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

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.

See http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.geoffswoodwork.co.uk/joints%2520edged.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.geoffswoodwork.co.uk/joints%2520more.htm&usg=__ENYzhgtvktI9ttlab9ulbtOHZ7Y=&h=460&w=363&sz=11&hl=en&start=16&um=1&tbnid=MPa6GvKS_t-HoM:&tbnh=128&tbnw=101&prev=/images%3Fq%3DEdge%2Bjointing%2Bwood%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1 for more wood - joining Info.

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.