DRYING OF LUMBER

After sawing, the lumber is dried and subsequently surfaced smooth before being shipped to
lumber yards for sale. Although the drying of wood begins from the time the tree is cut and
converted to logs, the moisture content prior to sawing far exceeds that required for use in
buildings. Therefore, lumber must be dried (or seasoned). The term seasoning implies a
controlled rate of drying. Controlled drying minimizes the separation of fibers that occurs during
the drying process.

The moisture content (MC) in a piece of wood is the weight of water in the wood divided by its
oven-dry (completely dry) weight, expressed as a percentage:

Let us assume that a piece of wood weighs 6kg. Now let us dry it until all of its water has
evaporated and then weigh it again. If the weight of this dry piece is 4.5 kg (implying that the
weight of water in the wood was 1.5kg), the moisture content in the wood before drying, as
obtained from the preceding equation, is

The moisture content in the tree before it is cut varies with the species and may be as high as
200%. Some of this water is contained in cell walls, which are in their fully swollen state, and
some of the water is contained in cell cavities. During the drying process, the cavity water,
referred to as free water, evaporates first.

After all the free water has evaporated, the cell wall water, called the bound water, begins to
evaporate, Figure 13.23 . The stage at which all the free water has evaporated and the bound
water has just begun to evaporate is referred to as the fiber saturation point (FSP). At this point,
the cell walls are in their fully swollen state, just as they were when there was free water in the
cells.

GREEN VERSUS DRY LUMBER

The average moisture content in lumber at the FSP is approximately 30%. It is only when the
moisture content in wood falls below FSP (i.e., when the bound water begins to evaporate) that
the water leaves the cell walls and the wood begins to shrink. No shrinkage of wood occurs if its
moisture content is greater than its fiber saturation point.

Lumber is typically seasoned in the mill to a moisture content of 19-20% or less—a value that
distinguishes dry lumber from green lumber. Thus, a piece of lumber whose moisture content
is less than or equal to 19-20% is referred to as dry lumber, and that whose moisture content is
greater than 20% is referred to as green lumber, Figure 13.24 .

The value of 19% has been selected because lumber with a moisture content of 19% or less is not
susceptible to fungal decay. Additionally, the strength properties of lumber do not improve
significantly below 19% moisture content. Note that the strength and stiffness of lumber increase
as the moisture content decreases beyond the fiber saturation point. Seasoning also helps to
reduce transportation costs because a drier piece of lumber weighs less.

Wood and Wood product

Tree Growth

Dead Bark –– Protective Layer Protective Layer

Living Bark ––Composed of hollow longitudinal cells that conduct nutrients down the truck
from the leaves to the roots

Cambium ––Thin layer which creates new bark cells toward the outside of the trucks and new
wood cells toward the inside.

Sap Wood Sap Wood ––thick layer of living wood cells inside the cambium cells–nutrients are
stored and sap is pumped upward from roots to leaves.

Heartwood ––sap wood dies progressively and becomes heartwood ––no longer participates in
the life processes of the tree but continues to contribute to its structural strength.

Pitch –– of the tree is a small zone of weak wood cells from first year’s growth.

Softwoods and Hardwoods

Softwoods come from coniferous trees

Hardwoods come from broad Hardwoods come from broad--leafed trees.

Names can be confusing because many coniferous trees produce harder woods then broad harder
woods then broad--leafed.

Softwood trees have a much simpler cell structure than hardwoods consisting of mainly large
longitudinal cells – – uninteresting patterns of grain

Hardwoods have complex cell structures –– and beautiful grain and beautiful grain patterns.

HARDWOOD

Wood from trees of angiosperms class, usually with broad leaves.

• Trees grown in tropical climates are generally hardwood.

• Hard wood grows faster than softwood but have shorter fibers compared to softwood.

SOFTWOOD

The trees classified as softwoods have needle like or scale like leaves that, with a few exceptions,
remain on the tree all through the year.

Hence softwood trees are sometimes called evergreens.

Botanically, they are known as gymnosperms, from the Greek word meaning "naked seeds."
Instead of bearing seeds from flowers, gymnosperms have exposed seeds in cones.

Generally grown in cold climates, softwood grows slower than hardwood but have longer fibers
compared to hardwood.

The ease with which softwoods are grown, and the abundant supply of timber available from the
northern temperature zone forests make softwood much cheaper than hardwood

Softwood is also much easier to work with than hardwood. Due to this reason, the bulk of most
timber used in construction is softwood.

Hardwood higher cost is due to higher quality, increasing scarcity

Generally, hardwoods are only used in situations where their superior appearance, better natural
durability, and higher strength can justify their greater cost.