Wood Industry

Wood industry

The wood industry or lumber industry is a industry concerned with forestry, logging, timber trade and production of wood products like furniture and secondry products like wood pulp for paper industry. The wood industry has been and continues to be an important sector in many economies.

WOOD INDUSTRY

 People who work using wood are called carpenters and woodworkers. 

A Carpenter  is a craftworker who constructs, installs and repairs frameworks of wood and other building materials such as brick and concrete. They can work on a variety of projects, they make variety of hosehold wooden utility objects like chair, tables, cabinets, bookshelfs and bedstands, boxes and so on.

 A woodworkers can be both professional or can take this as a hobby. A woodworker is a maker who is mostly interested in learning and refining the craft of creating things out of wood. Sometimes we bring other materials into our projects, but the focus is on the wood. It‘s an affordable, timeless material that‘s easy to build with.

 Woodworking means a lot of things, this is an occupation of turning wood into an useful form.

Synonyms for Woodworker : carpenter, laborer, builder, craftperson, woodcarver.

You might have an image in your mind of what woodworking means, but there are a few different ways people approach this craft.

There are five categories which a woodworker/ carpenter chooses to work according to their tools.

1  Hand tool woodworkers. Here the the woodworker uses tools to cut, join and design wood products which can be used manually. These  tools are  hand saws, nails, hammer,  plane, clamp, screwdriver, marking gauge, claw hammer, clamp, wood chiesel, utility knife, pry bars, c-clamps, mallet, measuring tape, hand files.

Simple wood products are created using handtools like trays, stools, gift boxes.

 2 Power tools woodworkers. Powertools are tools which use additional power (electrical)to create wood products. Many woodworkers have these common powertools.

Power Drill: There are two types of drills available, with cords and cordless. A corded drill is more versatile and powerful than a non-corded drill. Power drills have a very tough plastic cover outside to resist damage from a drop. A power drill is used for two jobs, first, for drilling holes and second, for inserting and removing screws. 

Circular Saw: Woodworkers use circular saw for cutting sheets such as plywood, MDF etc. with as much accuracy as that of a table saw if used with a clamp as the straight edge. Circular saw performs as the initial hand-held power tool, particularly when you are working with tight budget.

Nail Gun : Nail guns are manufactured to drive nails into wood (and other materials). This tool replaces the nails and hammers, and it drives nails much faster and efficiently.

Jigsaw  : It allows you to cut woods in rounded and circular patterns.

Palm Sander : Palm Sander is used to access inside corners. This sands down small imperfections on wood.

 3. Digital wood workers tools.  The primary tool here is the CNC machine You will need to layout and design all of your work on a computer and the machine will take care of the rest, cutting out all your pieces.  

The second tool  is a laser cutter or engraver. This tool allows you to make even more precise cuts than a CNC and create some beautiful art.The biggest drawbacks to using digital machines are their cost.

4. Speciality woodworkers. There are two types of woodworking that some enthusiasts, usually people with an artistic bent, specialize in. Woodturning and Scrolling.

 a)   Woodturning:   involves using a lathe to create bowls, spindles and other rounded projects. It‘s kind of like sculpting clay on a potter‘s wheel, only with wood and chisels. 

 b)  Scrolling:  involves using a scroll saw which is capable of cutting extremely tiny curves and intricate patterns. 

5. Blended woodworkers.  Most people have a mixture of hand tools and power tools in their shops. For instance blended approach to woodworking might make most cuts using a table saw, but use a chisel to hand cut dovetails. Some people find that hand tools offer greater precision and control for cutting technically demanding joints and enjoy improving their skills at these tasks. 

Types of wood used by wood workers.

Marandi : Also known  white cedar wood. Marandi makes a great veneer for wooden accessories, including chests, shoe racks, trunks and other decorative items. Marandi wood is termite proof. It is used without paint or polish when used as the structural framework of furniture.

Rosewood : Sheesham or Indian rosewood is one of the most sought-after material for furniture. A versatile material, you can make everything at your home, from bedroom to kitchen cabinets, sofa sets, dining sets, and even flooring from this wood. Most of the musical instruments are made of Sheesham. It is found largely in Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha.

Salwood : Readily available in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Salwood is one the most durable types of timber. This type of wood doesn't require layers of polish to get the effect or to ensure its durability. With an ability to withstand water and underground conditions, it is a termite-resistant, dense wood which is apt for door frames, beams, and window frames.

Satin Wood :  Available locally in central and southern India, satinwood is hard and durable wood but, is high on maintenance unlike other types of wood. Used for furniture and decorative, satinwood could be given a desired pattern or finish by using the polish of your choice. This wood has a lustrous look and is fine grained. 

Teak Wood : One of the most commonly used wood, teakwood is both locally produced and imported. While it is produced locally in Kerala, it is imported from Ghana and Burma. Teakwood is strong, durable, and resistant to decay, thus, is used for furniture, door frames, cabinets, tables and even decorative items. It is affordable wood.

In India, Woodwork Industry uses various kinds of woods, for example, Walnut, Sandalwood, Teak, Sheesham, Deodar, Ebony, Redwood, Rosewood, Red, Cedar, Sal. 

Wood used for making paper

Some of the most commonly used softwood trees for paper making include spruce, pine, fir, larch and hemlock, and hardwoods such as eucalyptus, aspen and birch.

Wood used for making matches and box

Match wood industry is one of the oldest wood based industries in India. About 75 per cent of the total match wood industries in the country are located in the state of Tamil Nadu. Eucalyptus is the tree, whose timber is soft and used for making toys and matchboxes.

Matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface.

The first successful friction match was invented in 1826 by John Walker, an English chemist and druggist from County Durham.

Wood used for making cardboard. 

Cardboard, is manufactured using fibres from trees / plants.

Pulp is not only produced from timber but can also be created in an environmentally friendly way by recycling woodchips and shavings leftover from lumber mill waste.

The board  is made from a combination of two sheets of paper called liners that are glued together with an adhesive to an inner paper called fluting. The connected arches is good for supporting strong weights and the air circulating in the flutes acts as an insulator.

Cardbord is used extensively everywhere for packaging and craftwork. 

Here is Cardboard tablet stand and cover images. Cardboard is made of wood chips 

cardboard tablet stand

easy diy homemade tablet stand

Using cardboards one can make many interesting craft items and utility items. Here is the video on How to DIY cardboard tablet stand and cover. 

Wood used for making plywood. 

 Plywood industry is one of the fastest growing industry in the country. As more and more residences are built in the cities across the country, interior designing is on the rise. Furnishing the residences plywood is extensively being used. Specific trees are grown to create plywood.

Major tree species for plywood making are :

i. Populus spp. ii. Melia dubia iii. Paulownia spp

What is plywood?

Plywood is a sheet made of thin layers of wood. These thin layers of wood is called core.  These cores are glued and stacked in alternate directions layer by layer to form plywood. Front and back side is covered by very thin layer of wood veneer which is known as face of ply.

Here is an visual image of how plywood is made.

Uses of Plywood

Plywood is used to make interior as well as exterior structures

a) Interior structures/items: cabinets, tables chairs, small utility furnitures.

b) Exterior structures/items: Event sets, Partitions, boxes etc.

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