[2.2] Wood and Woodworking

• wood


  One of the oldest and most widely used building materials.
• Wood

  Composed of cellulose fibers (that are strong in tension) and mixed with a matrix of lignin (which increases its compressive strength), hemicelluloses, and minor amounts of extraneous materials contained in a cellular structure.
• aesthetically pleasing


  Its natural beauty can never be replaced by any type of material.
• high strength and durability


  Known to be a good material for constructing engineering structures that could last for decades
• lightweight and cheaper


  Very versatile material and perfect for constructing roofing, furniture, boats, tools, and many other applications because of its lightweight and relatively cheaper price.
• natural insulator


  Due to the small air pockets and characteristics of the fibers present inside the wood, it can insulate heat which is perfect in the construction of roofing, flooring, and walls.
• easy to manipulate and fasten


  Easy to carve, connect, and turn into various shapes and sizes.
• only renewable building material


  Mountains and quarries where cement and metals are obtained take millions of years to form. Meanwhile, wood obtained from trees can be obtained and renewed through proper forest management which takes only decades to grow back.
• advantages of using wood

  • Aesthetically Pleasing
  • High Strength and Durability
  • Lightweight and Cheaper
  • Natural Insulator
  • Easy to Manipulate and Fasten
  • Only Renewable Building Material
• classification of wood

  • mode of growth
  • density
  • leaves
  • shades of wood color
  • grains
  • nature of surface when sawed
• exogenous


  Growth by the addition of new wood outwards, immediately under the bark. Exogenous growth is denoted by the addition of seasonal wood rings.
• endogenous


  Growth by the addition of new wood inwards. Examples of these are monocots and palms like coconut where coco lumber is obtained.
• hardwood


  Angiosperms where seeds are enclosed in the ovary of the flower; are slower growing which gives them a denser structure; examples are Yakal, Narra, Guijo, Mayapis, Mahogany, etc.
• softwood


  Gymnosperms where seeds are naked or not enclosed in the ovary; examples are pines, Douglas Fir, spruce, etc.
• broad-shaped


  Plants with leaves that have a flat, relatively broad surface. This surface is often marked with a network of prominent veins. Examples of trees that have broad-shaped leaves are hardwood trees like Acacia and Mahogany.
• needle-shaped


  Plants with very thin needle-like leaves. Examples of trees that have needle-shaped leaves are pines, spruce, and firs.
• shades of wood color

  Wood comes in various shades and colors depending on the plant species. Some common wood colors are white, yellow, red, brown, black, and other similar shades.
• grains


  Wood grain refers to the different longitudinal arrangement of wood fibers which results in different textures and patterns.
• straight grain


  Grains run parallel to the axis of the tree.
• coarse grain


  Grains run diagonally or across the board.
• fine grain


  Characterized by wood with very thin and compact fibers which results in a smooth wood texture.
• plain


  Showing almost solid color and no pattern.
• grained


  Wood grains are very evident.
• figured or marked


  With distinct patterns and color variation.
• lumbering


  Preparing wood for commercial purposes (including logging).
• lumber


  Wood that has been processed in the sawmills.
• logging


  The process of cutting and processing trees to produce timber.
• timber


  Freshly-cut tree
• felling


  Cutting of tree. During felling, lumberjacks shout "Timber!" to warn people that a tree or timber is going down.
• bucking


  Cleaning and trimming of branches.
• skidding


  Transport of timber by pulling or cables. Since most logging operations are done in the mountains, logs are skidded down the slope and diverted to the rivers. The river will then carry the log down the mountain.
• sawing


  Cutting of timber into lumber.
• plain or bastard sawing


  The easiest method of sawing utilizes almost the cross-sectional area of the wood; however, it produces lower-quality cross-cut lumbers. Cross-cut grains have lower strength since the wood fibers are not aligned with the axis of the lumber.
• quarter or rift sawing


  A more complicated method of sawing cuts the timber along the quarters of the cross-section. It produces straight-grained and higher-quality lumber since the wood grains are aligned with the axis. The following are the different types of quarter sawing.
• radial


  Lumber is sawn along the radius of the timber.
• tangential


  Lumber is sawn tangent to the seasonal rings of the timber.
• quarter tangential


  Lumber is sawn along the x and y axes alternating.
• combined radial and tangential


  Produces the highest quality lumber but gives the most amount of wood lost.
• surfacing


  Shaving and smoothing of the surfaces and edges of the lumber.
• rough lumber


  Lumber that has surface imperfections caused by the primary sawing operations.