WHAT IS WOOD?

Wood is that fibrous substance which composes the trunk and branches of a tree
that lies between the pith and the bark. More specifically, wood is defined as the lignified
water conducting, strengthening and storage tissues of branches, stem and roots of trees.

WOOD
• Wood–general term to describe lumber and timber materials.
• Lumber–wood roughly sawn and cut to dimensions.
• Timber– wood suitable for use as building material.
TYPES OF WOOD
HARDWOOD
Comes from angiosperm trees, dicotyledon, broad leaves, flowers, fruits
Uses: high-quality furniture, decks, flooring, and construction that needs to last.
Examples: alder, balsa, beech, hickory, mahogany, maple, oak, teak, and walnut.
Density: higher density
Cost: Expensive than softwood
Growth: Slower growth rate
Shedding of leaves: Shed leaves in autumn and winter
Fire resistance: More

SOFTWOOD
Comes from gymnosperm trees, needles and cones.
• Uses: 80% of all timber comes from softwood, building components (e.g., windows, doors),
furniture, medium density fiberboard (MDF), paper, Christmas trees, etc.
• Examples: cedar, Douglas fir, juniper, pine, redwood, spruce
• Density: lower density
• Cost: Less expensive than hardwood
• Growth: faster growth rate
• Shedding of leaves: Keep their needle throughout the year
• Fire resistance: Poor
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF WOOD
1. Strength
• The general term used with respect to the ability of wood in resisting stress and strain.

2. Moisture
• An important factor affecting the strength of wood. To a certain extent, strength increases
with the degree of wood seasoning.

3. Knots and other Defects in wood

• Materially affect the strength more particularly the size, character and location of the
knots or defects. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF WOOD

4. Weight
• Another important consideration because heavy woods are generally stronger than
lighter wood.

5. Hardness
• It is independent on the weight of wood. It is important in several methods of utilization
such as flooring, furniture and many small wood items.

6. Cleavability
• The resistance of wood to split along the grains.

7. Flexibility and Toughness

• The moisture content of wood influences flexibility to a considerable degree. Toughness
refers to the combined strength, shock resistance and pliability or flexibility of wood.

8. Durability
• As applied to wood means the ability to resist decay or simply the length of its life under
the given condition. It includes the resistance of the wood to the influence of mechanical
wear.

ADVANTAGES OF WOOD AS BUILDING MATERIALS

1. In proportion to weight, wood is stronger than other building materials.
2. Wood is easily worked out with tools and fabricated into many shapes, sizes and design.
3. Wood is excellent non-conductor of heat. It is warm in winter and cool in summer.
4. With artistic grains and appearance conducive to architectural designs, adding beauty
and attraction to furniture and interior finishes.
5. It is abundant in many shapes, color, sizes and as renewable resources.
6. The use of timber connectors in wide trusses and spans generally permit the use of
small wood members. ADVANTAGES OF WOOD AS BUILDING MATERIALS
7. In terms of value, wood does not deteriorate if properly handled and protected.
8. It is not readily affected by changing styles.
9. Neither heat nor cold or climate changes would seriously affect the physical properties
of wood
DEFINITION OF TERMS

Lumber
–is the term applied to wood after it is sawed or sliced into boards, planks, sticks, etc. for
commercial purpose.

Rough Lumber
–term applied to newly sawed lumbers.

Surfaced or Dressed Lumber

– is planed lumber having at least one smooth side.

S2s, S4s
– are planned or dressed lumber. The number connotes the number of smooth sides. S2s
means smooth on two sides.

Slab
– is a kind of rough lumber cut tangent to the annual rings of wood running the full length
of the log and containing at least one flat surface.

Timber
– is a piece of lumber 5” (0.13m) or larger in its smallest dimension of the board.

Plank
– is a wide piece of lumber from 2” to 5” (0.05m to 0.13m) thick.

Board
– is a piece of lumber less than 1 ½” or 0.04m thick and at least 4” wide.

Flitch
– is a thick piece of lumber.

Fine grain
– when the annual rings are small, the grain marking which separates adjacent rings is
said to be fine. When large it is said to be course-grained

Straight grained
– when the direction of the wood fibers is nearly parallel with the sides and edges of the
board.
 WOOD DEFECTS CLASSIFICATION OF WOOD DEFECTS

NATURAL FORCES
1. CHEMICAL STAIN 4. KNOTS
- Discoloration of wood by the - The branches which are broken or cut
chemical action caused by external off from the tree. It has dark hard
agency. rings known as knots. It makes the
wood fibers weak.

2. RIND GALLS 5. DEAD WOOD

- Rind means bark and gall indicates - It is obtained from dead standing
abnormal growth. It develops at trees that contain deadwood. It is
points from where branches are lightweight and has a reddish color.
improperly cut off or removed

6. DRUXINESS
3. COARSE GRAIN - It has white decayed spots that are
- If tree grows rapidly, its annual rings formed by access of fungi
will widen. It also has a lesser
strength
7. TWISTED FIBERS 10. PITCH POCKET
- Also known as wandering hearts. It is - The cavity in wood that is caused by
caused by twisting of young trees by insects and impacts that can reduce
strong winds. This is not suitable for its strength
sawing.

8. UPSETS 11. CALLUS

- The wood fibers are injured by - It indicates the soft skin or tissue
crushing or compression. It is due to which covers the wound of a tree
improper falling of tree and strong
winds at early age.

9. BURLS 12. FOXINESS

- Formed when tree receives injury or - It has a red or yellow tinge in wood or
shocks in its young age. Due to this, reddish-brown stains or spots around
irregular projections appear on its the pith of tree
body - It is due to poor ventilation during
storage
13. WATER STAIN 3. Rings Shake
- Discoloration when it encounters - Is a tangential separation of the wood
water. fibers along parts of the annual rings.

14. WIND CRACKS

- When exposed to atmospheric
agencies, its exterior surface shrinks.
The shrinkage may result into cracks.

TYPES OF WOOD SHAKES

1. Heart Shake
- Composed of several heart shakes
radiating from the center of the log in
a star-like manner.

2. Cup Shake
- Are cracks or breaks across the
annual rings of timber during growth
caused by excessive bending of tree
due to wind. Also known as wind
shakes.
INSECTS FUNGI

1. TERMITES 1. BLUE STAIN

- Also known as white ants and form a - Caused by fungi
colony
- They eat the core part inside the
timber

2. BROWN ROT
- It consumes the cellulose
2. BEETLES compounds of wood
- Type of insect that destroy the
sapwood part of the tree
- They create a tunnel-like hole

3. DRY ROT
- It consumes the wood by converting
it into dry powder form
3. MARINE BORERS
- These can be found near coastal
areas
- They do not eat the wood, but they
create large holes up to 25mm
diameter
4. HEART ROT 7. SAP STAIN
- Fungi consume the heartwood which - They attack the sapwood when the
make the tree hollow moisture content is more than 25%
- Discoloration

5. WET ROT
- It decomposes the timber which
converts it into grayish brown powder DURING CONVERSION
form

1. DIAGONAL GRAIN
- It appears if there are any improper
cutting by the saw

6. WHITE ROT
- They attack the lignin of timber; it
leaves cellulose compounds so the 2. TORN GRAIN
wood will turn into color white - When tools or other heavy things are
dropped on the finished surface of
timber
 3. CHIP MARKS 2. CUP
- These are formed from the parts of - The timber planks have curve along
the machine after the timber is cut its width
through it, it leaves chip marks

3. CHECK
- The crack of the wood that separates
wood fibers due to over seasoning of
timber
4. WANE
- The edge side of the timber log has a
rounded edge on one side because of
its original shape, the rounded edge
of it is called wane.

4. SPLIT
- It happens when a check extended
from one end to the other end

DURING SEASONING

1. BOW
- Converted timber planks have curve
along its length due to storing it for a
longer time
5. TWIST 8. COLLAPSE
- When timber is distorted spirally - Some parts of the wood dried rapidly
along its length but the other parts did not during
seasoning
- Improper shrinkage of wood

6. HONEYCOMBING
- Defect in the inner part of the timber
due to stress developed during the 9. RADIAL SHAKES
drying of timber - After cutting the tree and exposed it
under the heat of the sun for
seasoning, cracks may run radially
from bark to pith through annual rings

7. CASE HARDENING
- Top surface of wood
- It dried rapidly during seasoning but
the inner part of it did not
PREPARATION OF WOOD 4. SEASONING
- Drying of lumber

LOGGING
- Is defined as the harvesting of the
tree crops consisting of a sequence
of operation such as:

1. CUTTING OF THE TREE

2. SKIDDING
- When logs are moved to an assembly
area loaded to transport equipment
then carried out to the forest to the METHODS OF WOOD SAWING
sawmill.

1. PLAIN SAWN
- Is by cutting the logs entirely through
the diameter with a parallel chord
tangential to the annual rings

3. BUCKING
- The process of sawing into smaller
2. RIFT SAWN
pieces after the removal of branches.
- Is a technique of cutting boards from
logs radially.
 3. QUARTER SAWN 2. ARTIFICIAL SEASONING
- Is a type of cut in sawn into quartered, - Quick drying of wood. Under this
and radially sawn. method lumber are stacked inside a
drying kiln and subjected to steam
and hot air under pressure.

a. FORCED AIR DRYING

- Fans are used to boost the circulation
of air, a preparatory process to kiln
drying.

SEASONED LUMBER

SEASONING
-means drying of lumber. Trees when fallen
or cut down contains moisture in their cell
layers that must be expelled thoroughly to
b. KILN DRYING
preserve the lumber from shrinkage or
- Under this process, the lumber is
decay. It is also called curing or conditioning
dried in a specially built room wherein
temperature and humidity as well as
the circulation of air is under control
1. NATURAL / AIR SEASONING
- One of the best methods of
seasoning lumber
- Longer seasoning period than the
artificial seasoning method.

c. RADIO FREQUENCY DIELECTRIC

DRYIN
- A very fast method of drying lumber
using a radio frequency dielectric
heat. The process last for 24 hours
compared to that of the natural air
seasoning.