Timber

Hardwood

1. Hardwood comes from a deciduous tree which loses its leaves

annually
2. Hardwoods tend to be slower growing, and are therefore usually
more dense.
3. A hardwood is an angiosperm, a plant that produces seeds with
some sort of covering such as a shell or a fruit. Angiosperms
usually form flowers to reproduce. Birds and insects attracted to
the flowers carry the pollen to other trees and when fertilized
the trees form fruits or nuts and seeds. Hardwoods include
eucalyptus, yakal, apitong
Softwood

1. Softwood comes from a conifer, which usually remains

evergreen.
2. Softwood trees are known as a gymnosperm. Gymnosperms
reproduce by forming cones which emit pollen to be spread by
the wind to other trees. Pollinated trees form naked seeds which
are dropped to the ground or borne on the wind so that new
trees can grow elsewhere. Some examples of softwood include
pine, agoho
Evergreens

• Evergreens do tend to be less dense than deciduous trees, and

therefore easier to cut, while most hardwoods tend to be more
dense, and therefore sturdier. In practical terms, this denseness
also means that the wood will split if you pound a nail into it. Thus
you need to drill screw or bolt holes to fasten hardwood together.
But structural lumber is soft and light, accepts nails easily without
splitting and thus is great for general construction.
Cross Section of Wood
Green Wood

• is wood that has been recently cut and therefore has not had an
opportunity to season (dry) by evaporation of the internal
moisture. Green wood is considered to have 100% moisture
content relative to air-dried
Cutting
Natural Characteristics Affecting Mechanical
Properties of Wood

Defects on wood is any irregularity occurring in or on wood which

reduces its strength, durability and usefulness. It may improve or
reduce its appearance
1. Knots

• that portion of a branch that has become incorporated in the bole

of a tree.
2. Reaction Woods

• abnormal woody tissue is frequently associated with leaning boles

and crooked limbs of both conifers and hardwoods.
3. Juvenile Wood

• the wood produced near the pith of the tree, Juvenile wood has
considerably different physical and anatomical properties than
that of mature wood
4. Pitch Pocket

• a well-defined opening that contains free resin. The pocket

extends parallel to the annual rings; it is almost flat on the pith
side and curved on the bark side. Accumulation of resinous
material (gum or sap)
5. Bird Peck

• damage caused by woodpeckers, most of the time small holes

around the wood.
6. Wane

• the presence of bark or absence of wood on the corner of along

the length of a lumber
7. Warp

• distortion in wood due to shrinkage and swelling( eg. Twist, cup,

bow, kink and crook/spring)
8. Check

• A crack in the wood structure of a piece, usually running

lengthwise, usually restricted to the end of a board and do not
penetrate as far as the opposite side of a piece of sawn timber.
9. Shake

• separation of grain between the growth rings, often extending

along the boards face and sometimes below its surface
10. Split

• longitudinal separation of the fibers which extends to the opposite

face of the lumber
11. Stain

• discoloration that penetrates the wood fiber, can be any color

other than the natural color of wood (blue or brown)
12. Spalt

• any form of discoloration caused by fungi (found in dead trees)

13. Dry Rot

• fungus breaks down wood fibers and renders the wood weak and
brittle
14. Wormholes

• small holes caused by insects (beetles)

Strength of Wood
Tensile Strength

• Tensile strength // to the grain is much higher (~3x) than

compressive strength
• Limiting factor for tension members is compression or shear at the
point of concentration
• Tensile strength perpendicular to the grain is ~(1/3) of the
strength // to the grain
Compression strength

• Compressive strength // to the grain is 3~4x than compressive

strength when load is perpendicular to the grain
• Failure when load is perpendicular to the grain: crushing of wood
fiber
• Failure when load is // to the grain: bending or buckling of wood
fibers
Flexural Strength

• critical factors are:

• comp strength // to the grain
• shear strength // to the grain
• shear strength is very low but if wood is free of defect, initial
failure will be compressive
Elastic Properties

• compared to other building materials, wood has high modulus of

elasticity relative to its compressive strength; wood is considered
to have good elastic properties
• wood has no defined yield point; proportional limit is used to
determine the elastic modulus
Factors affecting Strength of Wood

• direction of wood fibers (strength depends heavily of the direction of

load with respect to the grain)
• moisture (drying beyond the FSP (Fiber saturation point), leads to
increase in strength)
• weight (denser wood is stronger)
• for air-dry timber
• modulus of rupture = 26,200 x (specific gravity)1.25
• for green timber
• modulus of rupture = 18,500 x (specific gravity) 1.25
• rate of growth - greater number of annual rings per unit length gives
higher strength