Manufactured Timber Boards

There is a wide range of wood-based board materials available to the woodworker. These generally fall into the following main categories:– Laminated boards– Particle boards– Fibreboards– Veneers Laminated boards Plywood is a laminated board material made from thin sheets of wood, termed construction veneers or plies. Its panel size, stability and ease of use make

Enemies of Timber

Timber, including structural, non-structural and timber-based manufactured items are the targets for biological attack, weathering, insect damage and fire damage. Given the right conditions, an attack by one or more of these agents is almost inevitable in the long term. Biological decay – There are two main types of fungi that cause biological decay in

Timber Defects

Timber is subject to many defects, which should, as far as possible, be cut out during its conversion. These defects can be divided into two groups: timber seasoning defects and natural defects. What does ‘seasoning’ mean? Seasoning refers to the controlled drying by natural or artificial means (see below) of converted timber sections. There are

Timber Conversion Methods

Tree trunks (or logs) are cut to suit the requirements for joinery and for carpentry Through and through – This is the simplest and cheapest way to convert wood with very little wastage. Approximately two-thirds of the boards will be tangential (see below) and one third (the middle boards) will be radial (see below). The

Timber Technology part 2

The difference between ‘softwood’ and ‘hardwood’ All timber falls within two main categories: softwood and hardwood. The names imply that these materials are soft or hard, but this is not necessarily the case. The terms refer to the type of tree that the timber has been cut from, based on the cell structure of the

Timber Technology part 1

The tree’s crown, trunk and roots Trees grow by producing new cells each growing season. In temperate climates like Europe, this is during the spring and summer months, while in tropical climates the main growing period is defined by the rainy and dry seasons. Every year a tree grows, it adds a ring to his