Wood:

“It is a porous and fibrous tissue found in stem and roots of different trees and
other woody plants. It has been used as a fuel and as a construction material from
thousands of years. It is an organic material and a natural composite of cellulose fibers
which are strong in tension”.

TYPES
There are two types of wood

Soft Wood
It is present in trees which have short leaves .The trees have usually more
moisture .The trees usually do not have dark color .Soft wood is easy to use.

Hard Wood
It is present in trees which have broad. The trees have usually low moisture
contact .The trees have usually dark color .Hard wood is difficult to use.
 Parts Of Wood
The following are the parts of wood

 Pith
 Heart Wood & Sap Wood
 Bark (Outer and Inner)
 Growth Rings

Pith:
The center of tree growth. The pitch is prominent in pines but
hardly visible in other verity. It is composed of soft, spongy parenchyma
cells, which store and transport nutrients throughout the plant.

Heart Wood:
Heartwood, also called DURAMEN, dead, central wood of trees. Its
cells usually contain tannins or other substances that make it dark in
color and sometimes aromatic.
Sap wood:
Sapwood is the living, outermost portion of a woody stem or
branch, while heartwood is the dead, inner wood, which often comprises
the majority of a stem's cross-section.

Bark:
It is outermost layer of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with
bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs .It overlays the wood and
consists of the outer and inner bark.

Outer Bark:
It is rough corky layer on the outside of the tree. A layer of protection
against the cold, insect attack.
Growth Rings:
These represents one season growth in a tree from spring to
autumn. They are made up of cells. These are clearly divided into two
layers.

“TIMBER”
It is a special type of wood which is very suitable for manufacturing and
building. Timber may be supplied or more of its faces. It is mainly used for the
structural purpose but has many other uses as well.
 DEFECTS
The timber has following defects

 Knots
 Shakes
 Twisted Fibers

Knots:
It occur where a branch has grown out of trunk. A lot of knots work so much
difficult. It is natural defects. They can be dead or alive. Loose knots are no longer
connected to surrounding fibers.

Shakes:
A separation of fiber along the grain of standing or freshly felled timber is
called shakes. These are longitudinal separations in wood between the annual rings.
These separation make the wood undesirable when appearance is important.

Twisted Fibers:
These are known as wandering hearts and caused by the twisting of young
trees by fast blowing wind. The timber with twisted fiber is unsuitable for sawing.
 SEASONING
The removal of moisture contents from the timber is called seasoning of
Wood. By seasoning, we can get 80 % pure wood.

Types of Seasoning
There are two types of seasoning
Natural seasoning:
The easiest way, but not the most effective method of seasoning timber, is to stack it
outside. It is normally placed in a hut / building, with two sides open to allow air to
circulate. The roof and two other sides keep the timber relatively dry. The circulation of the
air slowly dries the timer.

Artificial seasoning:
Wood drying (also seasoning lumber or wood seasoning) reduces the moisture
content of wood before its use. When the drying is done in a kiln, the product is known
as kiln-dried timber or lumber, whereas air drying is the more traditional method.
Air Seasoning:
The Seasoning of air is done by keeping the timber in fresh atmosphere.
After 6 months the moisture of wood is vanished. It is a long process but it is very
economical.

Water Seasoning:
It is also a natural way of seasoning. It removes sweetness from the
wood. Water extracts different compounds from the wood. But after the water seasoning,
the air seasoning is must.
Chemical Seasoning:
There are certain compound present in the universe which absorbs the
moisture. In this type of seasoning we use those chemical which extract moisture from wood.
It is an easy way to season the wood. It is an Artificial Seasoning method to season the wood.
The Compound which absorbs moisture are called, Hygroscopic Compound====[ NaCl].

Electrical Seasoning:
This type of seasoning is done with the help of Electricity. It is very fast
process and can be completed even in a days. With lead plate electrodes on each side the
timber is placed in a solution containing 10 % Borax, 5 % of Resin & soda.
Kiln Seasoning:
The seasoning of timber can also be done by a Kiln. In this type of
seasoning, the timber is taken in a Kiln and then it is heated at a very high temperature
inside the kiln. The water and moisture is evaporated. It is an expensive process and
requires a lot of fuel and other preparations. It is used for hard to dry or expensive wood.

Micro Waves Seasoning:

The seasoning can also be done by Micro Waves. The same
phenomena occurs inside in the micro wave oven. The waves help in evaporating the
moisture contents from the timber and timber becomes pure.
 Advantages Of Seasoning
 It makes the quality of wood better. A seasoned wood is much
better than un-seasoned in quality. It has better standard.
 It makes the wood more strong.
 A seasoned wood is also having more chance to be saved from the
thermites.
 The seasoned wood is very easy to paint, therefore, it is used in
furniture.
 The seasoned wood can easily use for making structure. It is easy to
mold.
 The seasoned wood also light in weight than un-seasoned wood.
 Due to the extraction of moisture its weight becomes less. That is
way, seasoned wood is easy to transport from one place to
another.
 “Wood joints”
The method used for joining wood will depend on the function, strength and quality of
the product. Wood joints can be made with screws, nails, glues and knock-down
components, or with frame joints, such as butt joints, halving joints, Mortise-and-tendon,
dovetail and box joints.

Types
There several types of wood joints.
i. Doweled butt joint
ii. Dado
iii. Rabbet
iv. Lap joint
v. Dovetail
vi. Mortise and Tendon
vii. Miter with wood slit
viii. Tongue and groove
 Methods of wood joints
Butt joint:
The end of a piece of wood is butted against another piece of wood. This is the simplest and weakest
joint. Of those, there is the a) T-butt, b) end-to-end butt, c) T-lap d) Miter butt and e) edge-to-edge butt.

Lap joint:
The end of a piece of wood is laid beside and connected to another piece of wood. This is the
next simplest and weakest joint.

Bridle joint:
Also known as open tendon, open mortise and tendon, or tongue and fork joints, this joint is
where the through mortise is open on one side and forms a fork shape. The mate has a through
tendon or necked joint. Bridle joints are commonly used to join rafter tops, also used in scarf
joints and sometimes sill corner joints in timber framing.
Dowel joint:
The end of a piece of wood is butted against another piece of wood. This is reinforced with dowel
pins. This joint is quick to make with production line machinery and so is a very common joint in
factory-made furniture.

Miter joint:
Similar to a butt joint, but both pieces have been bevelled (usually at a 45 degree angle).

Finger joint:
Also known as a box joint, is a corner joint with interlocking fingers. Receives pressure from two
directions.
Dovetail joint:
A form of box joint where the fingers are locked together by diagonal cuts. More secure than a
finger joint.

Dado joint:
Also called a housing joint or trench joint, a slot is cut across the grain in one piece for another
piece to set into; shelves on a bookshelf having slots cut into the sides of the shelf, for example.

Groove joint:
Like the dado joint, except that the slot is cut with the grain.
Tongue and groove joint:
Each piece has a groove cut all along one edge, and a thin, deep ridge (the tongue) on the
opposite edge. If the tongue is unattached, it is considered a spline joint.

Mortise and tendon joint:

A stub (the tendon) will fit tightly into a hole cut for it (the mortise). This is a hallmark of Mission
Style furniture, and also the traditional method of jointing frame and panel members in doors,
windows, and cabinets. This joint is a good strong joint to use.

Cross lap joint:

A joint in which the two members are joined by removing material from each at the point of
intersection so that they overlap.