Part I.

Properties of Wood

1. What is wood?

Wood is an organic material with a fibrous, heterogeneous, and anisotropic texture that is
derived from the tree, which is a living organism. Wood is one of the oldest building
materials. Throughout the beginning of time, humans have used wood for shelter and
safety. Currently, the value of wood has increased due to the decline in forests for a variety
of reasons, such as the difficulty to grow new trees to replace those that have been wiped
away or the late growth of trees. Wood is utilized in roof fittings, woodwork and coating
materials, as well as loadbearing or ornamental elements in models and scaffolding.
Additionally, artificial building materials such as chipboard, MDF, and plywood are made
from wood byproducts such as woodchips, sawdust, and dust.

2. Differentiate between hardwood and softwood. Is hardwood harder than softwood?

Hardwoods and softwoods are distinguished by the tree from which they grow. Hardwoods
are derived from angiosperm trees, which are usually deciduous and have large leaves that
fall every autumn. Softwoods are derived from gymnosperm trees such as conifers. They
have needles that remain evergreen all year. Because hardwood trees grow slower than
softwood trees, their lumber is typically denser and stronger.

Hardwoods are stronger and more durable than softwoods. This is due to its slower growth
rate and more complex, compacted structure, which results in increased density of
harvested timber. In general, higher density equals greater strength and durability.

But, like with every rule, there are a few notable exceptions. Behold, 'hard' softwoods
and'soft' hardwoods. Yew is a softwood with a dry density of 670 kg/m3, making it harder
than American Cherry, which is categorized as a hardwood despite having a lower dry
density of 560 kg/m3. Then there's Balsa wood, which is classified as hardwood but has an
extremely soft 160kg/m3 density.

3. What are the common defects in wood caused by abnormal growth, or due to
deterioration?

Wood defects are typically an abnormality or irregularity in the wood that can be caused by
a variety of factors. Natural and acquired wood flaws, for example, can be caused by insect
and fungal attack, as well as rapid tree growth. Natural wood flaws are also uncontrollable.
These frequent wood flaws can be created by the wood's natural ability to absorb or expel
moisture from the air. Man-made wood faults result from improper milling, sawing, or
machining. Some frequent mechanical wood flaws are (conversion), (seasoning), and
inappropriate handling and storage.

Additional common wood flaws seen by all woodworkers are:

Part II. Preparation of Wood

1. Lumbering is the process of preparing wood from timber so that it can be used for
commercial applications. It involves logging, hauling, and cutting timber to sizes, a process
called sawing. Describe and illustrate at least two main methods of sawing.

2. What is seasoning of wood? Differentiate between Natural or Air Seasoning and

Artificial Seasoning?

Part III. Wood in construction

1. Explain the differences (and similarities, if any):

a. timber vs lumber

b. rough lumber vs dressed (or surfaced) lumber

c. slab vs plank vs board

d. fine grained vs straight grained

3. When purchasing lumber, the pricing based on board foot. Explain how to compute the
board feet of a piece of lumber.

4. Plywood is the most common type of manufactured boards. What is it exactly?

Differentiate between these types of plywood:

a. Soft plywood

b. Hard plywood

c. Marine plywood

d. Hardboard

e. Particle Board