All about profiled timber

Currently, the market for modern building materials is saturated with a variety of products intended for low-rise construction. Natural wood materials have not lost their relevance and demand. One of the leaders of timber construction lumber is considered to be the tongue-and-groove profiled beam. The industry produces a large number of rectangular beams with smooth or rounded sides. The upper and lower sides can be provided with special projections and grooves in the form of tongue-and-groove connection.

The characteristics of wood make it possible to classify this material as an environmentally friendly product suitable for the construction of residential buildings. Profiled timber allows you to reduce construction time.

If you need to build a residential building in a short time, then you should pay attention to the profiled timber, which is a high-quality natural material.

The timber is made using special industrial woodworking machines. During the manufacturing process, a wood blank is subjected to several processing cycles, the result of such work is a perfectly even shape of a bar with the characteristics necessary for construction. Spruce, aspen, pine, larch and even cedar are used as the starting material for the production of timber. The budget options are pine and aspen, these tree species withstand sudden temperature changes and humidity differences.

As for expensive species, they include cedar and larch, they are valued for the longest service life. Spruce is considered to be the lowest-grade raw material, since its wood is prone to decay, so the material is used for interior decoration. Profiled timber has advantages, the main one of which is the presence of a double-sided profile, with the help of which the elements are fixed during construction. The presence of a special profile in the timber makes it possible to accelerate the pace of construction and save the budget for insulating the frame of the house.

High-quality timber is manufactured according to GOST standards. Initially, the selection of wood for the blanks is made, the parameter of the section of the bar is selected - square, round or rectangular. All materials with defects are rejected. Then the workpieces are grouped by size and sent for drying in natural conditions, which can last for several months.

All blanks are subject to processing with a fire retardant and antiseptic, after which they are sent for sawing and profiling.

Profiled timber has its pros and cons. The main advantages of this building material are as follows:

• a house built of timber lumber looks soundly and beautifully, it will not require additional costs for exterior decoration;
• the material is environmentally friendly and has a beneficial effect on human health;
• wood has a low degree of thermal conductivity, which makes it possible to save on heating the house;
• the elements of the timber fit tightly to each other, therefore the crowns and walls do not need to be sealed;
• wood has durability, after processing with special compounds it is not subject to combustion, mold and mildew;
• building a house is easy to install and quick to complete construction work;
• high-quality timber has a long service life, it is not prone to cracking, it retains its original overall parameters well, despite the fact that after assembly of the frame there is a slight shrinkage of the material;
• a house made of timber, has a certain lightness, so it does not require a deep foundation - a strip or columnar base is enough.

Despite the many advantages, the timber also has disadvantages:

• the timber may have a defect in the wood itself or the profile part;
• often comes on sale material that has a poor degree of drying, as a result of which the period of shrinkage at the building is significantly lengthened;
• even treated with a fire retardant, the timber is a combustible material, therefore, it requires compliance with fire safety standards;
• if the thickness of the timber is chosen without taking into account climatic conditions, as well as if the assembly technology is not followed, the building will need to create an additional insulation belt;
• after the structure has shrunk, it will be difficult and costly to change the layout in the room;
• natural wood is prone to darkening, so the outside of the building will need to be painted.

After the house is built, it often does not need interior wall decoration, since solid wood looks aesthetically pleasing, without needing additional decorations.

Natural profiled timber is a high-tech building material. The difference between the profiled timber and the usual glued analogue is that the natural structure of the wood is completely disturbed in the glued material, which has a bad effect on the quality of the timber after drying. Profiled timber is made from solid wood, so it is better, more reliable and more durable, but it can be susceptible to cracking and shrinkage.

Externally, a profiled beam looks like this: its outer side is flat or in the shape of a semicircle, and the side located inside the building is always even and carefully planed. The lateral sides of the timber have a special groove and a spike-like protrusion, with their help the elements are reliably joined during installation. Tape jute insulation is laid between the timber. The section of the profiled product may be different - it depends on the purpose of the material.

The main advantage of the profiled material is that it has a tongue-and-groove element on both sides, which ensures the assembly of walls with a minimum number of holes, which then have to be caulked. If we compare with this material an ordinary rounded log, which is cheaper, then it does not have such properties, therefore, a profile bar is more expensive.

Profiled beams are produced by a woodworking plant that has production equipment that can be used for profiling. Each manufacturer manufactures its products in accordance with GOST standards, and the production itself involves the implementation of several stages of wood processing.

• The choice of lumber. Larch and pine are used for profiled beams; it is possible to make beams from Altai cedar or spruce. The most valuable raw material is larch, its wood has good resistance to moisture, and it also heats up slowly and evenly and then cools down. Sometimes oak or linden is used for the manufacture of timber.
• Section selection. In production, products of round or square cross-section can be made. In this case, the moisture content of the products will correspond to the moisture content of fresh timber.
• Rejection stage. The material is inspected, if any damage or defects are found, it is removed from the further production cycle.
• Calibration stage. Wood is sorted not only by dimensional indicators, but also by the size of the section.
• Drying process. It is subdivided into natural or chamber. To avoid cracking of the material during drying, manufacturers often make a compensation cut in the middle of the workpiece. To carry out drying in special chambers, the timber is stacked so that the material has the possibility of air circulation.
• Grinding. It is performed on a machine where the workpiece is processed from all 4 sides at the same time, which eliminates deviations in the specified dimension. After processing, the material acquires a smooth and even surface, and tongue-and-groove fastening elements are obtained on the lateral sides.
• Material packing. After processing, the wood building material is stacked in a pile, keeping it in low humidity conditions during transportation.

Small private manufacturing companies can violate the established technology of the timber manufacturing process, which is manifested by the appearance of wood defects, which can be seen not only at the production stage, but also during the assembly of the building. Worst of all, if defects begin to manifest themselves during the operation of the house.

Profiled beams, like planed ones, are manufactured using complex production technology, which is constantly being improved, increasing the quality of products. In a generalized form, product types are classified according to several criteria.

Varieties of profiled timber depend on the shape and number of tongue-and-groove elements.

• Profile with 1 spike. It is a ridge-like protrusion directed upwards. This prevents the accumulation of water when connecting two such bars. Such products are dried naturally, and used for the construction of a bath, a gazebo, a country house.
• Profile with 2 spikes. A pair of ridges create a strong connection and greatly reduce heat loss. Heat-insulating rolled jute is often laid between the comb-shaped spikes.
• A profile with beveled projections is a modification of a bar with 2 spikes. The beveled shape of the chamfer prevents moisture from entering the space between the joints. In addition, this shape of the chamfers makes it possible to reliably seal the walls by caulking. Profiled beams with beveled chamfers look more presentable and unusual.
• A profile called a comb. This material has a plurality of mounting slots, the height of which is at least 10 mm. Such a bar allows you to maximize heat retention and ensures the reliability of the assembled structure. The comb type profile makes it possible to refuse the use of insulation. But it is worth noting that it is quite difficult to work with such material when assembling - certain experience and skills will be required. The most difficult thing is to assemble a house from such a bar in wet weather, when the wood swells, and the ridges fit tightly into the landing grooves.
• The profile, called Finnish, has 2 ridgeswhich have a beveled chamfer, in addition, there is a wide space between these ridges. The Finnish version ensures tight joining of the elements, and also allows the use of rolled jute insulation.

A comb-type profile is more in demand in the construction market; this building material is often faked by handicraft methods.

Based on the shape of the outer sides of the profiled bar, an even or semicircular type is distinguished. A flat profile has beveled chamfers, or they may be absent. The semicircular version looks like a rounded profile, which is also called "block house".

• Straight face is standard. This is the most convenient profile for installation, which can be subsequently subjected to any additional finishing.
• Curved front side - the profile on the outside has a D-shape, and its inner surface is flat. Using a similar version of the timber, you can make a building that resembles a log cabin, while inside the room the wall will be flat.
• Curved timber on both sides - on the cut it will look like the letter O, since both the outer and inner parts of the profile will resemble a rounded log. The option with two curved sides is the most expensive. Applying it, in the future, you can not use the exterior and interior decoration.

The choice of the shape of the profile depends on the assembly method of the house and the aesthetic preferences of its owner. The most common use of a semicircular bar with a rounded outer side and a smooth inner surface.

The characteristics of the natural moisture content of the starting material and the finished profiled timber after drying determine its operational properties. There are 2 types of material according to the moisture content of the wood.

• Natural moisture material - this category includes timber that was dried in natural conditions. For this, the material is collected in stacks so that air can freely pass between the individual beams. After a month of such drying, the wood is evenly dried and no longer cracks during operation. However, it is worth remembering that the assembled house will be subject to a long shrinkage process.
• Material after forced drying - to obtain a dry timber, it can be dried in a special drying chamber. The moisture content of the wood decreases to the specified parameters within 3-4 weeks. This type of drying increases the cost of the timber, but these costs are justified by the fact that after assembling the house, its further shrinkage is excluded, which means that it becomes possible to start finishing work immediately after construction.

There are importance criteria for a shaped product. When drying in a natural way, the moisture content of wood can be from 20 to 40%, and when drying in a drying chamber, this indicator should not exceed 17-20%. During storage, the material may still slightly lose its moisture content by about 5%.

The process of manufacturing a construction beam involves the use of various technologies. There are the following types.

• Glued (made of lamellas) timber - this material is made from blanks of coniferous or deciduous wood. In a bar, the lamellas are located opposite to each other in the direction of the wood fibers, which prevents the product from cracking when its moisture content changes.

• Solid (made of solid wood) timber - this material is made only from coniferous trees, and a saw is made on the bar to compensate for the tension of the wood when drying. Solid timber is the most expensive material.

• Double (warm) bar - is a kind of glued version, in which the lamellas located inside are replaced with heat-insulating material in the form of extruded polystyrene foam.

The maximum length of the timber does not exceed 6 m, but if necessary, manufacturers can customize the material of any length, for example, 12 or 18 m. The thickness of the profiled element for external load-bearing walls ranges from 100 to 200 mm. The main option is considered a section of 150 by 150 or 220 by 260 mm. In regions with a harsh climate, a section of 280 by 280 mm or 320 by 320 mm is used.The weight of a profiled element depends not only on its moisture content, but also on the raw material. For example, pine has a weight of 480 kg / cu. m, and larch weighs 630 kg / cu. m.

To choose a high-quality building material, you should pay attention to the following nuances:

• the product must be absolutely flat along its entire length;
• the distance between the annual rings of wood should be the same; with a large difference, the timber will begin to bend over time;
• coloring of wood throughout the timber should be uniform, otherwise the material will be deformed over time.

Such building material is subjected to natural or forced drying before work.

The purchased lumber is carefully inspected for moisture and defects. The timber is laid after it has dried. The connection of thorn-groove elements must be insulated in any case. With natural drying, the material shrinks, in which small gaps are formed between the beams. With the use of insulation, such shrinkage is not scary, since the gaps will be closed.

Using a comb-type bar profile, you do not need insulation, since these connecting elements fit very tightly to each other, leaving no gaps.

Some manufacturers make a beam with special grooves at the ends in the form of a hole, it is used for corner joints, and the assembly process is greatly accelerated. However, it should be remembered that such a beam is prone to shrinkage, which can be prevented by taking short breaks during the installation process necessary to adapt the material.

According to experts in the field of construction and owners of houses built from profiled timber, natural wood material has a high degree of environmental friendliness, which has a positive effect on the comfort of living. Profiled building materials of various modifications make it possible to quickly and budgetly build a house, a bath, a summer residence with a long period of their further operation. Using wood material, the owner of the building should be prepared for periodic processing of wood from mold and mildew, as well as for performing secondary caulking of the walls after the structure has shrunk. In addition, you should be aware that in the winter, such houses require significant heating costs.