A simple and accessible tool for understanding the fundamental terms related to wood. From the meaning of sapwood and heartwood to the characteristics of texture, grain, and density. A useful resource for professionals, citizens, and students who want to familiarize themselves with the language of the sector.
Localized swelling on the surface of round timber. It indicates the presence of covered knots or other singularities (foreign bodies, etc.).
Anything that is built or is the result of construction operations. The term includes both buildings and civil engineering works. It refers to complete construction and includes both structural and non-structural elements.
Material used in construction. For example: concrete, steel, wood, masonry.
Indication of the main structural material, e.g. reinforced concrete construction, steel construction, timber construction, masonry construction.
Stacking sawn timber so that the faces and edges are in close contact. The term also refers to panels coming out of the press and stacked without laths.
Earthmoving machine consisting of a tracked tractor that frontally carries a bulldozer blade. Not to be confused with ” scraper.”
Earthmoving machine suitable for excavating, transporting and subsequent unloading and/or spreading of loose material. It is usually tractor-drawn or self-propelled and consists essentially of a pivoting skip, having an open, sharp front edge, which enables it to cut soil, load it, transport it over distances of even more than one kilometer, and unload it. Not to be confused with “dozer.”
Equipment for earthmoving over short distances for levelling and clearing the ground from obstacles. It consists of a blade usually installed in front of a tracked tractor of agricultural or construction type (earthmoving machine).
In an outer ply of plywood, it is a localised surface portion characterised by increased thickness.
Operation, in the handling of wood or timber, by which the tree, stem, or individual logs, partially or completely prepared, are carried from the felling site to the stiproad or directly to the roads.
A uniformly arranged set of logs, packed with packaging means.
A certain number of veneers that are obtained in sequence from the same log or trunk.
Protuberance surrounding a group of epicormic shoots, dormant buds, and small branches.
Machine processing defect resulting in smooth, brown surfaces on which gluing is difficult.
A browning or charring on an overlapping veneer due to frictional heat, worn abrasive paper or excessive heat during application.
Full cell process carried out using a zinc chloride solution.
Large woody outgrowths with irregular wood and bark structure.
Hard woody outgrowth, globular in shape, generally resulting from the hypertrophy and concrescence of a group of adventitious buds. Such burr result in a very irregular grain with decorative effects and figures particularly valued on the sheets obtained from their processing.
Tool consisting of a hooked blade, sharp along the inside edge of the loop, equipped at the end with a handle made of wood or overlapping leather discs. It is especially used in the coppice forest for limbing or sectioning small-diameter wood.
A sprocket that drives the chainsaw cutting chain by taking motion from the chainsaw engine via the centrifugal clutch. It may be toothed or fitted with flanks (ring-shaped) on which the chain’s side links and cutting teeth lie.
See “log”.
Forestry term for the base of the stem or the largest diameter end of a log.
See “diameter at the base”.
Periodic cutting of a tree stand to ensure its agamic regeneration by means of shoots.
Connection arrangement through the mere joining (lateral or header) between two contiguous elements (i.e., not involving their overlapping or interpenetration). This is a joint whose interface is perpendicular to the main surface of the contacting elements and, in the case of a butt joint, it is perpendicular to the grain.
See “butt joint”.
Log obtained from the portion of the stem with the largest diameter ( hence from the base of the tree).
Large protective metal plate for the winch organs. Its lower part, known as the ploughshare, is used for anchoring during indirect hauling, and for stacking timber at the landing.
Rot confined to the butt log. It generally develops in the standing tree.
Swelling portion located at the base of the trunk.
Preservation treatment on the butt end of poles or rods.
Oblique cut (wane) that is made on the end grain of logs to make them easier to drag during extraction from the forest.
Tiny round stains peculiar to some wood species. They are similar to knots.
Woody protuberances that develop in the angle between the lateral roots and their insertion to the stem. In some cases (especially in tropical wood species), they may extend for a considerable height affecting the basal portion of the stem itself.
The art of designing and making wooden items (furniture, statues, paintings and other decorative elements) through the use of ancient techniques including inlay and carving. The artifact can contain decorations, mosaics or actual drawings, using various wood species, including precious ones, as well as other materials such as ivory.
Species that avoid calcareous soils (e.g., Caluna vulgaris, sphagnum, chestnut, maritime pine, and, to some extent, radiata pine).
Tool used to measure thickness.
Pairs of thickened bars across pit, such as in Callitris. Also described, when seen in section, as spines.
Concentration of parenchyma cells around a lesion.
Amount of energy per unit mass or volume released by a complete combustion (usually expressed in kcal/kg).
Isoptera commonly referred to as “drywood termites”. Their nests are located inside wood. They are not very common in construction wood.
Vertical curve intentionally realized on a beam or truss to compensate for load deflection or to enhance its appearance.
Intensity and duration of cambium cell division.
Single cambium cell.
Conventional term for the layer of varying thickness composed of cambial initials and their undifferentiated derivatives.
Thin layer of meristematic tissue located between the bark and the wood. It is able to split up radially, forming new cells that will differentiate into the aforementioned neighbouring tissues. Towards the outside of the trunk it forms the phloem and towards the inside the wood (or xylem).
A cavity or protuberance on the surface of round wood caused by a fungus or microfungus on the living tree.
Hydraulically operated device for diverting boards or processed timber from a roller conveyor.
Trunk partially or completely squared and, usually, intended for further processing along the length.
Natural rubber exudate extracted from the Hevea brasilensins tree.
See “Hylotrupes bajulus L.”.
Pallet intended for use in a single company or within a closed distribution system.
Abbreviation for “tungsten carbide.” It is used in the setting of the blade in order to obtain a cutting edge that is less susceptible to wear.
Chemical compound consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) in which the last two are present in the same reciprocal proportion as they appear in a water molecule.
See “pyrolysis”
Wood partially burnt due to the action of fire or lightning.
A mechanical component used for the permanent coupling of the ends of two shafts. It allows the transmission of a homokinetic rotary motion from one to the other. Particularly suitable for coupling two shafts competing at one point, even in the case of variation of the angle between the axes during motion.
See “cardan shaft”.
Fungi that determine structural changes in woody tissues.
See “carpenter”.
Specialised worker in the construction of wooden structures and works.
Ants of the genus Camponotus that dig their dwellings in the most tender areas of dead wood.
A connection based on direct contact between the connected elements. Force transmission is ensured by compression and shear stresses in the contact areas, possibly integrated with transverse metal parts to prevent disconnection.
Component of a yarder, running on the skyline by means of blocks, on which loads are suspended.
Artwork by a carver.
A craftsman who creates works mostly of an artistic nature, in various materials, including wood.
Drying defect consisting of the presence of compressive stresses in the outer zone and tensile stresses in the core zone. This defect is the result of rapid drying that causes permanent embedding of the outer zones of a piece of wood.
Wood in which, due to poorly conducted drying, excessively rapid evaporation of water from the surface zone has caused its hardening. This results in the loss of elasticity and inhibition of moisture migration of the innermost areas to the outside of the piece.
See ” case-hardened timber”.
A condition that develops during abnormal drying of the wood. It is characterised by compressive stresses affecting the outer layers ( for example, in relation to the thickness of the sawn timber) and tensile stresses affecting the innermost portion of the semi-finished product.
A specific wooden container with a vague cylindrical shape made of circled and slightly curved staves. It is mainly used in the wine industry.
See “hardener”.
A sequence of small longitudinal cavities similar to the shape of a lens that appear in rows of different lengths on the curved surface of a round timber.
Cluster of closely spaced knots (occurs frequently in oaks).
Flat plastic or metal plate used to transport a panel or mat of particles or fibers to or within a hot press.
A sheet of material, usually aluminium, stainless steel or hardboard, used on top of and/or underneath an assembly (e.g. a pack of plies to be glued together for the manufacture of a plywood panel). Its function is to protect the faces and facilitate transport to and within the press in order to better distribute pressure during adhesion, distribute heat more gradually and ensure preservation of the press plates.
See “caul”.
Feeding system used in the production process of recomposed panels whereby the mat is formed on movable plates and conveyed into the hot press without the use of a belt.
Copper chrome arsenate. It is a wood preservative containing chromium, copper and arsenic compounds.
Mandatory marking for products that are contained in a specific Directive (e.g., Construction Products Directive), which, together with the declaration of conformity issued by a supplier regarding the products or services provided, demonstrates their compliance with specific European Directives and of the possession of the minimum essential requirements set by them. It relates to the categories of products defined in the Directive and is essential to enable their marketing within the European Union. To affix the mark on its products, the supplier must follow the procedures contained in the guiding documents of the Directive itself.
Wood species Wood name of certain Mediterranean species of the genus Cedrus (Cedrus atlantica (Endl.) Manetti ex Carr., Cedrus deodara (D. Don) G. Don, Cedrus libani A. Rich.).
Wood species Scientific name: Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn. ATIBT nomenclature: Fuma. Origin: West Africa; Tropics.
Generic term used to refer to the unitary anatomical components of tissues. In the case of woody tissues, these consist of the following cell types: – axial tracheids, radial tracheids, resin duct epithelial cells (characteristic of softwood); – vascular tracheids, vascular tracheids, fibres (characteristic of hardwood); – parenchyma cells, subdivided into procumbens, square and erect cells, and other secretory cells (present in both conifers and broad-leaved trees).
Membrane that delimits a cell. In mature cells it consists of several overlapping layers: the primary, the secondary and the tertiary cell wall. The primary wall is the outermost and borders the middle lamella, which holds the cells together. These two elements, with very high lignin content, are often intimately united and are collectively referred to as the “compound” middle lamella.
Crack in the secondary cell wall, as in tracheids of compression wood.
Evolution of cell wall structure resulting in primary, secondary and tertiary wall formation.
A carbohydrate consisting of glucopyranose monomers joined together to form bundles (fibrils) of long linear, crystalline macromolecules characterized by covalent (1,4-?-glucosidic) bonds in the axial direction and ionic bonds (“hydrogen” bonds) in the transverse or lateral direction.
Wood species Scientific name: Pinus cembra L.
Wood species. See “cembran pine”.
See “inorganic-bonded panel”.
Panel composed of wood particles or other plant residues bonded with Portland cement or magnesite. Possibly containing additives. Panels can be classified according to several criteria: -Based on binder: panels can be bonded with Common Portland Cement (CPC) or magnesium cements (e.g., magnesite). -Based on surface condition: panels can be rough (flat or textured), sanded, coated (with liquid or powdered substances), covered with sheet material (e.g., decorative paper) -Based on coloring: panels can be fully colored or without any added coloring -Based on shape: panels are distinguished into panels with flat surfaces and square edges, profiled surfaces or with profiled edges.
Wood species Scientific name: Cedrela sp.p. Origin: Central and South America.
Juxtaposition of two equal-sized pieces with the joint along the centerline of the panel.
Veneer that is obtained by fixing the log in the lathe with its major axis parallel to the axis of rotation.
Family of insects, many of which infest partially weathered or seasoned wood. In the latter case, they cause the major damage.
Genus of fungi belonging to the Ascomycetes. They cause blue staining of wood.
A document issued according to the rules of a certification system that states that, with sufficient certainty, a particular product, process, or service conforms to a specific standard or other normative document.
Attesting an act, making it certain. In the language of quality, this refers mainly to ‘Certification of conformity’.