US20070261357A1

US20070261357A1 - Method for treating a defective piece of timber

Info

Publication number: US20070261357A1
Application number: US11/416,157
Authority: US
Inventors: Shen-Ba Lee
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-05-03
Filing date: 2006-05-03
Publication date: 2007-11-15

Abstract

A method for treating a defective timber has acts of forming a timber piece to have a desired diameter, applying glue into the fissure in the timber piece to fill the fissure, pressing the timber piece into a tube to close the fissure, drying the glue to form a useful wooden post and taking the wooden post out of the tube. Accordingly, otherwise waste material can be reused, and the effective consumption of a tree is increased.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for treating a defective timber piece, and more particularly to a method for treating a detective timber piece with a fissure to make otherwise wasted material useful.
2. Description of Related Art
Wood is an important material for furniture or buildings, such as tables, chairs and so on and is widely used in many fields. To obtain the timber, a tree is felled and de-barked and the branches of the tree are trimmed away. The trunk is then cut into several logs or pieces with desired shapes, and the logs or the pieces are dried to reduce the moisture content to keep the wood from rotting, warping and so on.
However, if a trunk cracks, splits or warps during the processing of forming a wooden post (40) and generates a fissure (42) in the wooden post (40), as shown in FIG. 4, the wooden post (40) is useless and must be thrown away. In this age of environmental awareness it is apparent that such wasteful destruction of forests is unacceptable.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention tends to provide a method to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The main objective of the invention is to provide a method for treating a defective timber piece with a fissure to make otherwise waste material useful. The method for treating a defective timber piece with a fissure has acts of:
processing a timber piece to have a desired diameter;
applying glue into the fissure in the timber piece to fill the fissure;
pressing the timber piece into a tube to close the fissure;
drying the glue to form a useful wooden post; and
taking the wooden post out of the tube.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a method for treating a defective timber piece in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an operational perspective view in partial cross section of the timber piece being pressed into a tube to close the fissure with glue in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an operational side plan view in partial cross section of the timber piece being pressed into the tube to close the fissure with glue in FIG. 2; and
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a wooden post with a fissure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a method for treating a wooden post with a fissure in accordance with the present invention comprises acts of:
1. Gaining a timber piece (10) from a tree. The tree is firstly de-barked and is cut into at least one useful part. Each part of the tree is formed to a timber piece (10) with a particular cross section, like a circular cross section. The part of the tree for providing the timber can be the trunk or a large limb of the tree.
2. Processing the timber piece into a desired shape and diameter. To process the timber piece (10), the timber piece (10) may be applied with chemicals to keep it from rotting or becoming infested with insects, applied with a pressure treatment to reduce the moisture content of the timber piece to a desired level and dried to reduce the moisture content of the timber piece to a very low level. The timber piece (10) is then formed into a post with a desired shape and diameter by conventional means such as a turning process.
3. Applying glue into the fissure (12) in the timber piece (10) to fill the fissure (12). If any fissure (12) occurs in the timber piece (10) during processing the timber piece (10), glue is applied into the fissure (12) in the timber process (10) to fill the fissure (12). In a preferred embodiment, applying the glue into the fissure (12) is done in a vacuum condition, such that the fissure (12) can be completely filled with the glue.
4. Pressing the timber piece (10) into a tube (20) to close the fissure (12). With further reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the timber piece (10) applied with glue is pressed into a tube (20). The tube (20) has a first end (21) with a first inner diameter and a second end (22) with a second inner diameter, wherein the first inner diameter is larger than the second inner diameter and is substantially equal to the diameter of the wooden post (10). An inclined neck (23) is formed between the first end (21) and the second end (22). The wooden post (10) is pushed into the tube (20) with an external force from the first end (21) and into the second end (22) and remains temporarily inside the second end (22). With the small inner diameter of the second end (22), the timber piece (10) is compressed and two sides of the fissure (12) abut each other, such that the fissure (12) is closed.
5. Drying the glue. The timber piece (10) is kept inside the second end (22) of the tube (20) to let the glue dry naturally, such that a wooden post without any fissure is achieved.
6. Taking the wooden post out of the tube (20). After the glue has completely dried, the wooden post is pushed out of the second end (22) of the tube (20). Consequently, the fissure (12) in the timber piece (10) is eliminated, such that the timber piece becomes a useful and reliable wooden post for application in appropriate industry.
With such a method, otherwise waste material can be reused, such that the effective consumption of a tree is increased.
Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

Claims

1. A method for treating a defective timber piece comprising acts of:

processing a timber piece to have a desired diameter;

applying glue into the fissure in the timber piece to fill the fissure;

pressing the timber piece into a tube to close the fissure;

drying the glue to form a useful wooden post; and

taking the useful wooden post out of the tube.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the act of processing the timber piece comprises acts of:

gaining a timber piece from a tree; and

processing the timber piece into a desired shape and diameter, wherein

the timber piece is treated with chemicals to keep it from rotting, exposed to a pressure treatment to reduce the moisture content of the timber piece to a desired level, dried to reduce the moisture content of the timber piece to a very low level and formed as the timber piece with a desired shape and diameter.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the act of applying the glue into the fissure is processed in a vacuum condition.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the act of pressing the timber piece into a tube to close the fissure is pressing the timber piece into a tube having a first end with a first inner diameter and a second end with a second inner diameter smaller than the first inner diameter, wherein the first inner diameter is substantially equal to the diameter of the timber piece.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the act of drying the glue is keeping the timber piece inside the second end of the tube to let the glue dry naturally.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the act of applying the glue into the fissure is processed in a vacuum condition.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the act of pressing the timber piece into a tube to close the fissure is pressing the timber piece into a tube having a first end with a first inner diameter and a second end with a second inner diameter smaller than the first inner diameter, wherein the first inner diameter is substantially equal to the diameter of the timber piece.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the act of drying the glue is keeping the timber piece inside the second end of the tube to let the glue dry naturally.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the act of pressing the timber piece into a tube to close the fissure is pressing the timber piece into a tube having a first end with a first inner diameter and a second with a second inner diameter smaller than the first inner diameter, wherein the first inner diameter is substantially equal to the diameter of the timber piece.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the act of drying the glue is keeping the timber piece inside the second end of the tube to let the glue dry naturally.