How to distinguish a winter frame from a summer one. How to distinguish a winter forest from a summer one. How to choose the right forest for construction

The builder of a wooden house faces many problems. One of the most important issues is the choice of wood, because the durability of the future structure largely depends on the material.

It has already become a classic statement that winter forest much better quality than summer.

The advantages of a winter log house

First, the forest harvested in the cold season is much less prone to decay. He is not afraid of warping. Yes, and there will be no problems with drying, as it happened naturally before the construction of the house begins in the summer.

In winter, the trees are dormant. In preparation for wintering, the pores are closed, there is no sap movement, and growth stops. The wood does not need excess moisture, so it is discarded. As a result, when operating houses from such a forest, the logs will not emit tar when heated. Dense, dry wood is not prone to deformation, and there is also less chance of cracking. Wood is less infested with fungi and insects.

So you've decided build a house from a rounded log... It is good, of course, to trust the performers of the work, but it is not at all superfluous to check, because not everyone works in good faith. It is better to make sure yourself that it is the winter forest that is offered. But how to do that?

Recognizing the difference is not easy, but it is possible if you know the main points. Ideally, of course, you should make sure yourself at the construction site what material the house is being built from. But sanded wood will tell you little, and you can see dirt on untreated raw materials, which indicates summer harvesting.

The penetration of dark spots on the saw cuts is a sign of a forest in the rain. A good winter forest (you still need to know how to store it!) Should not turn blue. On it, over time, the bark dries up and flies off in some places.

So that there is no doubt about the time of felling the forest, buy it at winter months... Of course, there is a possibility that leftover summer wood will be slipped into you, but it is small.

It is more difficult to determine the quality of raw materials when buying ready-made log cabins... You may be told that it is winter, but if you see deep cracks on the logs, do not trust such a seller. Not only is this a sign of a summer forest, you can be sure of obvious violations of the drying technology. The proposal of a box of a wooden house covered with an antiseptic should also be alarming.

Going for a choice of logs, take iodine with you. It only takes one drop to establish the truth. On the cut of a log of winter wood, it should turn blue, since in the presence of starch in the cold season it reaches its maximum concentration.

Eco-friendly construction. Manor: I am planning to build wooden house from rounded logs. Everywhere it is written that it is necessary to make a log house exclusively from the forest harvested in the winter. he's the best. However, few places say how to determine whether it is a winter forest and how to check sellers

I am planning to build a wooden house from rounded logs. Naturally, the first step was the question of ordering a log house. I shoveled a bunch of books and everywhere it is written that it is necessary to make a log house exclusively from the forest harvested in the winter. he's the best. However, few places say how to determine whether it is a winter forest and how to check sellers.

Of course, conscientious carpenters harvest timber in the winter, and in the spring and summer they cut logs and collect them. However, what prevents unscrupulous producers from harvesting timber in the summer, when it is easy to do this, to store and sell logs from it all winter and half of next year under the guise of winter timber. Let's try to understand this issue together.

First, a little theory or why the winter forest is so good:

In winter, the trees enter a state of dormancy, they are prepared for a long wintering. The pores are closed, sap flow and growth stops, excess moisture is dumped through the root system.

Therefore, with the further operation of products from such a forest, we get the following advantages:

• when heating the logs, resin will not be released from them
• wood is denser and drier i.e. less susceptible to deformation and cracking
• the material undergoes a long period of natural drying, since several months pass from the moment of harvesting to the summer heat
• harvesting of winter wood is carried out at low temperatures, which means that the wood retains its natural light appearance longer and is less susceptible to infection by fungi and insects.

Now let's get down to practice - how to recognize what is being sold to you by the type of winter wood.

I must say right away that it is difficult for a non-specialist to do this, but it is possible.

There are several ways:

The first- it is better to see once - it is ideal to go to the site where log cabins are made and look at the non-sanded forest from which the house is made. If you see dirt on the bark, this indicates that it was chopped in the summer, if dark spots appear on the cuts, this indicates that the forest was in the rain. The winter forest, when properly stored, usually does not turn blue. In summer, in the winter forest, the bark has dried up and partially flies off.

Second - choose proven ones. Everything is clear from the name, you probably turned to the carpenters, who have already made orders with your friends or acquaintances. Conscientious sellers should have the addresses of those to whom they have already delivered log cabins or even installed them. Take an interest in the reputation of the suppliers and a lot will become clear.

Third - the time factor of the order - for an additional guarantee, it is worth buying a forest, a log house or a bathhouse in the winter months starting from January or February, at least in the spring. The reason is simple - it is at this time that the harvesting of winter wood begins, and the cut in summer, as a rule, is over. Therefore, at the end of summer, in autumn, it is high time to engage in a project of a wooden bathhouse or a house and choose suppliers and carpenters. Because it will take from a month to two to develop a sketch of a project, select an internal layout, and clarify details, and to draw a so-called log for a residential building. In the meantime, the winter forest will arrive, from which you need to build.

Fourth - trust but verify. If you were offered a ready-made log house under the guise of a winter one and there is no way to comply with points 1 and 3, at least carefully inspect the goods. There should be no deep cracks on the logs - this is not only a sign of a summer forest, but also indicates a violation of the drying technology. Logs have to dry slowly, naturally, and the longer the better: the tree needs to dry not only outside, but also inside. Those. If you are offered a box of a summer wood house cut down in the same period, then in dry summers the outer southern walls will dry out very quickly, while the inner and northern walls will dry out more slowly and due to internal stress, a large number of cracks will form.

It is especially worthwhile to be on your guard if the manufacturer offers a box of a wooden house covered with an antiseptic. Here they can say that they cut it last season, did not sell it, therefore they treated it with a septic tank (or maybe with bleach to pass it off as a new one). At the same time, such grief carpenters will prove that they chopped it in winter. But why do you need extra problems - it's better to control everything and get a high-quality log house.

Fifth - instrumental control. Some authors advise to drop one drop of iodine on a cut of a log. Because there is more starch in winter wood, the tree in this place should turn blue. Next, you can measure the moisture content of the log at a depth of 10-15 cm, but this requires a special moisture meter.

These are the ways to define winter timber for construction. Each of them is not particularly effective, however, if you apply them in combination, then the probability of getting a high-quality frame for a wooden log house or a house made of timber is quite realistic. published

Many people used winter wood to build their homes, and now they actively recommend it to their friends, acquaintances, or simply forum visitors. There are a great many reasons for this - this is a short shrinkage period, and increased density and strength of wood, and a relatively low cost, and many other advantages. Many articles have been written about this, and we will not repeat ourselves. We will touch on a more important topic - how to understand that it is a winter forest in front of you? How to make the right choice if you do not have good acquaintances who could advise you on one or another manufacturer from their own experience? We will try to answer this question for you in our article. We hope that this will help you build a high-quality and durable log home.

How to identify a timber from a winter forest?

So, are you going to purchase a timber from the winter forest? First things first, remember that there are simply no clearly defined rules for highlighting the desired wood. But do not rush and close the seeming unnecessary article... Yes, there are simply no officially recognized methods that will one hundred percent help you find winter wood, but we will try to tell you all those small nuances that professionals advise to pay close attention to.

The first and most logical thing is to see what time of year it is outside. If it is winter, and you are told that the tree was harvested quite recently, then the tree is winter. Of course, this is a very shaky sign, which is entirely based on trust in the seller (do not forget, you may not hear the truth in response to such a question, especially if, before starting the consultation, you somehow made it clear that you are looking for winter wood - in this case, any wood that is in the store will automatically turn into winter wood).

The second sign is the light ends of the logs. Here you should rely on your own observation. The reason for darkening in autumn rains is that it is because of them that the ends lose their original light shade.

The next sign is traces of dirt on the bark. Agree, it is difficult to stain a tree if you drag it through white, fluffy snow. Yes, we can say that the snow is not always so clean, and that after several days of work, a significant layer of dirt may appear on the site, but these assurances should be taken with skepticism - the ground is frozen to a great depth, and no applied dirt will be enough for that. to stain the trunk of a tree so much that after numerous transports such dried mud will remain on it.

Another sign is that a winter log is drier than a summer log, and it is much easier to cut it. Here everything is learned in comparison - you can choose a log that is definitely summer and compare it with the desired one. In addition, on winter logs, the saw is much smoother, does not wobble, and on longitudinal cuts there is completely no waviness, which can be seen on almost every summer log.

How to choose winter wood?

If you trust the exact sciences more than your feelings, bring some iodine with you. Winter trees have a lot more starch, so a small drop of iodine will turn into an intense blue when it hits such logs. Just ask the manager for permission to conduct a chemical experiment - who knows how the store of your choice treats inquisitive and active customers?

Some people who often deal with wood advise using a moisture meter - a special device by which you can determine the amount of moisture in a tree - the drier, the closer to winter the log harvesting season. The best indicator is considered to be in the region of twenty to twenty five percent. Especially advanced builders can determine the moisture content of logs by their weight, but that being said, aerobatics, it takes a lot of practice.

The following way is again shared by experienced builders of wooden houses - if you choose unplaned timber, pay attention to its surface. With a lot of moisture, it will be extremely rough. Of course, to use this method, you better be one hundred percent confident in the quality of the sawing equipment - a rough surface may be a sign of any malfunctions in the system or simply the owners' savings on expensive but high-quality equipment.

As you can see, it is very difficult to find winter wood on your own. You need either professional devices that are not sold in all stores, or extreme care and ingenuity, or many years of experience in working with trees. If you are not confident in your abilities, it is better not to take risks and call for help from people who have linked their lives with a tree - they will be able to find a winter timber much better. Well, and of course, no one forbids you to consult with acquaintances or penpals on the Internet - who knows, perhaps one of them will be able to advise you on the very company that will sell you a very good quality timber from the winter forest.

-\u003e Timing of logging for felling.

Let's try to figure out when (and why) you need to harvest wood for the construction of a log house.

Only conifers will be the object of our consideration.
In his article Wood for felling. Coniferous or deciduous? I showed that hardwoods (with the exception of oak) are not suitable for the construction of log walls due to their low resistance to decay, and low durability.

Actually, I have never bothered with the question of time to prepare before. For his buildings, he procured or bought exclusively winter forest because it was customary in our area since ancient times. Our ancestors established this empirically, probably having tried both winter and summer forest for building walls.

Once, accidentally visiting the website of a timber seller, I was surprised to learn that the summer forest is not only no worse, but even better. But the argumentation of the advantages was so absurd that I decided to figure it out for myself, so what, after all, is the difference between a winter and a summer coniferous forest?

We look at the vendors' arguments in defense of the summer forest.

1. Earlier in the summer, the peasants were so busy that logging had to be postponed until the winter.

Weak argument.
Any villager knows that in the summer, between busy periods of sowing - haymaking - harvesting, you can always carve out a couple or three weeks of relatively free time. The house is built once and for a lifetime. Therefore, one summer it was possible to work more intensively.
Moreover, if the summer forest was of the same quality as the winter forest, then the forest would be harvested in the summer. Working in a summer forest is much easier than wading through snowdrifts.

2. In winter, the forest is easier to harvest and remove.

I agree with the export.
But about harvesting ... If at least one of the "argumentators" tried to work on felling wood knee-deep in snow, he would very quickly forget about his "argument".

3. In terms of mechanical strength, a summer forest does not differ from a winter one.

Sorry, but toughness doesn't matter to us. We build walls, not ceilings at the Bolshoi Theater. When using wood for making sawn timber, in my opinion, there is no difference when it is harvested.

4. The humidity of the winter coniferous forest is higher than that of the summer one.

So what? After debarking, by spring the moisture content of the logs will decrease and will be much lower than that of the fresh forest cut down at that time. If the debarking of the forest is finished at the beginning of March, then by the onset of warm days the forest dries up so much that it is not afraid of either "blue" or mold.

5. Due to the lower humidity, a log house from a summer forest gives less shrinkage.

Very correctly noticed!
But since absolute humidity the summer forest differs from the winter one by only 10 - 12%, then the difference in the shrinkage of the log house will be ridiculous and will be as much as several millimeters!

6. Cracking in the winter forest is greater than in the summer.

Excuse me, but this is BOTH! Under the same storage and drying conditions, the opposite is true.

You can find a lot of "arguments", even in serious construction magazines, but they are all far-fetched and the ears of summer forest sellers stick out from them.

To be honest, the defenders of the winter forest write no less absurdities. They can find about the narrowing of annual rings in winter, and about the freezing of moisture from trees through the bark, and about a drier winter coniferous forest, and about the fragility of a summer forest ...

All thoughtlessly repeat the cliches invented by someone once, but a reasonable answer to the main question "how does a winter forest differ from a summer one and which is better?" no.

Well, let's try to figure it out ourselves, with the help of scientists - foresters.

What is the most important quality for a scaffold?

We open the textbook "Wood Science" by L.M. Perelygin: “Under unfavorable conditions of service (which are the conditions in which the walls are - V.S.), which include variable humidity and temperature of the environment, wood quickly collapses. The rate of destruction is determined by the natural resistance of the given breed. "

This means that the main quality of timber is its natural resistance to physical and biological destructive factors, that is, the resistance of wood to decay.
Not only the durability (service life) depends on this, but also the atmosphere inside the log house. Decay processes release harmful substances that have a detrimental effect on the health of people in this log house.

We read further the textbook by L.M. Perelygin:
« The durability of wood is largely determined by the content of resinous substances in it. So the durability of pine wood under the same service conditions is higher than that of spruce and fir wood, which is explained by the different resin content. "

The main component of pine resin is levopimaric acid (content 34 - 37%). The concentration of this and other acids determines the antiseptic properties of the resin.

It has been found that in fresh resin, collected in summercontains less levopimaric acid than resin collected in winter. This is due to the summer increase in metabolism and the processes of intense evaporation of needles.

A similar picture is with the content of essential oils.

Therefore, since the concentration of resin acids and essential oils in winter resin is higher, the antiseptic qualities of winter resin are higher than that of summer resin.

And again Perelygin:
The influence of silvicultural factors. The influence of the felling time.
“With regard to resistance to decay, a tendency towards its decrease was found for timber cut during the growing season (spring-autumn). This is explained by the higher content of organic substances in the wood in an easily digestible form (nutrients). "

Another quote from the book by E. Yu. Lundberg, "Building Art". “With regard to tree spoilage, winter felling means that the amount of nutrients in winter is the least; summer felling tree rot more easily, as it contains nutrients in a more diluted form and generally richer in nutrients. "

Well, now everything is clear!

In coniferous wood, which is harvested in summer, there is an increased content of nutrients and a reduced concentration of natural antiseptics - resin acids and essential oils. Therefore, the SUMMER CUTTING TREE HAS LESS RESISTANCE TO ROT than the winter felling tree.

Putrefactive bacteria and all sorts of fungi (including molds) need nutrients in order to develop. And since the content of nutrients in wood harvested in summer is much higher, and the concentration of natural antiseptics is less, then rotting will be more intense.
Thus, timber harvested in summer has a shorter service life than timber harvested in winter.

That's it. The casket, as it turned out, opens quite simply and everything falls into place.

Before the revolution and in the first years of Soviet Power, not only timber, but also sawlogs were harvested exclusively in winter. After felling and debarking, coniferous logs were stored in warehouses for at least a year. And after that they got into business.

But when industrialization began in the Soviet Union (preparation for war), a lot of timber was required constantly. That's when they forgot about the seasonality in logging. And scientists have summed up a theoretical basis for this (they would have tried not to let it down!), Or simply hushed up the difference between a winter and a summer forest.

But then it was right and justified. A great country was being built.

And now we are building for ourselves, for our children and grandchildren. Therefore, we have the right to know the truth, at least in order to make an informed choice.

In summary, we can say the following:

Winter felling pine is best suited for building a log house, as it is the most durable and rot-resistant tree!

And if you do not have the opportunity to purchase pine for your log house, purchase other coniferous wood (spruce, fir), but definitely winter felling!

The gradation according to the resistance of different species to decay, as well as the service life, you can see in Table 1 and Table 2 of the article
Timber for felling. Coniferous or deciduous?

I am deliberately not talking about cedar because of its high cost.

It can be said about larch that, firstly, because of its high density, it is difficult to process, and secondly, for the same reason, it has increased thermal conductivity.
In general, earlier larch, given its high resistance to rotting, was used only for specific purposes:
put several crowns directly on the ground without a foundation, which were used as an unheated room (basement) under the floor of a living room;
Used for a flap in the presence of a foundation.

Another positive quality for the winter forest.
Since sap flow stops in the trees in winter, the logs or boards from such a forest emit very little resin when heated, which is especially valuable for heat-stressed bath conditions.

And now about the specific timing of felling.

In Belarus, the harvesting of coniferous timber for construction used to be carried out in December - January. The bark was removed necessarily before the arrival of spring (the deadline is the first decade of March) and stacked for a year or two to dry. They were built from dry wood.

Alexander Sobolev talks about Russian traditions in his wonderful book "Wooden House". Here are some quotes:

“The quality of wood, the durability of a structure or a product made of it also depends on what time of year the tree is cut down. "

“By tradition, they began to harvest the forest from the winter Nikola, from December 19. In some places it was believed, and not by chance, best time for harvesting one month ... "

"By folk signs the timber was cut down on the new moon: the forest cut down due to the damage to the disc of the moon decays "

“Here is what they wrote in an old Russian magazine in 1867:“ ... pine trees cut down four identical years, from the same place and ground, during December, January, February and March, when four ceiling beams were made from them, showed by their weight load that the tree felled in January by 12, in February by 20, in March by 38 withstood less weight than those felled in December. "

After reading the rationale for choosing a winter forest, a natural question arises: "How much more durable winter timber is than summer timber?"

I managed to find the answer again in Alexander Sobolev's book "Wooden House":

“Of two pines of the same place and one year old, buried in damp ground, after eight years, the pine tree cut in February was completely filled with rottenness, meanwhile, cut down in December, after 16 years of lying in the same damp ground, turned out to be quite healthy ... "

That is, a tree harvested in December is TWO times more durable than a tree harvested in February. Since February is the month preceding the growing season, the resistance of the summer forest can be considered the same.

So, the longevity of winter logging (December-January) is expected to be twice as long as that of summer timber.

When logging in the summer, in addition, two more serious problems arise.

First: The damp summer forest turns blue very quickly. Even timely debarking and stacking often does not help.
Second: A damp summer forest is more likely to be attacked by insect pests.

In conclusion, I want to tell a story from my youth construction brigade.

At the end of the 70s of the last century, in one of the shift settlements in Strezhevoy, we were building a canteen from round timber. In violation of all safety rules (students are forbidden to work on felling), the forest in the taiga fell down themselves. Mainly fir and pine, spruce came across, but rarely.

The students were supervised by a carpenter, his name was Vasily. He himself was from somewhere in the central regions of Russia.

So, Vasily lamented about the forced summer felling. He spoke like this: “In winter, the forest sleeps. And if you cut it off, then it will remain asleep, but alive. A structure built from such a forest will also be alive. Cutting down the forest in the summer, we kill it. And a structure made of such a forest will be dead. "

We, the then Komsomol members, laughed at his superstitions. And now, in the age of a craze for esotericism, no, no, and I’ll think: "Maybe there really is something in this?"

Wood construction professionals know exactly how wood will behave in a given period of time. In order for the quality of the finished house to be preserved as long as possible, it makes sense to be satisfied with the selected raw materials in advance, otherwise the disappointment from the operation will come before the aging of the log house. What criteria are used to assess the suitability of rocks for construction and is it true that houses from a winter forest are of the highest quality than their counterparts from a summer one? Details below.

Industrial blanks

How is logging carried out and at what time does it take place? Everyone is well aware of the Soviet comedy film "Girls", where this process is shown simply with the use of improvised equipment of that time.

Now the equipment is much more functional - special machines immediately cut branches, and the whip is delivered to the place of transportation in almost finished form.

However, the time of the year has not changed - the film showed winter, and the professionals of that era knew the matter well. The explanation is simple - a plot cannot be a flat field without swamps, channels or lakes separating the sections.

It is better to transport the whips by land - it appears with the arrival of cold weather, turning moisture into ice. In this case, the winter forest for building a house will not take in excess moisture, but will only have its own natural moisture.

In addition, natural drying occurs best in winter - precipitation in the form of snow cannot penetrate under the bark, and its own moisture evaporates unhindered. If we compare the weight of the whips of the winter and summer forest, then the first option will be easier.

How to distinguish a winter forest from a summer one

So, the advantages of the winter forest are manifested in the following:

1. High-quality log houses from a winter forest are lighter than others, which means that the work and speed of construction will increase significantly. This is a technological plus, but home-grown builders are highly valued - the process is difficult. By the way, the expense of funds is reduced - you can save on a slab foundation by installing a tape support instead.
2. Winter woods, such as pine whips, will turn less blue when sanding. Although this effect, which scares off many buyers, will not last long - when it dries completely, the tree takes on its characteristic shade.
3. A new wooden house from a winter forest will need additional processing, after a couple of years, or even longer - the wood independently produces phytoncides that prevent rotting and mold.

How to distinguish the offered product

Solid winter wood type

Below is the marking of the whips, from which the construction of houses from the winter forest comes. This is a memo to ignorant land owners when buying goods on their own. So:

1. Timber. It has a small difference in diameters at the ends. The approximate size of the diameter is 25-30 cm. The so-called middle from roots to crown. It is from it that log houses are made. The whips are stacked out of order, with a turn to the ends, in order to maintain the same height of the walls.
2. Sawlog. Goes to various wood products.
3. Product manufacturer. The so-called crown. Small diameter whips are also made from it for the construction of gazebos or baths.

The best winter forest house comes from the first option. It does not have to be insulated, it contains enough phytoncides in concentration, appearance beautiful.

The science of carpentry is more than just tool knowledge. It is also valuable information about raw materials.

Home-grown ignorant craftsmen do not hurt to take several consultations from reliable sources, for example, from this article, so as not to make a mistake in choosing. And then they are provided with high-quality operation of the log structure.