Timber Frame Houses Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Timber Frame Houses - Assignment Example The hardness and strength of timber is dependent on its cell structure. The more the cell are closed to each other, there will be more strength in timber. And if the cells are a little apart from each other timber will be soft and lighter. Strength also depends on some other factors. If there are knots, cracks or decay in the timber, the strength of the timber will be reduced. Elasticity is also a property of timber that is linked to its cell structure. More elasticity means that the timber is more durable and can handle more pressure. But the type of timber is utilized according to the use. If the cell walls of the timber are thick, the timber will be harder that will make it a better building material, similarly if the cell walls are thin, the timber is soft and can be utilized where it is required to use soft wood. Moisture in the timber also plays part to the hardness of the timber. More moisture in the timber makes it softer. Hardwood is prepared over softwood for building purpo ses because it is more resistant to softwood. Trapped air inside the timber makes the property known as density of timber. More trapped air means timber will be less dense and less trapped air means timber will be denser. Timber from the sustainability managed forests contributes much to the timber industry. The color of the timber is due to the time that it takes to dry. Some timber types becomes pale or lighter in color by the passage of time but some types of timber become darker by the passage of time as Cedar darkens but sapwood becomes pale with the time. Some time timber odor plays an important role while using for certain purpose, like some wood have pleasant smell and some have not, some can repel insects and some can attract. The odor is due to the presence of oils present in the wood (Interiordezine.com, 2011). These oils are sometimes utilized too in making dyes and insect repellents. Dying or waxing the timber or sometimes using some preservatives increases the life of the timber by making it to sustain the environmental effects. Using special type of varnish and synthetic waxes uses makes timer sustain even the worst weather. Some dyes are made such that the timber can even resist fire. Some timbers have fire resistant qualities too. These types of timber can resist fire for a longer time as compared to the other types of timber (Interiordezine.com, 2011). Wood logs are cut in different shapes and sizes to get the maximum required shapes from a log. The wood logs are then seasoned to increase the resistance of the timber. Sometimes corrosion in the metals that are attached to the timber occurs, which is the result of less seasoned of the timber. Wood cells swell and contract in different weather conditions. Persevered or treated timber has almost the same strength as that of untreated or unpreserved timber but the treated timber has more resistance to different weather conditions (Greenhalgh, 1929). For building purposes timber is graded into thr ee categories. The three categories in which timber is graded are structural, structural appearance and appearance. In structural grading, different types of timber are graded according to their strength. Structural grade is sometimes also referred as stress grading. The other two are classified as their appearance and strength. Timber framings of houses have many parts and sections. Some of the major parts of timber frame are rafters, truss, studs and sometimes lintels. These are