Understanding
Wood
A Craftsman's
Guide to Wood Technology
by R. Bruce Hoadley
Hardcover
225 x 280mm
280pp
Published by The Taunton Press, Connecticut, USA.
R.R.P.$49.90
ISBN 1-56158-358-8
Extract from back cover of book:
"Clearly the best book available on the subject." - Wooden Boat
Understanding Wood answers every woodworker's question: Why does wood do what it does? Updated to include new information on composite materials, adhesives, and finishes developed in the past 20 years, this completely revised classic has everything you need to know about wood technology. R. Bruce Hoadley, reknowned wood technologist, explores the nature of wood and its properties, the basics of wood technology, and the woodworker's raw materials. You'll learn the best ways to cut, season, machine, join, bend, fasten, and finish wood, and explore the crucial interaction of wood and moisture. You'll also find the latest on wood products and where to buy them. Everyone who works with wood craftsmen, builders, engineers, and designers should own this completely revised version of the classic Understanding Wood.
About the Author - R. Bruce Hoadley has a degree in forestry from the University of Connecticut and a doctorate in wood technology from Yale. He is professor of wood science and technology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He frequently consults for museums and acts as an expert witness at trials.
Photos & Illustrations: Colour
Units of Measurement: Imperial
Contents
Preface
Foreword
Part One - The Nature of Wood and Its Properties
The
Nature of Wood
- Growth rings
- Grain
- Sapwood and heartwood
- Structural arrangement of growth rings and rays
- Density and specific
gravity
- Systematic classification
- Cellular structure
- Softwoods
- Hardwoods
Figure
in Wood
- Knots
- Abnormal wood
- Fungi
- Insect damage
Wood
Identification
- What to look for
- Physical properties
- Identification
techniques
- Macrophotographs
Strength of Wood
- Compression parallel to the grain
- Compression perpendicular
to the grain
- Tension perpendicular to the grain
- Tension parallel
to the grain
- Shear perpendicular to the grain
- Shear parallel to
the grain
-
Bending theory
- The carrying capacity and stiffness of beams
- Factors
affecting strength properties
- Compression failures and brashness
-
Structural grades
Other
Properties of Wood
- Thermal conductivity
- Effect of temperature on
wood
- Burning of wood
- Fluorescence
- Psychological properties
Water
and Wood
- Free water and bound water
- Equilibrium moisture content
- Green vs. air-dried vs. kiln-dried
- Dimensional change in wood
- Estimating shrinkage and swelling
- Uneven shrinkage and swelling
Part Two - Basics of Wood Technology
Coping
with Dimensional Change in Wood
- Preshrinking
- Control of moisture
sorption
- Mechanical restraint
- Chemical stabilization
- Design
- Monitoring moisture
- The moisture "widget"
Drying
Wood
- How wood dries
- The dry kiln
- Drying your own wood
- Storing lumber
Machining
and Bending Wood
- Machining wood
- Bending solid wood
Joining
Wood
- The elements of joints
- Basic types of joints
- Worked
joints
- Fastened joints
Adhesives
and Gluing
- Adhesive joints
- Gluing fundamentals
Finishing
and Protecting Wood
- Surface condition
- No treatment
- Coating
treatments
- Penetrating finishes
- Combinations and compromise
- Slowing moisture exchange
- Evaluation of finished surfaces
- Preservative
treatment of wood
Part Three - The Woodworker's Raw Materials
Lumber
- Lumber measure
- Lumber classification and grading
Veneer
and Plywood
- Plywood
- Classes of plywood
Composite
Panels
- Particleboard
- Wafer- and strand-based panels
- Fiber-based
panels
Engineered
Wood
- Finger-jointed lumber
- Glulam
- Structural composite lumber
- I-joists
Finding
Wood
- Trees
- Recycling used wood
- Local sawmills
- Lumberyards
- The woodworkers' retail outlets
- Industrial arts teachers
-
Magazines
- Specialty woods
- The Yellow Pages and other listings
- Internet
- Lumbermen
Afterword:
Forests past and future
Appendix 1: Commercial names for lumber
Appendix
2: Finding the specific gravity of wood
Glossary
Bibliography
Index