WORKSHOP PRACTICE

LESSON 4:

Earlier we had just seen an overview and names of defects, now lets go a bit detail, dont worry, that bit would not be a long bit. Its very important to know about timber defects in detail because these defects directly affect the quality of timber. Lets discuss Defects in Timber in detail so that you can judge its quality while selection Common defects in timber are classified in following three broad groups: Natural defects occurring due to abnormal growth of a tree.

wood axis i.e. the fibers are no more parallel to the axis of the wood. Twisted fibers offer difficulty in working and a smooth surface is not obtained. Ring galls This defect is caused due to the growth of sap wood over a wound caused by the falling or breaking of a branch. The new sap wood, that grows over the wound, does not unite with the parent wood and creates a cavity between the two and thus a place for starting the decay. Defects occurring during conversion and seasoning The defects which occur during the conversion and seasoning of the wood include: shakes, distortion, case-hardening and honey-combing. The main causes for these defects are improper methods adopted and inadequate care exercised during the conversion and seasoning of the wood. Shakes When a tree is felled carelessly on the ground, a great impact thus created harms the interior of the tree by developing radial cracks or shakes. Similarly, during seasoning, when outer skin of the wood dries up quickly, uneven shrinkage takes place which also may cause shakes. Distortion Non-uniform seasoning is the cause of distortion in seasoned wood balks. Shrinkage starts in most woods when their moisture contents fall below 25 percent. Hence, if seasoning is not uniform and the wood is sawn in thinner sections, distortion takes place in the sawn planks on account of shrinkage. Distortion may be in the form of twisting, bowing or crooking. Case hardening It is also caused due to uneven drying during seasoning. Since the outer portion of wood dries earlier and quicker than the core, it causes shrinkage in the outer tissues and sets up drying stresses that result in the hardened outer surface of the wood. Honey combing It sometime occurs as a result of chemical seasoning. Due to the presence of hygroscopic substance (which absorbs moisture easily) in the outer tissues of the timber, the interior of the timber gets dried quicker than the outer surface of the timber. This sets up internal stresses resulting into the information of circular and radial cracks producing honey comb structure in the wood.

Defects occurring during conversion and seasoning. Defects caused by the action of fungi and insects.

Natural defects
These are the defects that get developed during the growth of a tree. These include: knots, shakes, twisted fibers and ring galls. Knots These are the impressions left behind by the broken limbs or branches of a tree and are in the form of hard dark spots. The annual rings in the knots are formed normal to the annual rings in the stem, which, besides reducing the strength of the wood, also creates difficulty in working on the wood. Hence, the wood with large or loose knots should not be used as such knots are the sources of weakness. The knots already existing in the wood before the tree falls are called dead knots. Due to decaying of tissues in course of time, dead knots become loose and fall out leaving a cavity in the wood. When separation of a branch takes place after the felling of tree, the knot formed is called Live Knot. These are usually free from decay and do not, therefore, get loosened and separated. These, however, present difficulty in working on the wood. Shakes Shakes of different types are caused in an over matured tree i.e. when a tree is not felled at the right time upon attaining maturity. With the lapse of time the cohesion in wood grains is lost due to the evaporation of moisture, gum, resins or oil present in a tree. This results in the burning of tissues and shrinkage of interior of the trees causing radial or circular rupture in the tissues creating cavities called shakes. Heart Shakes are the cavities, which start from the pith and extend towards the sapwood (Star Shakes are those cavities, which grow under the bark and extend towards the centre. When the shakes or cavities appear between the annular rings, these are called Cup Shakes Frequent excessive wind pressures causing bending of a tree and reduction in the adhesion between successive annular rings also result in the formation of cup shakes.

Twisted fibres (or irregular grains)

The fibers of a tree get twisted due to wind action in the branches. The twisted fibers have different inclinations with the
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A dark color wood is always good. It should not change color as change in color is a sign of disease. It should be free from discoloration too. It should be easy to work upon the wood with normal hand tools and machines.It should not clog the saw teeth during sawing. Wood should not split when nails are driven into it. The timber should give a clear sound when struck with a hammer. A good timber should respond well to polishing and painting. The timber should be properly seasoned to suit the specific use. It should not have defects like radial shake, twisting and bowing, case hardening and honey combing.

WORKSHOP PRACTICE

Mind Teasers
Now can you answer following simple questions? Discuss some of the factors that govern the selection of a good timber.

Defects due to action of fungi and insects Wood tissues and cells are often attacked by fungi(or fungus), which reduces them into a dry powdery form as the fungi eats away the wood cells. At times you all must have seen this powdered material near your furnitures, but have you pondered over the origin of this powdered material? So lets try our best to find an answer. The rotting of wood can be of two forms
Dry rot

Discuss amongst your syndicate the concept of wood seasoning. Why is it done? Discuss wood defects. Why timber is preferred over other wood materials? Discuss Discuss the two forms of wood rotting.

References
1. Manufacturing Technology (Vol. 1) by- PN Rao 2. Workshop Technology (Vol.1) by- Hajra Chodhry 3. Workshop Technology by- BS Raghuwanshi 4. Workshop Technology by- OP Khanna 5. Workshop technology by- B.S.Raghuvanshi 6. Workshop technology by- W A J Chapman

It is caused by the attack of the fungi on the dry wood when it is kept in a confined place where no air circulation takes place. So better check where, your things are lying as, it may be subjected to dry rottness. Wet Rot: It is a chemical decay due to atmosphere being damp or moist. Affected portions are reduced to gray brown powder under the effect of fungi. Wet rot is sometimes caused in living trees also. Now, you have understood various defects that affect the quality of wood. But like a coin had two sides, same way each and every thing is associated with pros and cons. So, we should also look into the qualities of good timber. Now one question should arise in your mind what are the qualities of good timber, which one should look for? A good timber should have following qualities:

It should be free from defects like knots, twisted fibres, heart shake, cup and ring shake and decay or any other defect. The timber should not have stained sapwood. The wood obtained from near the pith is always better than rest of the tree. The annual ring should be regular. Heavy and strong wood is good for engineering applications. Moreover wood should have high resistance to shock and stresses.
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