Design and Construction of the Wood for Building

Wood plays an important role in human life. Many household items and stuff for human life are made from wood. Furniture, windows, doors, walls, floors, and fences are some examples of stuff that still uses wood as the main substrate. As a natural product, the wood has many advantages; it is renewable, lightweight, easy to be handled and formed and has nice appearances. But instead of his advantages, the wood also has some disadvantages. Since the wood is sourced from the life creature, he has a big variation in properties and character. The wood is also a non-durable material. The wood is naturally susceptible to biologically, chemically, or physically degradation. To prevent this problem, the woodworking industry has been producing many chemicals, including the coating and paint that are purposed to make the wood more durable. But instead of chemical preservation, the proper design and construction are also important to make the wood more durable. It is proven that with the proper construction and design, we can make the wood last longer. Since of this reason, we need to consider the proper construction to be done together with the chemical or physical treatment to make the wood last longer. 

wooden building 

Here are some things to be considered according to the design and construction of the wood product.

• Keep the wood dry as much as possible.

Water is one of the biggest enemies for wood. Water that is absorbed by the wood in a small amount will wet the wood and invite fungi and insects to live in it. If the water is absorbed in large amounts, it will swell the wood and make it soft and even crushed. The moisture content changes in the wood will make the wood expand and contract. This wood movement, if quite big, could damage the wood products. So it is very important to make the wood dry all the time.

The wood absorbs water in the axial direction (along the grain) far greater than in the tangential direction (across the grain). This phenomenon relates to the structure of the wood cells that is designed as the “pipe” to flow water and nutrients from the roots to the leaves. This condition should be anticipated at the construction or design to make the wood keep dry. The first thing is to avoid allowing the water to immerse the end grain. The top end grain should always be closed or sealed. We can place the top wood grain under the roof or we apply a kind of sealant to the wood top grain.

The opposite way from the bottom end grain. We can use this part to release the water from the wood. Keep the bottom grain open, and the gravity force will force the water inside to flow down and be released at the bottom end. 

   

 the construction of the wood on the ground

 

• Keep the timber away from the ground.

Land is one of an infinite water source. In the rainy season, the land absorbs water and becomes wet. Even in the dry season, the land still holds water inside. If there is wood exposed to the ground, then he is at risk of getting wet; the wood will absorb the water from the land. The land is also a medium for fungi and insects. The termite, one of the big enemies for the wood, is building his house on the ground. Then keep the wood away from the earth. If the wood is used as a pillar, then it should be placed on the concrete or stone to keep it away from the earth.

• Accommodate the wood movement.

The wood is a hygroscopic material that risks having dimensional changes due to environmental conditions. Although the wood product has been coated, there is still a big possibility that its moisture content changes when it is exposed to the open air.  Then we design the wood product, we need to always consider this possibility of dimensional changes. It is better to provide room to let the wood expand or contract.

• Use the proper wood.

The tree as a wood source has thousand species, and each of them provides special character and properties. Several types of wood have the durability for weather and are suitable for outdoor uses; some wood can even be planted and used to pile on the wet ground. While the other kinds of wood are more suitable for indoor uses. Some other wood only works for interiors. When we are going to utilize wood, the first time we need to find the wood character and properties to get the maximum benefit from this wood.