Chapter 1: Wood Properties, Species and Grades

 RAFTER
 These are usually sloped sawn-dimension limber roof beams spaced
to fairly close interval
 Span maximum 4.27-5.49 meters
 JOIST
 These are sawn lumber floor beams spaced at fairly close intervals of
0.30, 0.41 or 0.64 in that support the roof or floor deck.
 Span 4.27-5.49 meters.
 Double or Triple Joint
 These are two or more sawn lumber joist that are nailed together to
act as one composite beam.
 Header & Trimmer Joist
 These are multiple dimension lumber joists that are nailed together
used to frame around stair opening.
 Beam and Girders
 These are horizontal element that support heavier gravity loads than
rafters and joists and are used to span longer distance.
 Ridge Beams
 These are roof beam at the ridge of a roof that support the slopped
roof rafters. They are usually supported at their ends on column or
post.
 Hip and Valley Transfers
 These are slopped diagonal roof beams that support slopped jack
rafter in roofs with hips or valleys and support a triangular roof load
due to the varying spans of the Jack Rafters.
 Column or Posts
 These are vertical members that resist additional bending loads due
to lateral windloads or the eccentricity of the gravity loads on the
column.
 Roof Trusses
 There are made up typically of dimension sawn lumber top and
bottom chords and web members that are subjected to axial tension
or compression plus bending load.
 Usually spaced with not more than 1.22 m on centers and are used to
span long distance up to 36.58 m.
Some advantages of wood as a structural material are as follows:
 Wood is renewable
 Wood is machinable
 Wood has a good strength to weight ratio
 Wood is aesthetically pleasing
Disadvantages of wood includes the following:
 Wood can burn
 Wood can decay or rot and can be attacked by insects such as termites,
marine borers.
 Moisture and air promote decay and rot in wood
Disadvantages of wood includes the following:
 Wood holds moisture
 Wood susceptible and volumetric instability (i,e,wood shrinks)
 Woods properties are highly variable and vary widely by which species
and even between trees of the same species. There is also variation in
strength with in the cross section of a tree log