interlacing strips of rattan, wood veneer or other material with framework of rods of material such as willow;
(i) Inserting rods around edge of bottom between woven sections of bottom and bending them upright to serve as framework for sides;
(j) Selecting and preparing brush materials, such as bristles, nylon, fibres and wire, and setting them in brush base;
(k) Selecting and preparing materials, such as broom corn, bass, whisker and fibre, and fastening them to broom handles.