WOOD DATABASE
Wood Composition
All wood are composed of cellulose, lignin, ash-forming minerals, and extractives. These formed into a cellular structure. The centre of a tree trunk is the pith, while heartwood surrounds the pith that only serves to support the tree. Outside of the heartwood is sapwood that carry minerals, nutrients and waters to the leaves from roots. Moreover, outside of the sapwood is the cambium that able to manufacture or expand the growth of the tree. Lastly,bark layer is what we seen by naked eyes where it acts as a protective layer. When the tree grows, cambium plays an important role in expanding the tree size in diameter by creating sapwood layers. For trees in 4 seasonal countries, the cambium grows differently according to each season by producing light coloured springwood. During summer season, it will produce darker summerwood. Until the season is finished, this cycle will produce a growth ring that indicates 1 year as the age of the tree. |
Wood Grain
When the cambium grows, it produces two types of wood cells which are longitudinal cells that gives the woods its grain where can been seen by naked eyes. Another cell is ray cells that extending out from the pith, perpendicular to the axis. Moreover, the grain in wood is caused by annual growth rings, wood rays, and other cell structures in the wood. Radial surface/ quarter grain: Cutting the trunk parallel to the grain through the radius of the growth rings
Tangential/ plain grain: Cutting the trunk parallel to the grain direction and tangent to the growth rings |