natural and manufactured timbres

• wood- useful and versatile material

  • aesthetically pleasing
  • good insulator
  • durable tough
  • good strength to weight ratio
• felling- when a tree is cut down

  • traditional methods- saws and axes
  • modern- chainsaws
• processing and seasoning- once felled, natural timber is processed into standard sizes and seasoned

  • reducing moisture content of timbre 10-20%
  • left to dry naturally or dried artificially
• natural or manufactured-

  • manufactured- sheets, fibres, or chips are made visible
  • natural timbres' grain will connect seamlessly to the end grain
• softwood- coniferous trees

  • have needle like leaves
  • grow faster and make it relatively cheap and readily available
  • grain is wider making it more absorbent
• hardwood- deciduous trees

  
  

  • drop leaves in the autumn and grow in spring
  • slow growing, more expensive
  • good aesthetical and physical properties
  • closer grain, more dense and hardwearing
• working properties-

  • toughness- absorption of energy through shock before splitting
  • hardness- how easily it is scratched
• tough or hard

  • beech- tough, fine finish
  • oak- tough, hard, variable grain
  • mahogany- durable, fairly hard, distinctive grain
  • cedar- very tough, flexible, shock resistance
• balsa wood- soft and lightweight material

  • fast growing, coarse open grain
  • large cells that fill with water, spongey texture
  • used for rigid structure, mode bridges, model aircraft
• desirable hardwood- colour, aesthetics

  • aesthetically pleasing
  • increased destructive illegal logging trade
• useful softwood- cost effective, readily sources

  • ideal choice in construction industry
  • pine- lightweight, easy to work with
  • cedar- contains natural oils, water resistance
• tonewood- posses tonal properties, ideal for instruments

  • spruce- violines, pianos, guitars
  • high stiffness to weight ratio
  • transmit vibrations from strings
  • cedar is less dense- gives richer tone
  • mahogany- used for necks and sides of acoustic guitars/electic
• manufactured boards- made of sawmill scrapes, recycled wood, low grade timbres, sawdust

  • wood pieces are bound together with adhesives
  • manufactured board can be susceptible to moisture
  • boards are rigid, stable, supplied in large sheets
• modern manufacture

  • suitable for CAM (computer aided manufacture)
  • come in large sheets
  • uniform surface
• manufactured board structure-

  • plywood- odd numbers of thin layers (ply), alternating directions (90 degrees)
  • MDF- made from compressed sawdust and adhesive
  • 1. plywood 2. MDF 3. chipboard
• improve the look- veneers and laminates can enhance the look of manufactured boards

  • veneers- real wood, man made finish, plastic/composite
• plywood- strong, durable, versatile, uniform thickness, flat surfaces, good quality glue lines, available in different grades
• chipboard- cheaper than solid hardwood, more affordable, suitable for furniture making, not recommended for structural use due to poor strength to weight ratio
• chipboard- not as strong as solid wood, prone to warping when exposed to water, edges may splinter easily, not suitable for exterior use
• chipboard- cheaper than solid wood, easy to work with, readily available, comes in various sizes, smooth surface, uniform thickness
• mahogany (hardwood)- high end furniture
• oak (hardwood)- flooring boards, furniture
• beech (hardwood)- worktops, workbenches, children toys
• larch (softwood)- outdoor, garden furniture, cladding, fencing
• cedar (softwood)- outdoor furniture, musical instruments (tonewood)
• MDF (composite)- flat pack furniture, kitchen cupboard doors
• chipboard (composite)- work tops, table tops
• plywood (manufactured wood)- structural, interior, exterior applications