BUILDING TIMBERS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 145, 20 June 1924, Page 10

BUILDING TIMBERS

SPECIES AND GRADES

IN FOUNDATIONS AND STRUCTURES ,

XJSE-OF-WOOD CONFERENCE DISCUSSION.

The three committees amongst -which the members of the conference of local I body and Government- representatives, nonsuiting architects and engineers, sawmillers, builders, and workers, were divided to discuss various aspects of the' uee of timber in building construction, with a view to economy and cheaper 'construction, concluded their deliberations and. reported back to the general' conference, presided over by Mr. W. M. Page, yesterday afternoon. , General discussion was commenced. The chairman congratulated the commit"tees on their expedition. \ ■' SPECIES AND GRADES. ■ Mr. W. J. Butler reported the "A" Committee's recommendations on species and grades. The matter of the amount of seasoning was held' over, pending'further advice as to the amount' of moisture desirable. '.. / The committee recommended heart ma-|----terial in totara-, silver pine, puriri, hinau,_ black beech,, maire, mangaeo, and such imported timbers as' approved for foundations. ' In ( opening .the discussion;' on this clause, Mr. A. J. Paterson moved that, in view of. the necessity for conserving timber, foundations for" alfbuildings be of permanent materials. ' , Mr. A. R. Entrican said this was one "sejo which a ilarge amount of timber could be put, which would otherwise b* wasted. The State .Forest. Service wouid not welcome such a recommendation... ..... *n general, discussion it was pointed out that the putting in of brick, stone, or concrete foundations would, in many cases, increase the cost of a great/many buildings, when the cost could be kept down with the use of timber of no use for other purposes,, except for' firewood. • Mr. Paterson, in reply, said ■, that branch or root timber was put into the foundations, and maintenance commenced before the loans on the buildings were paid off. ■ He did not think thp coet.-would be any more for permanent, foundations. There ' was no doubt a» to their .life or value., . , | Tlie recommendation was finally amended to refer to "foundations, if of wood." ■' ..--." ■_ ■ ■ Mr. Entrican said, that as far as. the Department was concerned'" they .would Tepbrt bgainst black' beech and ma_ngaeo.. ■■' -■ .' - ' ! .. :■ ' V The conference members, in one or two cases, objected to this attitude, and considered that an'opinion might be expressed in debate, but they wero not prepared to receive, a: mandatory-state-ment from the Department. Mr. Paterson did not consider ; the attitude mandatory. He ■ knew that hinau, black beech,, mangaeo, and even some of the others, were not the most suitable for-the foundations.' . ■'". .■ ■ 'Mr. J. Butler said that mangaeo hail been: used for years in the ■ middle of | the North Island, and was being used. Some districts found it satisfactory, and they should be allowed to use-it.i Mr. Entrican said he was ,not being mandatory. 'They-'had not enough evidence of the suitability of .niangaeo, and they were'taking too great a 1 risk' with 1 blach beech. He would challenge any of them, to pick the difference between black^ red, and' white beech from samples, he would submit. v ' ! On a division the two timbers remained in .the list by 20 to 14, and the recomn \ Nation was adopted as amended. Mr. x'aterson recorded his .vote against ■ mangaeo and black beech, stating that he had never seen such a thing perpetrated on a" British public. '; SUPPORTS AND PLOOEING.

. _ The committee . recommended heart timbers in totara, kauri, pin-hole heart kauri; matai, rimp, miro, silver pine, kawaka, taiiekaha, hinau, red beech, and such, imported timbers as approved, for fldor supports (jack studs), external sheathing,' or weather boards, from the level of the plates downwards. A speaker pointed 6ut.that.it was neither practicable nor economical to make a stipulation . like this when a building was on a hill and' boarding reached twelvn feet from thn ground to the plates. This aspect of the matter was held over, pending; a report from , B Committee. ''. ■> The recommendation was adopted. ■■ : ''.' EXTERIOR' .TIMBERS.''.

On the matter of exterior timbers the recommendation - was . that timbers exposed to the atmosphere maj' be of heart or sap. of the timbers specified for ground floor supports, provided that the sap wood of silver beech, black beech, and pinus radiata has x Keen thoroughly impregnated with;-creosote, or some other approved,- wood preservative. Mr. T. Bloodworth move.d that the word "may" be replaced by ''shall," and the words "or sap"- be struck out.' . A delegate held that.the ideal might be a beautiful one, but there-was a lot of sap wood, and if the millers were not allowed to export it, and the local builders were not going to be allowed to use it, there would be ii'great/wastc, and the other timber would jump in price. If the treatment with preservative was satisfactory,'and this was h, matter for proper, investigation, then there was no reason why ;the sap timbers. should not be ueed. Even if they had to pay 10s per .hundred for the; treatment they would save 30s or 40s on heart timber. The carrying of the amendment meant an inordinate demand, and a consequent increase of price for heart'timber. Mr.. J.. Maxwell said they' hud been using rough heart and pin-hole heart in Auckland for years. The-recommenda-tion was the same as recommending cardboard in boots. ■ . . :

. .'Mr. 'W. Hopkirk' said Christchurch ■*'as using 0.b., or cap wood, for years. S.ap, wood was considered as extending from the red heart to within about an inch of the actual white sap. To carry ;the amendment meant a great increase in price, and the defeat of the objects sought by the conference. He pointed out that the recommendations of "A" Committee were subject to a provision -that .all'sap timbers, should ,~he treated., Mr: Page said he had made it clear that they were diecussing sap timber without treatment. ■ ' .-. i

_ Mr. J. Barrass said the recommendation would never have come before the conference had ■it not been understood that the Bap wood was to be treated. The amendment was defeated, and the recommendation down to' "floor supports" was carried, the Remainder being held over to discussion on the "B" Committee recommendations. ' • . .INTERNAL TIMBERS. . The samo timbers ac recommended for floor supports wero recommended for studding, bracing, rafters,- and : other roof timbers, sarking, inner slieathing, lUning, and inner finishing, the timbers to be o£ heart or | sap. Silver, j-Mack* and brown beech were added'to the list,

and the recommendation was adoptedl With regard to flooring, it -.was recommended that the woods for floors -within 24 inches from the ground be heart timbers, and a,bove 24 inches from the ground heart or sap timbers. The timbers alloy/ed were kauri, matai, rimu miro hinau, red,, black, and silver beech, and approved imported timbers. ■ An amendment was moved to make Heart timbers necessary on ground floors and, sap _ and heart on.upper floors. Thi ß was defeated,'and the recommendation was adopted with an alteration from 24 inches to 18 inches. • mo^ning1: 01116'611^ adjourned '™«1 this