#it's not coarse or particularly thick but it's dense and heavy enough that its weight pulls it straight-ish

[madilynskeyreid]

Material Exploration - WOODS

Wood type 1: Veneers (Jarewa)  

The first material we explored was a wood veneer. We were  unsure as to what type of wood veneer this is however through research we are able. to see it Is jarewa.

Texture: the texture veneer was one of the most pliable and malleable types of wood we trailed due to this thin texture. The sheet of wood could be bent in all directions however could not be completely folded. In terms of texture the sheet was rather soft with small grooves through from the wood grain. Due to this thin sheet like attribute the wood was very light and could easily be installed.

Appearance: About 0.5 mm thick. The wood veneer was a yellow, orange brown with lighter veins of the grain evenly over the sheet. This was probably one of the most interesting wood types we tested due to its reflective like qualities. When light hit the sheet of wood it would reflect and give of a glistening, holographic type effect. Because my group is working with lighting for our project I feel this could be a good material to work with as it would create an interesting effect.  

Process: We tried a number of processes when testing the wood qualities such as sanding, drilling and cutting. The wood sanded well and created a smooth texture. The board is quite thin so when using the drill it was a bit flimsy and didn't feel very secure on the drill. The gig saw had a similar effect, with it being flimsy it would catch on the blade and jolt up and down at times. This could potentially be a problem if this material was used in mass production for our design.

How are veneers made? Veneer is a thin slice of wood made by rotary cutting or slicing of the log. The appearance of veneer varies and it depends on how the log is cut.​ Before the peeling process, wood must be softened in order to cut it into a smooth veneer of even thickness, so the logs are soaked in 40 ⁰ C temperature water for two days. Moist, warm and debarked logs are rotary cut into thin layers called veneers after careful measuring and cutting of the logs. Long but thin slices of wood appear. The drying process as full veneer mats or clipped sheets follows for 4-5 minutes under pressure in 170 ⁰C hot air. Wood changes dimensions when it dries or absorbs water. Therefore, to produce a stable and high quality product, drying has to reduce the moisture content to the right level prior to further processing.

Wood type 2:  Kauri Venneer

Veneer 2 (kauri) - This was the second veneer, again we are unsure as to what type of wood this was however appears to be kauri. Strength: Moderately strong.Appearance: Kauri timber is a light honey colour, with a distinctive silvery speckled lustre. Texture: This veneer was very smooth to the touch compared to the other types of wood trialed. The grain had little to no effect on the texture of the veneer.  This veneer was the most malleable type of wood we tested due to its thin texture. It could again be bent but not folded as pictured above. Appearance: 0.5 mm thick. This sample had a yellow, gray brown colour with slightly darker veins over evenly over the sheet. The veins in the wood were a bit more scattered and less repetitive compared to the previous veneer. Processes:  This vinner was easy to sand, however had similar problems to the veneer 1 with sanding and drilling due to this thin texture. It would get caught and jolt when drilling and cutting which again isn't ideal for mass production.

Wood sample 3: Rimu 

The third type of wood we tried was Rimu. Rimu is one of the most popular of our native timbers. Because it was used extensively in older character homes as both a structural and finishing timber, it is probably New Zealand’s best known native species.

Rimu has been proven as a remarkably versatile and exceptionally beautiful timber. Good supplies of recycled rimu are available from a range of suppliers and demolition timber yards, therefore we could potentially think about creating a more sustainable structure with reused materials.

Durability: Rimu has moderate durability,(Class 3) A 50 x 50 mm heartwood stake will last in the ground for just 10–15 years. Air dry density 610Kgs/M3

Characteristics: The sapwood is pale yellowish in colour, gradually darkening through an intermediate zone to the heartwood which is pale brownish-straw colour when freshly cut.  Often streaked with greyish-brown, and turning a light brown colour after exposure. The intermediate zone is said to have the same properties as the heartwood. It is straight grain and has a fine even texture.

Texture: Rimu was quite a soft wood on the surfaces which had been sanded, however the fresh cut sides had more of a rough jagged edge. The veins within the wood texture didn't alter the texture overly, however there was a slight texture. The wood was sturdy and couldn't be bent or modified in any man made way. Rimu was a very light wood and the lightest wood we tested with the exception of veneers which were just thin slates.

Appearance: The rimu was a pale yellow grayish wood colour. The veins were not overly visible however they were all fairly even over the piece of wood. The veins within the wood all appeared to seemingly be in one straight light.

Processes: Rimu was the best type of wood to manipulate. It was extremely easy cut, drilled and sand compared to the other types of wood trialed. Rimu could also be cut fairly thin easily also. Rimu is definitely a good option for our project in terms of being able to mass produce different slabs for our structure.

Wood type 4: African Mahogany

Characteristic research: African Mahogany heartwood ranges from light to deep reddish-brown in color. Grain is straight to interlocked. It's texture is medium to coarse. Logs may have brittle or soft heartwood and sometimes fractures or heartbreaks. Weight is about 24lbs to 36lbs per cu. Ft. Moderate blunting effect on cutters. Low angle cutting is recommended to avoid tear out. Brittle heartwood and interlocked grain can cause woolliness. Has good nailing, screwing and gluing characteristics. Stains and polishes to an excellent finish. Moderate blunting effect on cutters. Low angle cutting is recommended to avoid tear out. Brittle heartwood and interlocked grain can cause woolliness. Has good nailing, screwing and gluing characteristics. Stains and polishes to an excellent finish.

Texture: The texture of this sample was relatively smooth however the grains created a rough ish texture. The sides sections which were cut with the gig saw had a rough edge however want as rough in comparison to rimu. Rimu was relatively heavy however it felt sturdy and was solid. The sample was unable to be bent or modified without power tools.

Appearance: The african mahogany was a darker shade of grayish brown. The colour was rich and the veins were rather sporadic over the sample of wood. Overall majority of the wood face is taken up by veins all over the surface.

Processes: African Mahogany was categorised as being one of the medium types of wood to process and work. The wood was a little bit more dense compared to the other wood types, which added a little resistance when drilling and sawing the wood. The wood sanded fairly easily however due to the sporadic grain texture, it wasn't overly smooth.

Wood type 5: Oak 

Oak: Oak was very similar to the African Mahogany in terms of texture and processes.

Characteristics: Grain is straight, with a coarse, uneven texture.  Produces good results with hand and machine tools. Has moderately high shrinkage values, resulting in mediocre dimensional stability, especially in flat sawn boards. Can react with iron (particularly when wet) and cause staining and discoloration. Responds well to steam-bending. Glues, stains, and finishes well.

Texture: Oak was a soft wood with the veins creating a slight textured surface. Oak had rough surfaces when jigsawed. Oak was relatively light and felt very sturdy. It was structured and couldn't be manipulated without power tools, sand paper etc.

Appearance: The oak sample we used had a light cream colored appearance with darker veins throughout. The veins were reasonably straight with a few exceptions which had a wee bit of curvature.

Processes: Similar to that of african mahogany, oak  was categorised as being one of the medium types of wood to process and work with. Oak was relatively dense however lighter than the mahogany, which made it fairly easy to manipulate through drill, sanding and jigsawing. All these attributes suggest oak could pottenstailly be a good option for our design as it is easily  manipulatable, sourced and installed due to its light texture.

Wood type 6: Jawa

Jawa was one of our final tests and one of the most difficult to manipulate.

Texture: Jawa was a medium softness to the touch, however had small veins manipulating the smooth surface to be rough. When jig sawed the wood became very rough and uncomfortable to touch around the frayed edges. Jawa was definitely the heaviest and densest piece of wood we tried, therefore it felt rather solid but made it hard to manipulate with power tools.

Appearance: Jawa has a rich reddish, purple colour and was the darkest type of wood we tried. Jawa had many veins which generally all went in the same direction. The veins however were made up of big clumps of lighter and darker veins. The sample we had also had a few deeper, darker  grooves in the center and to the left which changed the overall appearance and texture of the wood.

Processes: Jawa has a very dense and solid structure which made it a lot harder to manipulate compared to oak or african mahogany. It was super hard to cut with the jigsaw as it needed a lot of pressure and power to cut. It was easily enough to sand however compared to the other samples was much more time consuming. The wood was so hard we couldn't even drill fully though the sample. All these process samples for jawa tell me it's probably not the best type of wood to use. Its weight would be too heavy to move the design out of the great hall if it needed, and hard to manipulate, especially if we are looking at doing complex curved design.

This photo shows the wood types and ranks them from easiest to manipulate to hardest. Rimu - European Beech - Oak - African Mahogany - Jawa 

The different veneer types we trialed and tested.

[thewhitesaint]

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HEAD

FACE SHAPE: Squarish, with a broad jaw and heavy cheekbones.  CHEEKS: Hollow. George’s skin sags with age on one side and is pulled very taut around the battle scar on the other: the wound didn’t warrant a graft, but didn’t leave quite enough flesh to look normal post-healing. CHEEKBONES: High, large, and prominent. LIPS: Pink and full. One side of his mouth is drawn up into a permanent and painful-looking rictus, distorting his speech. SKIN COLOR: Sallow and freckled. He goes pale instead of flushing with anger. SKIN TYPE: Mixed/average. EYE SHAPE: Large and hooded. One eye is pulled unnaturally open. EYE COLOR: Light brown. EYEBROW SHAPE:  Very arched and somewhat bushy/untrimmed. One does not move. EYEBROW COLOR:  Red-brown, flecked with white. EYELASHES:  Dense and thick. NOSE SHAPE: Prominent and straight. HAIR TEXTURE: Wavy to curly and somewhat coarse. George is fighting a losing battle getting his hair to lie flat (though it smooths out under its own weight when longer). In his childhood and teens his hair was damaged by dyeing it brown, cheaply and badly, but this is long in the past. HAIR COLOR: Subdued red-brown with increasingly dense white streaks. In the right light George’s hair gleams like copper.

HAIR LENGTH: It’s been a few different lengths, depending on the fashion of the time: very short and curly in the 50s, long enough to brush over his forehead in the 70s, and short and businesslike at the time of his death. EARS:  Very flat and somewhat odd-shaped.

UPPER BODY

SHOULDERS: Narrow, even with a bit of muscle on them. The underlying bones and tendons are quite visible. ARMS:  Long and lean. George’s forearms in particular are rock hard,  without much give, but there’s almost no muscle bulk there. STOMACH AREA:  Flat and defined.  There’s a horizontal scar on his groin (relatively well-healed). LOVEHANDLES?:  Nope. George’s waist is nipped in under his ribs. CHEST/BREASTS:  Unnaturally flat, even concave in places. Instead of pectorals, he has an absence of tissue. The bone is slightly warped and close to the surface. His chest hair covers some of this, but it’s patchy in a very strange way, as if areas without hair were stretched to replace missing skin. NIPPLES:  Completely absent. BACK: Scarred and bony, with visible ribs. HAND SIZED:  Small and long-fingered. George’s knuckles and wrist bones are knobby enough that delicate is the wrong word, but one wants to reach for it anyway.

LOWER BODY

HIPS:  George’s pelvis has a bit of curvature that nothing will erase. His iliac crest is prominent. BOTTOM:  Not much meat there, but his hips give it a nice curve. THIGHS:  Lean and defined. “Shapely” would probably be the wrong word. He’ll kick you. CALVES: Hard and slim. LEG LENGTH: Long relative to his torso.

OTHER

BODY HAIR:  Plenty of it: chest, forearms, calves, stomach, groin, back of hands and tops of feet. He’s a furry guy. SCENT:  Old paper, candles, rainwater, freshly chopped lumber, and cigarettes. George has ashtray breath. HAND NAILS:  White-spotted with malnutrition and uneven. Sharp enough to draw blood at the wrong angle. TOENAILS: Usually uneven and rough. VOICE: George was screwed by adolescence, and his raspy, sharp voice never deepened much: he’s a tenor. He hisses and spits when he talks and can’t pronounce “s” properly. He has absolutely no singing voice and can’t even find a particularly musical register (though he was a choir singer before puberty). HEIGHT: 5′11″ WEIGHT: 150 lbs or so, but looks like less. PIERCINGS:  None. The idea. TATTOOS:  None. BRA SIZE: George has absolutely no meat in the breast area. Even an AA would hang off him. SHOE SIZE: Men’s 8. PREFERRED CHOICE OF SHOES: Battered work boots or smooth and highly polished leather riding boots, depending on the occasion. Once in a while, in good weather, he goes barefoot. CLOTHING STYLE:  George dresses pretty simply, in neat button-down shirts and tailored slacks. He wears a lot of sober dark reds and navy blues. Later in his life he’s hard to spot out of vestments (some of which are pretty elaborate). GENERAL BODYSHAPE: Skinny, lanky, and awkward. His long history of sickness, medical treatments, and surgeries left him odd-looking, and he’s too thin to really conceal his feminized skeleton under meat. George isn’t unattractive, per se, but he’s an acquired taste. He has nice legs, though. For what that’s worth.