ABSTRACT
The versatility of wood is due to the level of moisture
content in wood which determine the performance of wood in service. This
performance is as a result of the process used in the drying of the
wood species. Wood can be dried through natural and artificial drying
method but natural method required little skills and cost in obtaining
desirable result. This project was based on the improvement of the
natural method of wood drying, in order to reduce the cost of drying
wood. Some wood species were selected and used for this project work and
the result obtained at the end of the experiment, was presented in this
report.
Wood exchanges moisture with air; the amount and direction
of the exchange (gain or loss) depend on the relative humidity and
temperature of the air and the current amount of water in the wood. This
moisture relationship has an important influence on wood properties and
performance. This paper discussed the physical properties of most
interest in the use of wood products. Some physical properties discussed
are influenced by species as well as variables like moisture content;
other properties tend to be independent of species.