WEEK 3

WOOD PROCESSING (2)

Specific objectives: By the end of this lesson, the students
should be able to:
i. Differentiate natural timber defects from artificial
defects.
ii. Explain wood preservation
iii. Name the three major types of wood preservatives with
examples.
iv. State at least four properties of a good wood
preservatives
v. Define Veneer.
vi. State at least three advantages of manufactured boards
over wood plank.
COMMON TIMBER DEFECTS:
A defect is any feature that reduces the quality and market value
of timber. Defects in timber are grouped under two broad types.

Natural Defects: Natural defects are those defects which occur

at the period of growth, some of the natural defects are:
(a) Knot (b) hearth shake (c) star shake (d) ring shake (e) cup
shake (f) frost shake (g) cross-grain.

Artificial Defects: Artificial defects are those defects which

occur during the conversion and seasoning of timber. They are
caused by carelessness in handling timber by man. Artificial
defects include the following: (a) Cup (b) bow (c) check/split (d)
twist/warp (e) wanes edge (f) crook/spring (g) insect attack.
4. WOOD PRESERVATION: Wood preservation is any process
that is used to prolong the service life of the wood. Wood
preservation is usually carried out by the use of wood
preservatives. Wood preservative is the chemical that is used to
poison the wood to make it last long.
Types of Wood Preservatives:
There are three main types of wood preservatives. These are;
a. Tar-oil preservatives e.g. solignum, coal-tar creosote
etc.
b. Water soluble preservatives e.g. zinc, copper sodium
etc.
c. Organic solvent preservatives e.g. sodium PCP,
chlorinated phenols etc.
Properties of a Good Wood Preservatives:
Some of the good properties or qualities of a good wood
preservative are;
i. It must be safe for human beings.
ii. It must be poisonous to all the wood destructive insects.
iii. It must be chemically stable for a long time.
iv. It must be permanent and should not evaporate easily.
v. It must be easy to apply.
vi. It must be odourless.
vii. It must be cheap and easily obtainable.

Methods of Applying Wood Preservatives:

Preservatives can be applied to wood using one of the following
methods:
Brushing and spraying: This method is the simplest but least
effective. It does not allow inner penetration of the chemical into
the wood and thus, only the outer part of the wood is protected.
Pressure treatment: This is the best method of applying wood
preservatives. Here wood is placed inside an enclosed metal
cylinder and the chemical forced into it under higher pressure.
Hot and Cold Tank: In this method, wood is heated for some
time in a tank containing preservative and allowed it to cool.
Chemical penetration takes place during the cooling process.
Dipping or steeping: In this method, wood is wholly or partially
immersed in a container filled with cold preservatives. Dipping
takes up to 3 minutes or more to be completed. Whereas,
steeping normally lasts for hours or even weeks depending on
the thickness of the wood.
VENEER:
Veneer is a thin sheet of wood of uniform thickness usually cut
from a log of wood. It is used mostly for covering other wood
products and for the manufacturing of plywood and other
composite boards.

Methods of Cutting Veneers:

The modern methods of cutting veneers include:
i. Peeling or Rotary Method: A steamed softened log of
wood is mounted on a big wood lathe machine and
rotated about its longitudinal axis while a sharp cutting
blade peels of a continuous sheet of veneer.
 ii. Slicing Method: The already softened log of wood is
held in a stationary position on the machine bed while
the sharp cutting knife is made to move back and forth
slicing discontinuous sheets of veneers.
MANUFACTURED/LAMINATED BOARDS:
These are man-made boards, made from built-up layers of solid
timber having the two outer layers as veneers. They are made
using mechanical process of bonding together using adhesive or
glue.
Advantages of Manufactured Boards:
1. They can be easily bent to form curves.
2. They have greater strength than a single sheet of wood of
the same thickness or weight.
3. They can be manufactured in large flat sheet.
4. They can be worked upon easily.
5. They don’t split like ordinary wood.
6. Nails/screws can be driven in without any pilot hole.

Types of Manufactured Boards:

Based on the composition, the different types of manufactured
boards are:
Plywood: This is a collection of three or more sheets of veneers,
which are bonded together with a strong water-resistant
adhesive. The grains of each veneer are placed at right angles
to the other.
Chip Board: This is a board made by bonding together of wood
chips using synthetic resin. It is used for flooring and decking.
Particle Board: This is made from wood particles such as
sawdust and shavings, which are mixed with appropriate glues
and then compressed into shape. Particle boards are used for
table tops, desk tops etc.
Composite Board: This is similar to particle board, but
subjected to much lower pressure and usually of greater
thickness.
Block Board: Block board resembles plywood. The difference is
the core, which consists of wood strips, is placed side by side.
Block boards are not as flexible as plywood and cannot therefore
be bent.
Evaluation Questions:
Answer the following questions:
i. Differentiate between natural timber defects and
artificial defects.
ii. What is wood preservation?
iii. Name the three major types of wood preservatives with
two examples each.
iv. State any four properties of a good wood preservatives.
v. Define Veneer.
vi. State at least three advantages of manufactured boards
over a single piece of wood of the same thickness.