3D Analyzer Software Woodworking Tip: Estimating wood movement – what woodworkers should know

All woodworkers are well aware that wood moves and whether wood is nailed, glued or reinforced, the wood will never stop from shrinking and swelling with seasonal changes in humidity. The secret to dealing with wood is to design around it, not against it. Woodworkers who forget how much wood moves realise their mistake when a gaping hole appears in a table that took weeks to build. Or when a drawer won’t open because the front has swelled tight inside the frame. Wood movement can also cause joints to open. For instance doors that used to open freely bind if they don’t have room to expand.

Timber tends to equilibrate to seasonal conditions of humidity and temperature. This set of conditions is known as equilibrium moisture content (EMC). Some species are more prone to moving than others. Solid wood tabletops can expand or shrink 12-15mm across their width and furniture makers who attach them so they are unable to move are asking for trouble. It is quite likely that the tabletop will split along the grain or a glue line or even bow upwards in the centre.  To get an appreciation of the movement potential of the wood, the width direction needs to be considered as the most important, especially if the wood is backsawn.

It is important to remember that shrinkage and movement potential in the longitudinal direction should also be taken into account by woodworkers while estimating wood movement. While this movement is not generally an issue, it may be important if long pieces come from young wood of softwoods such as radiate pine or hoop pine. Young or juvenile wood may also contain reaction wood which exhibits unusually high shrinkage characteristics. This can be particularly nasty because it can cause warp and distortion, particularly if normal and reaction wood exist beside each other within a larger piece of wood.

While woodworkers may not wish to make calculations for wood shrinkage every time they embark on a project, knowing the relative likelihood of movement in common species will help in choosing the right manufacturing techniques to avoid problems with the finished product.

Timber tends to equilibrate to seasonal conditions of humidity and temperature. This set of conditions is known as equilibrium moisture content (EMC). Some species are more prone to moving than others. Solid wood tabletops can expand or shrink 12-15mm across their width and furniture makers who attach them so they are unable to move are asking for trouble. It is quite likely that the tabletop will split along the grain or a glue line or even bow upwards in the centre.  To get an appreciation of the movement potential of the wood, the width direction needs to be considered as the most important, especially if the wood is backsawn.

It is important to remember that shrinkage and movement potential in the longitudinal direction should also be taken into account by woodworkers while estimating wood movement. While this movement is not generally an issue, it may be important if long pieces come from young wood of softwoods such as radiate pine or hoop pine. Young or juvenile wood may also contain reaction wood which exhibits unusually high shrinkage characteristics. This can be particularly nasty because it can cause warp and distortion, particularly if normal and reaction wood exist beside each other within a larger piece of wood.

While woodworkers may not wish to make calculations for wood shrinkage every time they embark on a project, knowing the relative likelihood of movement in common species will help in choosing the right manufacturing techniques to avoid problems with the finished product.

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For more information on how 3D Analyzer Software can help improve your company please have a look at our website www.3danalyzersoftware.com

3D Analyzer Software was created by woodworkers with a lifetime of experience in the woodworking industry.

Close to the top of every woodworkers wish list is the seamless transition from solid model to CNC program.  3D Analyzer has made this goal a reality. With the ability to import solid models from CAD programs such as AutoCAD, 3D Pytha and Solidworks, 3D Analyzer is ideally suited to help any woodworker.

3D Analyzer Software is a customized woodworking software program that has been evolving since 2000, to enable woodworkers to produce and deliver individual pieces with dramatic time savings and near perfect accuracy. The Idea for the software program began as the owners sought practical solutions for their own woodworking manufacturing problems, needing software that would translate 3D images into specific manufacturing data.

We are proud to say that our software is now being used across the woodworking industry by:

- Architectural joinery companies
- Custom furniture manufactures
- Office fit-out suppliers
- Store fixture companies
- Exhibition companies
- Suppliers of display cabinets and
- High-end kitchen cabinet manufactures

Our Company is based in Sydney, Australia and has customers in Australia, and around the world in New Zealand, Europe / UK and the USA.