TIMBER PRESERVATIVES 3

For practical purpose preservation is necessary if timber is to used under the following
conditions ;

-in contact with the ground

-at or below d. p.c level in building

-enclosed in brickwork

-in areas where fungal or insect attack is known to be prevalent

-all non durable timbers should be preserved before use eg railway sleepers , transmission
poles , mining supports , cooling towers , piling fencing , bridges refrigeration etc

REQUIREMENTS FOR PRESERVATIVES

The following are the requirements for timber preservatives ;

-it should be toxic to fungi and insects

- it should be permanent , cheap and simple to apply

-it should be harmless to humans or animals

-it should penetrate deeply enough to prevent access of timber pests

-it should be non corrosive to metals

TYPES OF PRESERVATIVES

[a] tar - oil preservative

[b] water borne preservative

[c] solvent type preservative

TAR - OIL PRESERVATIVE

Commonest preservative in this group is creosote - manufactured from coal tar and highly
effective against fungi , borers and insects , have over a hundred years . Creosoted timber
cannot be painted and is smelly , so its use is confined to external heavy duty timber and is
unsuitable for building timber because it can creep into absorbent material such as plaster
.Creosote timber is inflammable and cannot be used in proximity to foodstuff . It does not
corrode metals and is resistant to leaching ie it cannot be washed out by water .

WATER BORNE PRESERVATIVE

WATER BORNE PRESERVATIVE

Consists of chemical dissolved in water . Water borne preservatives are odourless , can be
painted when timber is dry , does not stain and are non- flammable , but the treated timber
be dried before use .

SOLVENT PRESERVATION

Consists of organic chemicals dissolved in such solvents as white spirits [ turpentine ]

evaporates q uickly after treatment . Treated timber can be painted once the solvent has
evaporated , it does not stain , penetrate well into timber , has a strong odour at the
time of application .

METHODS OF APPLICATION

Application methods , [a] pressure process [b] non pressurized method

PRESSURE PROCESS

Timber is placed in a metal cylinder into which the preservative is pumped under pressure .
It penetrates the timber and gets saturated and later dries when out of metal cylinder .

NON – PRESSURED METHOD

Brushing and spraying are effective methods of applying preservatives , has great
penetrating power .

FIRE RETARDENT TREATMENT

No timber is fireproof , but it can be treated so that there is a considerable time lag before
it burns .

Types of treatment are [a] pressure treatment , is done with suitable water borne chemical
eg - ammonium phosphate

-ammonium sulphate

-ammonium chloride

- boric acid and magnesium chloride

Surface application -these are retardant paints when heated , swell up and insulate the
timber surface from the heat of the flames . Treatment improves the performance of timber
in a fire by reducing the speed of flames spreading over the surface , delaying over the
surface , delaying the time at which the fire becames general in a room .

DECAY OF TIMBER

CLASSIFICATION OF TIMBER PESTS

Three main types are ;[a] fungal [b] insects [c] bores [ marine ]

Dampness is the main cause of fungal attack on timber . When timber decays , the colour
changes , it becames soft , weak and brittle , examples of fungal attack occurs on ;

-fence posts , transmission poles , railway sleepers and where timber is in contact with the
ground

-building timber exposed to humid unventilated situations

-timber such as embedded joist ends in contact with damp brickwork

-timber in cellars , timber widow frames and near or below ground level when not protected
by d. p .c or d.p .m

FUNGI

Types of fungi are as follows ; wood destroying fungi [ these attack timber substance and
destroy it ]

The stains and moulds [ these have no effect on the strength of timber ]

WOOD DESTROYING FUNGI

Primitive plants that grow on timber and use it as a source of food , just as ordinary plants use
soil , has no green leaves like other plants , so they use the timber entirely exclusively for
sustenance . When fungi grows on timber it produces fine rootlets which penetrates through the
whole piece of timber , these rootlets absorb the cell walls .

WET ROT AND DRY ROT FUNGI

DRY ROT FUNGI -is confined to buildings , the decay timber becomes brown and splits into large
cubes . Fungus grows under humid and badly ventilated conditions .

WET ROT –when timber is attacked it splits along the grain , the decay is often internal , leaving
a sound outer skin of timber , it produces dark brown strands which are confined to the
wood . Wet rot fungi attacks timber that is wet eg timber in buildings with areas affected by
persistent dampness , skirting , floorboards and window timber frames .
INSECTS - can attack timber over a wide range of moisture content . Different species can attack
either green or seasoned timber . Insects damage takes place , forms of a network of
tunnels , often filled with boring dust . Termites attack is a tropical problem ie all species of
termites are confined to tropical countries .

BORES [ marine ] – attack timber immersed in seawater , heavy duty boat timbers can be
attacked too . Damage occurs in standing timber and freshly converted timber as well as in
seasoned timber .

WOOD BASED PRODUCTS

PLYWOOD - is a laminated board material made from sheets of wood termed construction
veneers or plies . Is an ideal material for both construction work ie flooring , cladding and
formwork and interior joinery and carcass work [ paneling ,furniture and cabinet construction ]
Plywood is constructed with odd number of layers with their grains alternating across and along
the sheet. Sizes vary in thickness from 3mm to 30mm and widths are 1, 22m but 1,5m are also
available .

PARTICLEBOARDS –made using small wood chips or flakes impregnated and bonded together
under pressure . Softwood forests thinnings and waste from sawmills and other wood
manufacturing are used , examples of particleboards ; single layer , three layer , graded density ,[
for furniture making ], decorative faced , [ used for making furniture ,shelving and cabinet
construction ]

FIBREBOARDS – made from pulped wood and other vegetable fibre pressed into board of the
required thickness . Hardboard is available in thickness from 1,5mm to 12mm, medium and soft
boards from 6mm to 12mm , large sizes are also available .

VENEERS – are thin sheets of wood 0,4mm thick obtained by different knife cutting process.
Depending on the cutting process veneers are classified as [a] rotary veneers , [b] sliced veneers

BLOCKBOARD -are thicker than plywood and have a core made of strips of wood each not
exceeding 25 mm in width laid separately or glued or jointed to form a slab with the direction
of the grains of the core blocks running at right angles to that of the adjacent block [ suitable
for table tops , door panels.

PURCHASING BOARD MATERIALS

Information required when purchasing boards ii – thickness of board , type of board , board
finish , size of board [ quote longest grain size if applicable ]

STANDARD SIZES OF TIMBER [ SOFTWOODS]

-228 x 38x 6.6

-228x50x6.6
-76x50x6.6

-152x38x6.6

-114x38x6.6

-25x114x6.6

-38x38x6.6

Hardwoods is purchased in cubic metres .

REVIEW QUESTIONS

[a] Sketch a cross section of a trunk of a tree and indicate the different parts of a log .

[b] Distinguish between the following - knots and shakes

- sapwood and heartwood

- hardwood and softwood

[c]Describe four methods of sawing used to convert wood into timber products.

[d]What is seasoning and preservation of timber ? Describe the commonly used methods of
seasoning , and preservation of timber .

[d] Describe dry rot and wet rot . What are the differences between them and how will you
identify them? How can they be prevented ? How do you treat them if they have already
affected the timber ?

[e] Explain how timber is graded . Enumerate the different types of processed timber
products that are available in the market . Mention their merits and demerits .

[f] Explain two methods for testing moisture content in timber .