Plenty to grain if you do homework

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 Plenty to grain if you do homework



Just a little background knowledge about wood will go a long way when you start out on your next big project

The wood you buy from a timber merchant or DIY store goes through a fantastic journey before you start to use it.

It’s important to have a little knowledge of this journey so you can appreciate how essential trees are. It’s also important to only use wood from well-managed forests as the trees that provide us with our timber also absorb carbon dioxide and turn it into oxygen, stabilise ground and provide shelter. No trees, no people.

There are two main types of wood – hardwood and softwood. Softwoods come from conifers, which have needles and keep them all year. Hardwoods come from deciduous trees, which shed their leaves.

Wood is graded depending on a number of factors but mainly the number of knots and faults. The fewer the faults, the better the quality.

Always inspect the timber. Look down the length to ensure it is straight and check for faults. Look for knots – common in softwood.

There are two main types of knots – dead and live. Dead knots have dark rings, which are formed from bark around the branch when the tree was young.

These dead knots come loose and fall out, weakening the timber, and should be avoided.

Live knots are continuous with the wood surface and don’t really affect the strength of the timber and add a bit of character to the timber.

A knot is harder to saw through and when painting or varnishing timber, knots need to be given a coat to prevent the resin coming through the finished surface.

During the felling of trees and the drying process, checks or shakes can occur in the form of slits and cracks and should be avoided.

At the end of the day, timber is a natural product like stone so you have to put up with minor defects.

The majority of the time, most DIYers will work with soft woods and there are two grades you will come across – construction and joinery.

Construction timber is used for making frame-work, house building, fencing and the like. It comes sawn or planed all round. Expect a few defects as it is reflected in the price.

Joinery grade timber is used where the wood needs to have a smooth finish as the timber will be exposed. Spend a bit more time looking for defects on joinery grade timber or you will have to spend more time in decorating to hide the defects.

Where timber is expected to have structural strength it will have a stress grade ranging from SC1 which is the weakest softwood too SC9 for densest and hardest hardwood.

Most DIY stores do not sell hardwood and only a small range of softwood. You need to go to your local sawmill or timber merchant for a fuller range of timber.

They provide a cutting service and always remember that timber merchants are cheaper than shops or stores.

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