Wood Shop

What's a wood?
Wood is an organic material, a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots
of trees and other woody plants. So, wood can be defined as,
"A hard substance that forms the branches and trunks of trees and can be used as a
building material, for making things, or as a fuel"

Function of wood
In a living tree it performs a support function, enabling woody plants to grow large or to stand
up by themselves. It also conveys water and nutrients between the leaves, other growing
tissues, and the roots.

Source of wood
Wood has been used for thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. The
main source of wood are the forests. The Earth contains about one trillion tonnes of wood,
which grows at a rate of 10 billion tonnes per year.

Types of wood
An immediate and broad distinction that can be made between types wood is the label of
1. Hardwood
2. Softwood
In general, hardwood comes from a deciduous tree which loses its leaves annually and
softwood comes from a conifer, which usually remains evergreen. Hardwoods tend to be
slower growing, and are therefore usually more dense.

Comparison Chart
Hardwood
Density
Cost

Growth
Shedding of leaves

Fire Resistance

Softwood

Most hardwoods have a higher

density than most softwoods.

Most softwoods have a lower

density than most hardwoods.

Hardwood is typically more

expensive than softwood.

Softwood is typically less

expensive compared to hardwood.

Hardwood has a slower growth

rate.

Softwood has a faster rate of

growth.

Hardwoods shed their leaves over a Softwoods tend to keep their

period of time in autumn and
needles throughout the year.
winter.
More

Poor

Moisture Content
Uses

Less

More

Hardwoods are more likely to be

found in high-quality furniture,
decks, flooring, and construction
that needs to last.

About 80% of all timber comes

from softwood. Softwoods have a
wide range of applications and are
found in building components (e.g.,
windows, doors), furniture.

What's Timber?
The wood of growing trees suitable for construction purposes or we can say trees that are
grown so that the wood from them can be used for building.
Difference between Wood and Timber
The term wood is used to refer to the trees, specifically it refers to the substance that trees are
made out of. Timber, on the other hand, can be used to refer to any stage of the wood after the
tree has been cut down. This may include the felled tree, the wood processed for construction,
wood pulp for paper production, etc.
Uses of Timber: Bakers equipment, Balconies, decks and terraces, Boat and Ship
construction, Flooring, Furniture and Musical instruments.
Parts of Timber:
Timber consists of following parts,
Pith: The centre of the tree, soft and pithy especially in the branches.
Heartwood: A mature timber, the heart of the tree, provides the strength of the tree.
Bark: The outer layer which provides protection to the tree from knocks and other damage. It
consists of dead cells.
Sapwood: The soft outer layers of recently formed wood between the heartwood and the bark.

Defects in Timber
Following are some of the defects observed in Timber,

Natural Defects: Natural defects include the following,

Knots: These are the bases of Branches or limbs whish are broken or cut off from the tree. The
portion from which the branch is removed receives nourishment from the stem for a pretty

long time and it ultimately results in formation of Dark hard rings which are known as Knots.
Shakes: Shakes are large cracks (a parting of the wood tissue) in the log caused by uneven
stresses being set up, which may increase as the timber dries.
Twisted Fibers: These are known as wandering hearts and caused by twisting of young trees
by fast blowing wind. The timber with twisted fibers is unsuitable for sawing. Timber also
loses its strength because of Twisting.
Burls: They are particularly formed when a tree receives injury it its young age. Due to its
injury, the growth of the tree is completely upset and irregular projections appear on the body
of timber.

Seasoning
"The process of removal of moisture content (almost 80%) from wood so as to
make it useful for construction and other uses is called drying of wood or seasoning of
wood"
Types of seasoning: There are two types of Seasoning,
1. Natural seasoning
2. Artificial seasoning
Natural Seasoning: Its the most traditional way of seasoning wood or timber. In this method
wood is dryed usually by the keeping the wood exposed to air (or water), so that the moisture
evaporates and wood is seasoned. Natural seasoning is further classified into two classes,
a) Air seasoning
b) Water seasoning
Air seasoning: In this method, Moderate air is used to remove the moisture content from wood,
and it nearly takes about six months for the completion of this method. Its advantages are that
no expensive equipment is needed and it's environmentally friendly.
Water seasoning: Water seasoning is defined as the seasoning of wood by soaking it in water
for a period, usually two weeks, and air drying it. Wood is first soaked in water to remove its
sweetness and then placed in air to eliminate moisture from it.
Artificial seasoning: Artificial seasoning is the process by which wood is dried using manmade devices.

There are various methods of

artificial seasoning as follows:
a)
b)
c)
d)

Kiln seasoning
Chemical seasoning
Electrical seasoning
Microwave seasoning

Kiln seasoning: In this method,

the drying of timber is carriedout inside an airtight chamber or
oven. Wood is placed in such a
way that free air circulates
around. The steam is first forced
inside in order to control the
termites. Then the temperature is raised and maintained till the desired degree of moisture
content is attained. The kiln seasoning, though costly, gives well seasoned timber as it controls
three important conditions, namely, circulating air, humidity and temperature.
Chemical seasoning: This is also known as the salt seasoning. In this the timber is immersed in
a solution of suitable salt. The salt is hygroscopic in nature and attracts the water content of
timber. This water is then wiped out by cloth. But this method affects the elasticity and
strength of wood.
Electrical seasoning: In this method, the use is made of high frequency alternating currents.
The timber, when it is green, offers less resistance to the flow of electric current. The
resistance increases as the wood dries internally which also results in the production of heat.
This is the most rapid method of seasoning. But the initial and maintenance costs are so high
that it becomes uneconomical to season timber on commercial base by this method.
Microwave seasoning: It is possible to reduce the moisture in timbers satisfactorily by using a
microwave oven. It is quick and easy.

Why seasoning of Wood is done?

This reduces the chances of decay,
Improves load bearing properties,
Reduces weight,
Keeps the wood more stable and more useful,
Prevents a lot of fungal and insect attacks,
Seasoned wood can be easily transported,
Wood with lower moisture content is easy to finish i.e. paint, varnish, etc.

It is less likely to distort or warp later.

The conclusion being established here is that seasoned wood although lighter will be stronger
and more reliable.