Woods

Rough Sawn

Wood comes directly from seasoning and has rough surfaces produced from initial conversion - nominal sizes rather than accurate finished sizes

Planed square edge

Only one edge that is planed accurately - planing removes 3mm from the original nominal size

Planed all round

All sides and edges are planed square - smooth finish that is ready to use

Natural timbers

Timber that has had no treatment / change from being cut down

Mouldings

Machined profiles made for functional and aesthetic purposes - skirting boards

Softwoods

Lightweight and require less seasoning - pine, redwood, spruce, cedar, larch and Douglas fir

Pine

Lightweight with straight grain and knots - easy to work with - furniture and flooring

Redwood

Lightweight, soft and good strength to weight ratio - construction, decking and instruments

Spruce

Uniform texture and easy to work with - construction, cabinets and instruments - used to make aircraft in WW2

Cedar

High oil context makes it resistant to decay, moisture, weathering and insect attack - lightweight and easy to work with but toxic - boats and outdoor panelling

Larch

Hard, fades to grey when exposed to light but difficult to work with due to high resin content - veneers, garden furniture and boats

Douglas fir

Cheap and strong but cannot be treated due to density - housing frameworks and cladding

Hardwoods

Favoured for aesthetics, stronger - oak, ash, mahogany, teak, birch and beech

Oak

Resistant to rot and hard wearing - tannic acid corrodes steel - boats and architecture

Ash

Open pores give it elastic properties - walking sticks and sports equipment

Mahogany

Attractive grain and good workability - veneers

Teak

Resistance to acids and alkalis due to oils - outdoor furniture and boats

Birch

Fine grain with uniform even texture - veneers

Beech

Tough and odourless - food safe - toys and bowls

Plywood

Strong in both directions due to alternating layers - furnatire

Marine plywood

Water resistant hardwood layers are used with a waterproof adhesive - phenolic acid - boats

Flexible plywood

Can be bent and curved - lamination

MDF

Fine wood dust bonded with resin - uniform density and properties - CNC milling and flat pack furniture

Polymer laminates - melamine formaldehyde

Protective and attractive surface finish to low cost timbers

Wood veneers

Stuck to surface and edges of manufactured boards - improve aesthetics

Chipboard

Larger chips of wood bonded with resin content - flat pack furniture

Preservatives (woods)

Protect the wood from fungal and insect attack - can provide different features and finishes e.g colours - injected before use and applies all features to all areas of the wood

Seasoning

Drying out woods to around 10-20% moisture - easier to work with - natural or controlled

Resins (woods)

Used on manufactured board to keep it all together - can be used to add certain propertied such as fire retardant into the woods

Lamination (woods)

Adding an exterior layer of a higher quality wood - improves aesthetics - decreases the chance of warping or splitting

Knock down fittings

Assembly and disassembly of flat pack furniture - easy to assemble and requires no specialist tools

Barrel nut and bolt

Cross dowel is fitted to one piece - bolt is inserted through the other piece - tightened with an allen key

Turning (wood)

Tool is moved in and out of the wood that is attached to the wood lathe - used to make wood pieces that have rotational symmetry

Routing (woods)

Used to make slots and holes - can be CNC - used on decorative panels

Steam bending

Heat and steam is used together to make timber more bendable - bend over a former and clamped until dried -

Polyurethane vinyl acrylic varnish

Available in gloss, satin or matt - applied in a thin coat in the direction of the grain - provides a heatproof and tough finish

Water based paints

Available in a wide range of surface finishes - applied with a brush, roller or spray - provies protection and colour

Stains

Available in many different colours and types - applied with a brush, roller or spray - enhance colour and grain - no specific protection properties

Colour wash

Available in many different colours - applied with a wet sponge - help colour of the wood while still allowing for the grain to show through

Wax

Available in clear and colours - apply with brush or stockinet cloth and then buff with lint free cloth - increases surface hardness for indoor products

Pressure treating

Pressure and vacuum are controlled to force the solution deep into the wood - steam dried - suitable for outdoor woods - protects for up to 50 years

Yacht varnish

Applied with brush or sprayed on - increases toughness, hardness and weather resistance - suitable for outdoor woods

Danish oil

Rubbed on and then allowed to soak in with excess rubbed off - maintains natural appearance

Teak oil

Rubbed on and then allowed to soak in with excess rubbed off - used for outdoor materials - grain is enhanced

Pressure treated timber

Anti microbial copper based preservative is forced into the wood with pressure - high level of protection - tanalising