WOOD

Defined

as the lignified water

conducting, strengthening and
storage tissues of branches, stem and
roots of trees.
Technically, wood is known as
XYLEM.

WOOD PROPERTIES
1. A strong material
2. Has durability
3. Light in weight
4. Ease of fastening
5. With artistic and natural
beauty

ADVANTAGES OF WOOD
AS A BUILDING
MATERIAL

In proportion to weight, wood is stronger

than most material.
2. Wood is easily worked with tools. It can be
fabricated into many shapes, sizes and
designs.
3. Wood is excellent non-conductor of heat. It
has special value in making dwellings warm
in winter and cool summer.
1.

4. The grains and appearance is

conducive to artistic and architectural
designs, adding beauty and attraction
to furniture and interior finishes.
5. It is abundant in many shapes, sizes
and forms and is a renewable
resources.
6. The use of timber connectors in wide
trusses and spans, towers and general
constructions permit the use of small
wood members.

7. Wood does not deteriorate in

value if properly handled and
protected.
8. It is not readily affected by
changing styles.
9. It has prompt resale value.
10. Neither heat, cold nor climate
changes, may seriously affect
wood.

STRENGTH > Is the

general term used in
reference to the ability of
wood to resist stresses
and strain.

Diff. wood varies materially in

the ff. manner:
1.
2.

3.
4.

Wood is resistant to compression along

the fibers.
Stiffness or the ability to resist bending
as in floor joist and beams supporting
heavy load.
Strength in tension or the ability to resist
in lengthwise stresses.
Shearing strength or the ability of the
fiber to resist rupture along or across
the grain.

MOISTURE

> is an
important factor in the
strength of wood. In a
certain extent, strength
increases with the degree
of seasoning of wood.

WEIGHT > is also an important

consideration. Heavy woods
generally strong, light wood are
usually weak.
HARDNESS > is express as
resistance to indention or to the saw
or ax across the grain. Dependent
largely on weight, structural
elements of the wood and degree of
seasoning.

 CLEAVABILITY

> is the resistance of

wood to cleavage along the grains.
The line of least resistance in
cleavage is along the radius because
the wood rays are in this direction
FLEXIBILITY AND TOUGHNESS >
moisture content of wood influences
flexibility to a considerable degree.
Toughness refers to the combined
strength, shock resistance and
paliability of wood

 DURABILITY

> as applied to wood, means

the ability to resist decay or simply
the length of its life under a given
condition.
> may also include the
resistance of wood to the influence
of mechanical wear.

COMPONENTS PRESENT IN
THE WOOD
Resins of the wood
b) Gums of the wood
c) Tannin and other decay resisting
materials.
a)

* These gives a dark discoloration to the

heartwood of several species, and this
phenomenon explains the relations of color
to durability of wood.

COLOR

Is often a means of identification of

wood.

* Heartwood is generally darker in color

than sapwood.
All fleshly sawed woods are much lighter
in color than when exposed to the air or
sunshine for sometime. Oxidation turns
all wood to darker shade.

CLASSIFICATION OF
WOOD
OXOGENS

> identified by botanist as

the wood that are classified as good
limber used in building constructions
are those that grows larger by the
addition of a new layer on the outer
surface each year.
Some trees grow rapidly depending
upon the climate, soil, moisture, and
food elements.

1. MODE OF GROWTH
Exogenous
> are those outward
growing trees which are the most
preferred for lumbering
a)

b) Indogenous > are the inside

growing trees.

refers to the quality of the mass and the

volume of the wood such as:
Soft the wood known also as
conifers or evergreen.
b) Hardwood which are generally
deciduous and has broad leaves.
a)

3. LEAVES
The

characteristics of the
tree when it comes to its
leaves are:

a) Needle

shaped
b) Broad shaped

4. SHADES OR COLOR OF
WOOD

The shades or color of the wood

varies from either of the ff.

a) white
b) yellow
c) Orange
d) Red

e) Brown
f) Black, etc.

5. GRAIN
The

grain of wood is classified

into:

Straight grain
b) Cross grain
c) Fine grain
d) Coarse grain
a)

6. NATURE OF THE
SURFACE
a)Plain
b)Grained
c)Figure

or marked

PREPARATION OF WOOD
LOGGING > defined as the
harvesting of the tree crops which
consist of a sequence of operation
such as:
Felling the tree
2. Skidding
3. bucking
1.

Previously all felling and bucking operations

were done by the use of axe, saw and
wedges, but lately felling of trees were done
by the use of motor powered chain saw due
to the ff. advantages:

Lower labor cost

2. Bigger production
3. Time elements
1.

LUMBERING
Is

the term applied to the

operation performed in preparing
wood for commercial purposes.
It involves logging which is the
process of operation of cutting
trees, including the hauling an
delivery to the sawmill.

SAWING
Cutting

lumber

wood logs into

The plain or bastard sawing > cutting the

logs entirely through the diameter with a
parallel chord tangential to the annual
rings
2. The quarter or rift sawing
a) radial method
d) combined
radial
b) tangential method
and
tangential
c) quarter tangential
1.

SURFACE/DRESSED LUMBER >

planned lumber having at least one
smooth side

S2s;s4s > are planned or dressed

lumber of which the number connotes
the number of smooth surface. S2s
means smooth on two sides and s4s
on four sides

Slab > is a kind of rough lumber which is cut

tangent to the annual rings of wood running
the full length of the log and containing at
least one flat surface.
Timber > is a piece of lumber five inches or
larger in its smallest dimension.
Plank > is a wide piece of lumber from 2 to 5
inches thick.
Board > is a piece of lumber less than 1-1/2
thick and at least 4 inches wide.

Fitch > is a thick piece of lumber.

Fine grained > when the annual rings are
small, the grain of marking which separates
the adjacent rings it is called fine grained.
When large, it is called coarse- grained.
Straight-grained > when the direction of the
wood fibers are nearly parallel with the sides
and edges of the board, it is said to be
straight-grained. When the lumber is taken
from crooked tree, it is classified as crossgrained.

Lumber > is the term applied to wood after it

is sawed or sliced into boards, planks, sticks,
etc. for commercial purposes.
Rough lumber > is the term applied to
unplanned or undressed lumber.
Silviculture > is the process of growing
timber crops of the better and more valuable
species are rapidly as possible through
scientific forestry.

*Irregularities found in wood are considered as

defects and the most common are:

1. Abnormal growth
a) Heart Shakes- are radial cracks
originating at the heart of the logs.
b.) Wind Shakes or Cup Shakes- are
cracks or breaks across the annual rings of timber
during its growth caused by excessive bending of
the tree due to wind.
c.) Star Shakes- composed of several
heart shakes which radiate from the center of the
log in a star-like manner.
d.) Knots- usually occurs at the
starting point of a limb or branch of the wood.

2. Due to Deterioration
a.) Dry Rot- the presence
of moisture in wood caused by
fungi in seasoned wood.
b.) Wet Rot- takes place
sometime in the growth of the tree
caused by water saturation.

*Seasoning means drying of

lumber.
*Soaking timber into liquid is the
method of seasoning practiced and
adopted by the ancient Roman
builders.

-considered as one of the best methods adopted in

seasoning of lumber although the period involved is
relatively longer than the Artificial Seasoning method.
Process:
a. Lumber piled outdoor where its length is
sloped at about 10% of its length.
b. Lumber is piled in a well ventilated shed.
Each piece is properly and evenly spaced from each
other for free circulation of the air around the lumber.
The uniform spacing of the lumber between each
other in pile is attained by using wooden or bamboo
stick inserted between pieces of the lumber.

- the process being adopted for quick

drying of the wood, but wood which
undergo this process is considered quite
inferior in quality as compared to those
that are dried by natural air seasoning
method.

a. Forced Air Drying- Fans are used to

booster the circulation of air which is a
preparatory process to kiln drying.
b. Kiln Drying- the lumber is dried in a
specially built room or chamber wherein
temperature and humidity as well as the
circulation of air is controlled.
c. Radio Frequency Dielectric Dryinga very fast method of drying lumber using a
radio frequency dielectric heat.

Board Foot- measuring unit in computing

wood volume.
-one square foot of wood one
inch thick or 144 cubic inches.
Formula:
Bd. Ft. = (Thickness)x(Width)x(Length)
12
Where: T - in inches
W - in inches
L - in feet

Example:
Find the total board foot of 5 pcs. 2" x 6" x 14".
Solution:
Bd. Ft. = 5 pcs. x (2 x 6 x 14")
12
= 70 board feet
*One Cubic Meter of wood is equal - 423.67.

Board foot = 4 2
16
Where: D = the smaller diameter of the log
in inches
L = length of the log in feet 4 and 16
are the slab reduction and allowance
which are constant in the formula.

ILLUSTRATION
Find the total board foot lumber which
could be obtained.
Wood
Board foot = 24 4 2 18
16
= 20 2 18 = 450 bd.ft
16

> the volume of the plywood

manufactured has shown the
greatest advance of many products
in the lumber industry.

a)
b)

c)

Soft plywood > the most common for

structural use
Hardwood plywood > are used for paneling
and finishing where usually only one face is
with hardwood finish.
Exterior or marine plywood > is made for
external users.

> is made from chips which are

exploded into fibers with high pressure
steam. The lining in the wood itself
binds pressed wood together with no
fillers or artificial adhesive applied.
Pressed wood is equally strong in all
directions but brittle in character. Its
color varies from light to dark brown.

> manufactured from wood chips,

curls, fibers, flakes, strands, shavings,
slivers, etc. which are bound together and
pressed into sheets and other molded
shapes.
> has equal strength in all directions of
a given cross sectional area.
> it is not brittle and resist warping.