Civil Wood Shopassignment Group A

Module: Workshop Practice
Section: Civil Wood

Group Name: D
Subgroup: A
Question: Discuss the through and through method of timber conversion.
Group members:
1. SAUNGWEME IVINE ANESU R221671Y (HENIND)
2. ZHEMI NIGEL S. R221477R (HENMECH)
3. MBISVA VIMBAI TERRENCE R228197B (HENMECH)
4. KARENYI IRVIN GODWIN R221483G (HENMECH)
5. MURINGAYI LEE TINASHE R228200F (HENMECH)
6. DESMOND MUTONONO.T R221484C (HENMECH)
7. VARAIDZO G MATSANGA. R206276M (HENMECH).
8. PAKA ANOTIDAISHE G R227711A (HENIND)
9. MUKWIDZWA EMMANUEL T. R221513V (HENMTR)
TIMBER CONVERSION
 Timber conversion process of transforming raw logs into usable lumber products.
 It involves several steps, such as debarking, sawing, drying, planing, and grading. Timber
conversion can be done in different ways, depending on the type and quality of the wood,
the desired dimensions and shapes of the lumber, and the available equipment and
facilities. Timber conversion is an important part of the forestry industry, as it adds value to
the harvested wood and creates various products for construction, furniture, paper, and
other applications.
 It involves different methods of sawing, such as ordinary, radial, tangential and quarter
sawing.
 It also includes stages of debarking, bucking, breaking down and re-sawing.
 Timber conversion can also refer to a calculator that helps with converting lineal meters to
cubic meters, or prices per square meter to prices per lineal meter.
 Logs are converted for two main reasons
a. To reduce the wood to a workable size
b. To produce small planks are easier to dry out than large logs
 Trees are cut down and transported to a saw mill where the branches and bark are removed
to obtain a clean log.
 After these stages there are four ways that logs are converted which are:
1. Through and through sawing
2. Quarter sawing
3. Tangential sawing
4. Box heart sawing
 This presentation is focusing on the 'Through and Through' method of conversion,

covering;
● Process
● Advantages
● Disadvantages
Through and through method of timber conversion
 Through and through method is also known as the plain sawing.
 The through and through method of timber conversion is the simplest and
cheapest way to convert wood with very little wastage.
 It involves cutting a log into four or more evenly sized, rectangular pieces by
sawing it from the top down to the clamps and then turning it over to repeat.
 The timber is first boxed and then sawn into evenly sized, rectangular pieces,
creating parallel cuts through the log.
 The cutting process is performed with a saw and the wood is typically
clamped in position to ensure a straight and even cut.
 The heartwood and sapwood are not separated.

 They can both be found on the same plank depending how it was cut
 The boards produced by this method have different grain patterns depending on them
position in the log.
 Those pieces nearest the pith tend to cup more than those nearest the outside of the log
but the latter can have one or two waney edges.
 Approximately two-thirds of the boards will be tangential and one third (the middle
boards) will be radial.
 Tangential boards are strong boards, used for beams and joists, and show crown or
flame figure on the face of the board.
 Radial boards are ideal for joinery purposes, as they have very little tendency to shrink
or distort, and show silver or ribbon figure on the face of the board
 This method is often used in the production of decking, fencing, and other uniquely
designed furniture and outdoor products.
Timber decking is a type of construction material used to build outdoor decks and
patios. This material can be manufactured using a wide variety of hard and soft wood
species, depending on the desired appearance and properties of the finished structure.
Timber decking gives outdoor structures a natural rustic look that cannot be achieved
with metal or composite materials. Homeowners who build a timber deck will
increase their available living space and create a unique outdoor spot for meals and
gatherings.
Timber fencing is made up of a series of staggered stakes, which are either smooth or
fluted. It's not just about looks, as timber fencing offers so many benefits. It's low
maintenance, easy to install in ground and incredibly cost-effective.
Advantages of through and through method
▪ It is the most economical method of timber conversion (Very cheap method).
▪ It produces wide and heavy boards that can be used for large and heavy timbers.
▪ It preserves the natural grain patterns of the wood.
▪ It is easy and quick to perform with a horizontal bandsaw. In general, it is a very fast
method of timber sawing.
▪ Very little waste produced
Disadvantages of through and through method

▪ It produces boards with different annual ring orientations, which can affect the
stability, appearance and wear resistance of the wood.
▪ It requires every piece of lumber to be edged after it has been sawn to get the highest
value.
▪ It results in wide and heavy boards that are lower in grade and can have excessive
warp during the drying process.
▪ It is generally recommended for lower quality logs because of these disadvantages.
▪ It does not produce the distinctive ray fleck or ribbon figure that some woods have
when quarter sawn.
▪ Wood warping is a deviation from flatness in timber as a result of stresses and
uneven shrinkage. Wood warping is deformity in wood occurring when the moisture
content of different parts of a piece of wood changes unevenly. When one part of a
wooden board dries faster than another, for example, the drier part shrinks faster and
causes stress that changes the shape of the wood. So, a board that was meant to lie
flat now has a bend in it somewhere.
1. Bow: The wood bends along its length curving the thinnest face.
2. Crook: The wood bends along its length curving the thicker face.
3. Kink: The warp occurs along the width of the lumber creating a kink
4. Cup: The wood warps in a cup-shaped curvature.
Advantages of through and through timber compared to timber from other methods of
conversion:
- It is the simplest and cheapest way to convert wood with very little wastage.
- It produces tangential boards that are strong and suitable for beams and joists.
- It produces crown figure or flame figure on woods that have distinctive annual rings, which
can be used for decorative purposes.
- It allows easy separation of heartwood and sapwood.
- It can take a nail without splitting because of the position of the annual rings.
Disadvantages of through and through timber compared to timber from other methods
of conversion:
- Through and through timber has more defects such as knots, splits and shakes than timber
from other methods of conversion.
- Through and through timber has more variation in thickness and width than timber from
other methods of conversion.
- Through and through timber has more wastage due to the need to trim the edges and
remove the sapwood than timber from other methods of conversion.
- Through and through timber has lower strength and durability than timber from other
methods of conversion.
References
1. Wood-Mizer. (2019). Through and Through Sawing Method. Retrieved from
https://woodmizer.com/us/Through-and-Through-Sawing-Method
2. Brown, J. (2016). The Anarchist's Design Book. Lost Art Press.
3. Smith, R. (2020). Through and Through: A Guide to Live Edge Woodworking.

Rockler Press.
4. Maruthi Baddi (2019). Conversion of timber | Methods
5. Interwood Forest Products - Shelbyville Kentucky (2020). Cathedral Grain Structure

in Flatcut Logs. https://www.ifpveneer.com/designers/education/cathedral-grain-
structure-in-flatcut-logs
6. John Niggl (2018). Wood Warping and How to Prevent It
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.intouch-quality.com/blog/wood-warping-and-
howto-prevent-it%3fhs_a

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Civil Wood Shopassignment Group A

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Module: Workshop Practice

Section: Civil Wood

 This presentation is focusing on the 'Through and Through' method of conversion,

 The heartwood and sapwood are not separated.

Disadvantages of through and through method

3. Smith, R. (2020). Through and Through: A Guide to Live Edge Woodworking.

4. Maruthi Baddi (2019). Conversion of timber | Methods

5. Interwood Forest Products - Shelbyville Kentucky (2020). Cathedral Grain Structure

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