Timber Notes

Natural Timbers

• Timber is a natural material-Grown in UK OR Imported from Europe, America,Russia,Far East.
• Lumber-Just been cut down
• Wood-Raw Material
• Timber-Processed Wood

Two Groups

• Hardwood-Deciduous Tree-Loses leaves in Autumn
• Softwood-Coniferous Tree-Trees with needles/cones

• Indigenous-Local-E.g. Oak in England

Softwood-Fast growing-Cheaper-Sustainable-Scot's Pine, Larch, Spruce, Douglas Fir-Not as dense or strong.

Hardwood-Slow growing-More Expensive-Non-Sustainable-Ash, Oak, Beech, Walnut, Balsa- Denser/More Robust

• Annual Rings-Tell age of trees-Darker rings-Means the tree made resin to protect itself in Winter-E.g.One dark ring to another indicate one year.

Protected Timber-Effect on Environment(Less trees/More CO2)

Forestry Stewardship Council-FSC-Protects the tree.

• Wood is FIBEROUS with fibres running along the length of the trunk.
• 55% of tree is cellulose(Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula (C6H10O5)n, a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand β(1→4) linked D-glucose units.
• 28% is resin(holds the tree together)

Process of what happens to timber before use?

1. Harvesting-Cutting the tree down in the forest
2. Conversion-Cutting the trunk and large branches into boards. Slab Sawn Or Quater Sawn
3. Seasoning-Reducing moisture content of the timber (Natural or Kiln Dryed)
4. Board Preperation-E.g. Sawing to size and planing (PAR Planed All Round)

Slab Sawing-No waste-BUT-Not as Stable-More liable to warp and twist.

Steam bending-Timbers bent around former (like a Mould)

Quater Sawn- More commonly used for expernsive hardwoods-More waste-More Stable-Less liable to warp and twist-often exposes nicer looking grain.

Slab Sawn Board-LONG ANNUAL RINGS-Lots of shrinkage

Quater Sawn Board-SHORT ANNUAL RINGS-Very little shrinkage

• Rough Sawn Timber
• Planed Timber-PAR-Planed All Round-PSE-Planed Square Edge

Timber Mouldings(Moundings-Preped up on a multicutter moulding machine)