LUMBER

Wood
-is that fibrous substance which composes the trunk and the branches of a tree that lies
between pit and bark.
-the versatility of using wood in every construction has lifted it to its present importance and
high demand in almost all types of construction
-because of its strength, light in weight, durability and ease of fastening become one of the
most important building materials.
Lumber – is the term applied to wood after it has been sawed or sliced into boards, planks,
timber, etc.
Rough Lumber – lumber with rough surfaces
S2s and S4S – dressed lumber wherein the number connotes the smooth sides.
S2s – means having two smooth sides
S4S – means having four smooth sides
Slab – is a kind of rough lumber cut tangent to the annual rings running through the full length
of the log containing at least one flat surface
Surface or Dressed Lumber – is a planed lumber having at least one smooth side
Timber – is a piece of lumber five inches or larger in its smallest dimension
Plank – is a wide piece of lumber from four to five inches thick
Board – is a piece of lumber less than 4cm thick with at least 10cm wide
Flitch – is a thick piece of lumber
Fine Grained – when the annual rings are small, the grain or marking which separates the
adjacent rings. When large, it is called coarse grained
Straight Grained – used when the direction of the fibers are nearly parallel with the side and
edges of the board
Crooked or Cross Grained – is a lumber taken from a crooked tree

Classification of Wood
Wood that are used in building construction are those which grows larger by addition of
a layer on the outer surface each year known to botanists as EXOGENS.

Wood is classified according to:

1. Mode of Growth
a. Indigenous - are those trees that grows from the inside. These kind of trees has a soft
center core and are not referred for lumbering
b. Exogenous – are those outward growing trees preferred for lumbering
2. With Respect to Density
a. Soft
b. Hard
3. With Respect to Leaves
a. Needle Shape
b. Broad Shape
4. With Respect to Shades or Colors
a. White
b. Yellow
c. Red
d. Brown
e. Black, etc.
5. With Respect to the Grain
a. Straight
b. Cross
c. Fine
d. Coarse
6. With Respect to the Nature of Surface when Sawed Plane
a. Grained
b. Figured or Mark

Methods of Log Sawing

Logging – is the process or operations from cutting of trees, hauling and delivery to the
saw mill for sawing.
Sawing- is the operation of cutting logs into commercial sizes of lumber

The Method and Manner of Log Sawing

1. Plane or Bastard Sawing

2. Quarter or Rift Sawing
a. Radial
b. Tangential
c. Quarter Tangential
d. Combined Radial and Tangential
Defects in Wood
-the term refers to irregularities found in wood. And the most common defects in wood
are:
1. Caused by Abnormal Growth
a. Heart Shakes – a radical cracks in wood originating from the heart of the logs,
it is commonly found in old trees

b. Wind Shakes or Cup Shakes – are cracks or breaks across the annual rings of
the wood during its growth caused by excessive bending of the tree due to
strong wind
 c. Star Shapes – are compose of several heart shakes radiating from the center of
the log in a star like manner

d. Knots – occurs at the starting point of a limb or branch of the tree

2. Due to Deterioration

a. Dry Rot – is caused by fungi in a seasoned lumber due to the presence of

moisture

b. Wet Rot – takes place sometime in the growth of the tree caused by water
saturation
Seasoning in Lumber

Soaking of wood in liquid is the oldest method of seasoning lumber introduced and
practiced by the ancient Roman builders.

Methods of Seasoning Lumber

1. The Natural Sunlight or Seasoning Process
– is considered as one of the best method used in seasoning of wood although
the period involved is relatively longer.
2. The Artificial Seasoning
– a process where lumber are stacked in a drying kiln and then exposed to steam
and hot air. Under this method, lumber undergoes a quick drying process.

The Artificial Methods of Seasoning Woods

1. By Forced Air Drying
2. By Kiln Drying
3. By Radio Frequency Dielectric Drying

The Common Causes of Decay in Wood

1. Alternate Moisture and Dryness
2. Fungi or Molds
3. Insects and Worms
4. Heat and Confined Air

The Process of Preserving Wood

1. External Process – the wood is coated with preservatives applied as paint to
penetrate the fibers of the wood.

1. Internal Process – a chemical compound is impregnated at a prescribed pressure

to permeate the wood thoroughly.
The Unit Measure of Lumber

Board foot is the unit of measure used in computing the volume of lumber. One board
foot is simply mean, one square foot by one inch thick lumber or an equivalent of 144 cubic
inches. Board foot is found by dividing the product thickness, the width and the length by 12.

Wood Post

In estimating wooden post for building structure, there are only three things to
consider:
1. The size of the post
2. The quantity or number of posts
3. The length or height of the post

The size of the post is already indicated in the plan. The quantity is directly counted in the plan
and the length is determined through the following considerations:

1. For one storey building, verify if the elevation height indicates from floor to ceiling. If the
ceiling is below the girts add the depth of the girts including the bottom chord or the rafters to
the height post.

2. For a two-storey building, verify if the height indicates from floor to floor. If so then consider
the additional depth of the girder, the floor joists and the flooring. And for the second floor,
add the depth of the girt, bottom chord or rafters to the height of the post.

3. Take note that the commercial length of lumber is always of even number. If the computed
length is add number adjust the order to the next even number length.

Girder
-is the structural member of the building that carries the floor joist and the flooring. It is
determine by direct counting method based on the framing plan of the building. The length
however, is subject to the following considerations:

1. If the span or distance of the post is indicated from center to center, the length of the girder
is equal to the span plus one side width of the post.

2. If the span of the post indicates from outer to outer side of the post, the girder length is
equal to the span of the post.

3. If the span of the post indicates from center to outer side of the post, the length of the girder
is equal to the span plus one half the width of one post.

4. If the span or distance of the post indicates inside measurement, the length of the girder is
equal to the span plus two width of the post.
5. If the second floor has overhang, wherein the girder has to carry the floor joist, the girder
length is equal to the span plus the overhang.

Floor Joist and Wood Flooring

Floor joist is the structural member of a building that support the wood flooring. Floor
joist is estimated by direct counting method based on the floor framing plan.

T AND G is the popular name for tongue and groove wood board used for flooring,
ceiling, paneling, forms, and etc. the thickness of the board varies from 16 to 20 mm. Its width
also varies from 7.5 to 15 cm. Other sizes for architectural purposes are obtained through
special order

There are two methods presented how to determined the required number of pieces and board
foot of T&G for a known floor area.

1. By direct counting method

2. By board foot per square meter

SIDING WOOD BOARD

The common types of commercial siding wood boards are:

1. Stone cut
2. Double stone cut
3. V-cut
4. BCB cut
5. Weather cut

The thickness of siding wood boards varies from 16-20 mm. likewise, the width ranges from 15-
20 mm of even length from 8-16 feet. The quantity estimated under the following
consideration:

1. The area of the opening such as windows, doors, and the like are subtracted by the gross
area of the wall to be covered by the siding wood boards

2. Consider the additional depth length for the grits flooring, floor joist and the girder.

3. The length of the siding wood board must be specified to avoid joints in between the
heights.
ROOF FRAMING
Roof framing comprises the girts, bottom chord, rafters, purlin collar plate, center post,
strut and blocks are computed by direct counting method. Shorter parts like collar plates, king
post, struts, and wood blocks are determined according to their sizes combined together and
adjusted to the commercial length of lumber.

STUD
Stud is the structural method in building construction wherein siding or partition boards
are fastened. It is sometimes referred to us the ribs of wooden walls or partition.

ADVANTAGE OF USING S2s AND S4s LUMBER

1. Good quality, straight and uniform in thickness
2. It is economical in terms of labor cost
3. The work progress is not affected or delayed

There are two methods presented on how to found the quantity of studs at a given vertical and
horizontal spacing
1. By direct counting method
2. By the square meter method

By direct counting method is simply counting the number of vertical and horizontal
member from a detailed plan.
By square meter method is simply finding the wall area multiplied by the values given.

CEILING JOIST
Ceiling joist is the structural member in building construction where the ceiling board is
fastened. It is otherwise known as the nailing strip. The common size used for ceiling joist 1 x 2 ;
1 ½ x 2 ; 2 x2 and 2 x3 lumber spaced to suits the size the ceiling board.

CEILING BOARD
There are numerous kinds of ceiling board of different brand, quality and dimension
available for building construction. However, the simplest way of finding the number of boards
required is to divide the total ceiling area by the effective covering of one ceiling board chosen
or by the square meter method.

DOOR FRAME
Estimating the material for fabrication of door frame is simply determining the size and
length of the lumber that will accommodate the door panel whose width varies from 60 to 100
cm. width. Door panel and frame bigger than 1 meter width is considered special design and
order.
 In ordering lumber for door frame, the estimator has two options;

1. Ordering 18 feet long for each door jamb and header

2. A combination of 7 and 10 feet for jamb and header

WINDOW FRAME
The different parts of the window frame to be considered in estimating are: jamb, sill,
header, transom and mullions.