Wood Stain - Enhances aesthetics by modifying its colour, however it doesn't usually protect the wood.
Oils - Maintains the wood's appearance. Some also offer protection to moisture when used outdoors.
Polyurethane Varnish - Seals and protects the surface of the wood.
Preservatives - Generally applied to timber that is going to be used outdoors. They enhance appearance and extend the useful life of timber products. Tanalised Timber is protected by straying a preservative onto it. See http://www.delston.co.uk/tanalised.htm for more info.
Paint - Used to colour and protect wood. Primers must be used on most non-manufactured boards.
Manufactured Boards
Medium Density Fibre Board (MDF) - Composed of fine wood, dust and resin which is then compressed inside a mould to form a block. - Relatively inexpensive.
Plywood - Alternating grain at 90 degrees to each other to improve strength.
Chipboard - Small chips of wood bonded together with resin and formed into sheets by compression. Not as strong as Plywood.
Hardwood - Wood fibres that've been pulped.
Blockboard - Core of softwood strips bonded together with adhesive and covered with a sheet of plywood.
Aeroply - Used for the outer skin of an aircraft. High grade plywood that's attatched to a timber frame.
Maplex - A New type of MDF that's used for the furniture industry. This composite is higher grade and easier to machine
5 October 2009
Processing Timber & Sawing Types - Crucial Notes
Harvesting - felling the tree
Conversion - Cutting and disecting the trunk and large branches into boards - Slab Sawn or Quater Sawn
Seasoning - Reducing the internal moisture content of the timber. Techniques include, Natural seaoning and Kiln seasoning
Board Preparation - Sawing boards to demanded size and planing. E.g. PAR - Planed All Round
Quater Saw Timber
(More waste material - more stable - Less liable to warp and twist - often exposes more attractive grain structure)
Commonly used for expensive Hardwood timbers.
Slab or Plain Sawing
Timber shrinks most along the annual rings.
Quater sawn board - Short Annual Ring - Very Little Shrinkage - Stable
Rough Saw Timber
Planed Timber
PAR - Planed All Round
PAR - Planed All Round
PSE - Planed Square Edge
* Edge jointing narrow Timber to make wider boards.
Alternating grain direction to increase strength.
This prevents twisting and bowing, caused when the moisture in the boards evaporate.
Natural Timbers - Crucial Notes
Lumber - Tree has been felled
Wood - The material itself
Timber - The formed / treated wood
Hardwood - Deciduous, slow growing trees (e.g. Oak, Chestnut, Teak)
Softwood - Coniferous, relatively quickly growing trees (e.g. Spruce pine, Larch, Douglas Pine)
* Some woods are used because of their indiginous properties, possessing certain characterists from a certain origin.
Growth / Annual rings - Light patches indicate summer's growth, dark - winter growth. (Dark sections caused by tree resin, used to protect the tree during colder months)
FSC - Forestry Stewardship Council. This mark declares that wood has come from a sustainable source.
Wood - The material itself
Timber - The formed / treated wood
Hardwood - Deciduous, slow growing trees (e.g. Oak, Chestnut, Teak)
Softwood - Coniferous, relatively quickly growing trees (e.g. Spruce pine, Larch, Douglas Pine)
* Some woods are used because of their indiginous properties, possessing certain characterists from a certain origin.
Growth / Annual rings - Light patches indicate summer's growth, dark - winter growth. (Dark sections caused by tree resin, used to protect the tree during colder months)
FSC - Forestry Stewardship Council. This mark declares that wood has come from a sustainable source.
1 October 2009
3 September 2009
What I Should Never Have Purchased!
I recently purchased a beautiful "inovix Mp4 Player" from Amazon.co.uk. It's without doubt, a gorgeous, head-turning little device. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about its practicality or internal technology. The "Slipstream400" can't manage anything like the performance speed a regular player is able to achieve. I believe this is down to its process-demanding graphics, and futile transition animations.
This product was by no means an inexpensive gadget either, setting me back £79. Buying this in confidence, has now ironically subdued any future confidence I will have when in a similar scenario. I realised very hastily that the product wasn't up to my (and I'm sure, others') standards.
Firstly, its tiny buttons and sliders are very difficult to operate. This coupled with my tendancy to constantly skip through tracks and alter the volume level doesn't help this habbit of mine at all.
Secondly, like many other multimedia players and mobile phones, the charging port is covered by a flexible, pull-out latex layer. This poor innovation was subsequently lost during a gym session on the treadmills, leaving the electronics open to an invasion of moisture and dust.
Whilst in play-mode, it also became extremely over heated and automatically tripped (presumably to prevent electrical component damage). It had been playing for approximately 2 hours at this point!
It then prevented me from re-booting the player for a further 10 minutes.
In all honesty, the "Slipstream400" is a beautiful machine but lacks a decent (non over-heating) processor and cooling system.
Ultimately, after purchasing this player, I've decided never again to do so again over the internet - with its pretty pictures, without personal inspection and approval.
This product was by no means an inexpensive gadget either, setting me back £79. Buying this in confidence, has now ironically subdued any future confidence I will have when in a similar scenario. I realised very hastily that the product wasn't up to my (and I'm sure, others') standards.
Firstly, its tiny buttons and sliders are very difficult to operate. This coupled with my tendancy to constantly skip through tracks and alter the volume level doesn't help this habbit of mine at all.
Secondly, like many other multimedia players and mobile phones, the charging port is covered by a flexible, pull-out latex layer. This poor innovation was subsequently lost during a gym session on the treadmills, leaving the electronics open to an invasion of moisture and dust.
Whilst in play-mode, it also became extremely over heated and automatically tripped (presumably to prevent electrical component damage). It had been playing for approximately 2 hours at this point!
It then prevented me from re-booting the player for a further 10 minutes.
In all honesty, the "Slipstream400" is a beautiful machine but lacks a decent (non over-heating) processor and cooling system.
Ultimately, after purchasing this player, I've decided never again to do so again over the internet - with its pretty pictures, without personal inspection and approval.
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