Wooden Joinery Research Articles

FLUX 2.0: Sustainable Furniture Production with Modular 3D Printed Joinery System

The Malaysian furniture industry confronts a complex landscape defined by conventional wood joinery practices, resulting in rising material wastage, labour-intensive procedures, and intricate logistical challenges. This research explores designers' perceptions regarding sustainable furniture production and the feasibility of integrating modular 3D-printed joinery within an ergo-aesthetic framework. Data was collected through a survey (n = 424) in Malaysia. The analysis revealed significant correlations for senses and external influence (r = 0.325, p < 0.05), strong external influence with design attributes (r = 0.549, p < 0.05), and substantive design attributes with external influence connection (r = 0.580, p < 0.05). Ergonomic components highlight the correlations between physical with cognitive (r = 0.525, p < 0.05), cognitive with organisational (r = 0.547, p < 0.05), and organisational with physical (r = 0.546, p < 0.05). Incorporating physical ergonomics, comfort, usability, and user interaction, alongside cultural considerations, provides opportunities to improve functionality and user satisfaction in prototypes. By understanding designers' perspectives on sustainable furniture production and assessing modular 3D printed joinery, the study explains the relationship between design elements, sensory factors, aesthetics, and sustainable practices.

Joinery and Structure: Cultural and Technical Comparison between Traditional Wooden Framing Systems in East Asia and Western Europe

<p indent="0mm">Traditional wooden joinery is the craft of connecting wood pieces for buildings or producing utensils by utilizing only the geometry of the components and material properties of the wood, without other materials such as glue or metal connectors. In its thousands of years of tradition, this construction technique has achieved high accomplishment in both East Asian and European architectural civilizations. Although sharing the same basic principles, joinery techniques vary between regions and cultures, rooted in the geographical environment, available wood species and their material properties, characteristics of craftsmanship, tools, and structural systems. Wood framing systems from China, Japan, and Western Europe are selected for comparison to assess the relationship between wood joinery and other aspects of building technology. The main conclusions include: in East Asia, the building tradition pays great attention to the design and execution of joinery (<italic>sunmao</italic> 榫卯), making it responsible for multiple functions including architectural mechanics and the stability of the entire frame, which leads to a broader role meant by the term “joint” itself, while in Europe joinery is treated as the “node” or literally “joint” of the structure. Although in both East Asia and Europe wooden joinery serves as an aesthetic factor of the structure, its expression in East Asia is subtle, veiled, and restrained, while in Europe it is explicit and direct. The most important lesson we learn from the study of traditional joinery technology is that it should be seen in the context of the building process as a whole, taking into account geographical environment, material resources, craftsmanship, tools, construction methods, structural form, and the structural system.

Rotational wood welding of Dalbergia sissoo wood: forming longitudinal tongue-and-groove and butt joints

Wood joinery is an essential part of woodworking for product manufacture. Wood sections are mostly joined together with adhesives. Wood welding brings a new dimension to joinery by using mechanical friction to induce a flow of wood components ensuring adhesion. In this study, a customized spin wood-welding machine was used to join wood sections of Dalbergia sissoo. Butt and tongue-and-groove joints were prepared and welded using the machine. The tensile strength of the joints was tested. The impact on joint strength of increasing the friction area by introducing tongue-and-groove joints was tested and analyzed. The tensile strength for butt joints at 1,200 rpm welding was estimated at 5.3 MPa. Joint strength was found to increase substantially (by 66%) with a tongue-and-groove welding section. Weld line temperatures at different spin times were also investigated. The aim of this study is to apply welding technology to Dalbergia sissoo to achieve greater joint strength.

Robotic timber assembly

This paper presents an efficient workflow for the established digital fabrication and robotic assembly of a discrete timber structure. Here, the complexity and aesthetic value of the structure are derived from the aggregation and assembly of similar parts. In limiting the architectural building blocks to a few similar pieces, specific assembly is freed, and infinite structures can be constructed through iteration with the same sequential logic. Fabrication of the individual pieces is simplified, reducing material and energy use through standardization of component parts. The research further examines the potential of how three-dimensional wooden joinery can be incorporated to work with the robotic assembly, not only by analyzing the use of industrial robotic arms with an intent to leverage their capabilities, but also by exploring their limitations. In establishing a workflow around a joint which requires no adhesives or fasteners, the ability to robotically disassemble and reassemble the structures infinitely in different ways maximizes structural potential and material reuse. The assembly and aggregation of these joineries demonstrate a prototype that can be adopted for future timber constructions.

Applying the Chinese Wood Joinery Mortise-and-Tenon Principle to Repair Widening Surface Scars.

We applied the classical Chinese wood joinery mortise-and-tenon principle to repair widening surface scars caused by incision tension. Along the outer margin of surface scars, the top half of the scar tissue was cut and removed. The authors designed serial tenon structures on the retained dermal surface of the scar and a series of corresponding mortise structures in the dermal tissue on the opposite side of the incision. Finally, the mortise and tenon structures were integrated and sutured, resulting in tensionless closure. Thirty-two surface scars were repaired with this method. The follow-up time ranged from 6 to 24 months. The incisions healed in the form of fine linear scars. No widening scars were observed in this series. The proposed mortise-and-tenon scar repair technique can effectively reduce incision tension and thus reduce scar formation at the incision site. The authors recommend this technique as an alternative effective method for revising widening surface scars.

Mechanical Performance of Woodwork Joinery Produced by Industrial Methods

In this study, the improvement of the mechanical properties of wood material were investigated to determine the effects of heat treatment (thermo-process) and impregnation processes held in open-air conditions on the mechanical performance of woodwork joinery. To this end, pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and chestnut (Castanea sativa) species grown in our country were used which have significant natural and commercial value. Actual sizes of the examples of woodworks were set out diagonally. In the double-tenon construction and glue type polyurethane (PU) and D4 adhesives used. Diagonal woodwork and the test samples prepared by class at 185°C temperature with a thermo-vapor process protections apply. Thus, thermo-treated wood joinery was obtained. After application of the heat treatment by immersion, the test samples, and a 5% solution of tannin and oak with a natural pine cone resin made impregnation process. Then, the impregnation of natural wood (control) only heat-treated and heat treatment+impregnated samples kept for one year in outdoor conditions. At the end of the waiting period, on samples prepared by the principles stated in TS 2472 and TS 7251 EN 107 standard “Windows-Test Methods-Mechanical Experiments,” according to the principles specified in standard performance tests (diagonal compression test, windows hang test) and microscopic observations and investigations to determine the cellular changes were made. These observations suggest that the natural form treated and untreated samples and comparison of window wings holding the external environment gained strength during the degradation and the reasons for this deterioration was detected against the impregnated material. Experimental density measurements on samples without waiting in outdoor conditions before, after waiting and waiting, as periodic process was determined by performing the difference. In this study, experiments were carried out on diagonal examples and especially examples in actual size woodwork. In addition, natural oak tannin solution impregnation process was used. From previous research literature diagonal examples have been used not only in instances of life-size woodwork. In addition, thermo-transaction and impregnation process used in conjunction studies, natural pine resin is used, and there is no such study created a solution. This also shows that the original value of our work.

Summer Houses, Ruin, Demolition and Rehabilitation , Modern Architecture heritage between 1950 and 1960 in Portugal

From the decades 1930/1940 in Portugal, begins the search for a new architectural model of holiday house derived from the chalet.From the late 1950s and according to Ana Tostões[1], begins a widespread acceptance of modern architecture by an elite bourgeoisie which will develop new resorts in Portugal.According to Rui Ramos [2] the urbanization along the beaches from Ofir in the North to Rodízio in the South, reveals this new way of modern living.These houses have resisted as built heritage from the decades of the 1940 till now. Some have not been able to avoid demolition; others are in a state of decay and abandoned ruin. It is urgent to avoid bad interventions that adulterate there main architectural characteristics or even the ruin and consequent demolishing in order of touristic investments of greater value.House Aiola was located in Arrábida, work of unquestionable modern taste, made use of prefabrication systems. The use of new materials, such as plywood and wood panels makes this house an authentic modern laboratory. The internal organization of the house in perfect communion with the outside is very fluid.According to Rui Ramos[3], the house reveals an unconditional adoption of modern, being able to innovate on the constraints imposed on it. The quality of this house and the uniqueness of his work transform this house one of the most radically modern examples built in Portugal, yet virtually unknown and demolished.The José Soares House in Ofir, of architects Cassiano Barbosa and Arménio Losa, was built in the year of 1950. This unknown work of the modern Portuguese architects is located in the summer resort of Ofir, where other important summer houses were built predominately between the decades of 1940 and 1970. This house experiments the new modern movement concepts as the use of ramps, new materials as fibre cement roofing or the clear distribution of sleeping and living areas in two blocks. At the same time it questions vernacular architecture by the use of apparent granite stone walls, the use of decorative tiles or wooden joinery. Nowadays the house is abandoned for decades and is coming to an advanced state of ruin.Modern Portuguese architecture has to be enlightened as of great value, so that owners and general public get aware of its heritage, before bigger mistakes are made.[1] TOSTÕES, Ana, “Casas de Férias modernas, anos 50 e estilo contemporâneo- A utopia de uma doce vida”, in Jornal de Arquitectos, Nº 196, Lisboa, 2000, Ordem dos Arquitectos, pp. 45-53.[2] RAMOS, Rui Jorge Garcia, A casa: arquitectura e projecto doméstico na primeira metade do século XX português, Porto, FAUP publicações, 2010.[3] Ibidem, pp.512.

Outdoor weathering performance parameters of exterior wood coating systems on tropical hardwood substrates

Wood coating research almost exclusively focuses on softwood as substrate despite the fact that coatings applied on tropical hardwoods show a different weathering behaviour. The objective of this study was to quantify the impact of wood substrate and coating type on the weathering behaviour of finished wooden joinery in outdoor exposure using a set of statistical methods. Therefore, a broad range of white opaque paints and mid-oak semi-transparent stains were used. The coatings were industrially applied on window frames made of frequently used commercial tropical hardwood species. The general appearance of the wood/coating systems was assessed visually using a rating scale that takes into account the anatomical characteristics of hardwood. For the evaluation, a required minimum exposure time of 2.5 years outdoor weathering for joinery in vertical position and facing south-west was determined. At 30 months best performances were recorded for waterborne alkyd primers with an acrylic topcoat when dry coating film was sufficiently thick. The dry layer thickness also affected the impact of the hiding power on the performance of the wood/coating system. Within hardwood species the degradation rate of coatings on species with a fine texture was the lowest. The significant influence of the substrate’s texture on the weathering behaviour of coated hardwood stressed the need to evaluate the wood/coating system in total.

Artificial ageing of wood finishes monitored by IR analysis and color measurements

AbstractPhotocurable finishes appear now as very attractive products for industrial wood joinery for reducing volatile organic compounds (VOC). Nevertheless their poor durability is currently reported. In this study, we aimed to enhance stability of advanced formulations based on photoinitiators working under UV‐visible light by introducing UV absorbers, the absorption band of which is shifted compared to the band of initiators. We tested the efficiency of these stabilizers for two curable coatings applied onto oak and spruce. Modifications of samples at molecular and macroscopic scales were quantified after an accelerated ageing process by FTIR spectroscopy, measurements of color variations, apparition of cracks. It appears that both UV absorbers tested do not greatly improve the durability of systems and the results obtained allow to better understand the causes of the poor characteristics of the finishing systems. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

Study of the polymerization of acrylic resins by photocalorimetry: interactions between UV initiators and absorbers

Photocurable finishes should be extensively used for industrial wood joinery in the near future even if some technical problems have still to be solved and if the durability of the finishing system has to be enhanced. In a previous work, we studied the curing reaction of acrylic resins containing some particular photoinitiators by photocalorimetry and showed that curing can be achieved under daylight with these compounds (i.e. solving the problem of restoration on site). The aim of this work is to enhance the durability of these systems by incorporating UV absorbers into the formulations. The consequences of such an addition onto the curing kinetics are again investigated by photocalorimetry.

Study of the polymerization of acrylic resins by photocalorimetry

Due to their advantages from an environmental point of view (i.e. reduction of volatile organic compounds (VOC)), photocurable finishes should be extensively used for industrial wood joinery in the near future. However, several problems are reported, particularly the poor durability of the finishing system. In the present work, the curing reaction of acrylic resins containing some improved photoinitiators was studied by means of photocalorimetry under monochromatic irradiation from 366 to 450 nm. The results show that finishes can be cured even under daylight so that they could be directly applied on site in case of restoration.

Modelling film formation and degradation of semi-transparent exterior wood coatings

Deposition and aggregation of small solid particles are encountered in many natural and industrial environments. These processes are of substantial significance for the development of a coating film on a wooden substrate. Formulating new coatings with improved performance and lower cost for exterior wooden joinery, mainly a trial-and-error approach, has a large influence on the initial film forming stage in a coating's life. Therefore modelling can supply insight in the particle–particle–substrate interaction. Two approaches are proposed. The first one uses a random point process to position the cluster centres and particles in a dry film. The second strategy starts with a random scattering of the particles in a wet film followed by Monte Carlo sampling and subsequently minimization of the total energy of the particle system. Surface roughness and gloss are calculated from the simulated surface structure. Next to these simulations, surface reconstruction of coated wood with confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) is used to obtain surface roughness values and deduction of gloss applying the bidirectional reflection distribution function (BRDF) theory. As semi-transparent systems are the subject of gloss calculation on surfaces measured by CSLM and computer simulation, refractive index is estimated using an analytical solution of the reflectance and transmittance problem. Withal, coating and subsequent degradation simulation can become a valuable tool for screening purposes.

Quantitative measurement of the penetration of water-borne coatings in wood with confocal lasermicroscopy and image analysis

Due to European environmental regulations, solvent-borne wood coating systems have to be replaced by water-borne and high solid coatings. Thorough research is yet needed to replace the traditional solvent-borne systems by water-borne paints and stains for exterior wooden joinery. In this article the penetration of paint primers and wood stain base-coats (solvent-borne and water-borne as well as high solids and hybrid systems) in wood is discussed. Penetration is an important factor for the durability of a coating and thus the protection of the wood. For the image capturing a confocal scanning lasermicroscope (CSLM) was used. Penetration was measured using two methods. Further statistical analysis was done to determine the factor that influenced the penetration the most.

Greene &amp; Greene Master-Works

The elegant houses designed by Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene have come to define the Arts and Crafts movement in the United States. A seamless fusion of simplicity and sophisticated detail with meticulous attention to building materials and natural surroundings, each Greene and Greene house is a model of timeless home design. Greene & Greene: Masterworks is the first book to present the brothers' most important works, complete with color photographs. Greene & Greene surveys twenty-five masterpieces produced by the firm from the turn of the century to the twenties. Arts and Crafts expert Bruce Smith leads you through the details - entrances, art glass, lighting, staircases, wood joinery, fireplaces, and more - that illustrate the evolution of the Greenes' hallmark style. Alexander Vertikoff's photographs capture the houses' formal grace and exquisite colors. Including an insightful foreword by the Gamble House director, Edward R. Bosley, Greene & Greene celebrates the landmark architectural vision of Charles and Henry Greene.