Woodworking marking tool structuration based on craft traditions

PurposeBased on profound information lacking in compiled information materials, the risks of losing knowledge related to the values of traditional woodworking processes are increasing. The purpose of this article is to collect and structure diverse marking tool data into a comprehensive, understandable and clear design schematic view, which serves as a basis for the accumulation and preservation of diverse marking objects and shows woodworking marking tool relation in the group and subgroup levels.Design/methodology/approachA method for marking tools structuring and analysis are described, including breaking down a set of objects into groups of marking objects, and assigning one or more attributes to the parcelled objects by arranging them into hierarchic levels. Research is based on marking tools used by carpenters, joiners and woodcarvers mainly in the Baltic region.FindingsCollected data, object analyses and comparison within-group and subgroup levels are based on written and visual sources, museum and museum funds visits, and participation in the local craftsmen events. The created structure is expandable in group and subgroup levels. The most comprehensive way for object structuring is chosen as a base to reveal a diversity of the objects.Originality/valueStructure schemes of woodworking marking tools are important in scientific, educative and cultural levels based on their wide range and use. Aggregated information of the woodworking tools serves as a base for existing tool studies and improvement, new tool and wood product creation as well as complements the structure of the upcoming woodworking hand tool database and book.

Substitution impacts of wood use at the market level: A systematic review

Background: There is strong evidence that wood-based products are typically associated with lower fossil-based emissions over their lifecycle than functionally equivalent products made from other materials. However, the potential impact of large-scale material substitution at the market level remains challenging to quantify and is subject to assumptions and system boundary considerations. Methods: This paper presents a systematic review covering 44 peer-reviewed studies that quantify the substitution impacts of wood use at the level of a region or sector, to assess the commonalities and differences in scopes, system boundaries and key assumptions. We estimated the average and range of market-level substitution impacts and identify the caveats and knowledge gaps for such assessments. Review results: The results indicate an average substitution factor of 0.55 tonnes of fossil C avoided per tonne of C contained in wood harvested, with a range of 0.27 to 1.16 tC/tC for baseline scenarios covering all wood flows. This value depicts the average efficiency of avoided fossil emissions per unit of wood used for a certain wood use structure based on published studies but is of limited practical use as it is strictly context specific. A direct comparison between studies is complicated because a notable proportion of the studies provided insufficient information to estimate substitution factors or were not transparent in their assumptions, such as specifying which wood product is assumed to substitute for which non-wood product. Discussion: A growing number of studies focus on policy-relevant analyses of the climate change mitigation potential associated with marginal changes in wood use, but market dynamics are generally considered to a limited extent. To further support decision-making, future studies could focus on changes in those end uses where increased substitution impacts could realistically be expected, while considering the various market dynamics and uncertainties.

Cross-Laminated Timber: A Review on Its Characteristics and an Introduction to Chinese Practices

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is a popular engineering wood product in recent years. It has some characteristics of configuration and mechanical properties, which makes it an excellent building material for floor, roof and other places. In Europe and North America, lots of middle and high-rise buildings have adopted CLT as their main structural component. CLT has recently been used to construct public buildings in China. As a building material, the lower rolling shear properties of CLT has always been a concern. To overcome this shortcoming of CLT, the structural composite lumber and bamboo have been employed to develop hybrid CLT. This chapter also presents the latest development and advances of CLT in China.

Security Assessment of Taiwan Solid Wood Product Supply

Taiwan is highly dependent on imports of solid wood materials. In the past ten years (2009–2018), it imported raw materials for solid wood products from 117 countries. Therefore, the diversity of raw material sources is a serious concern. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the risks of solid wood product supplies. The dispersion and concentration of supply sources are the measures. The SWI and HHI models are used to calculate the six major imported solid wood products. The results show that from the beginning of 2009 to the end of 2018, wood chips and pellets with the highest average annual import quantity had the lowest average performance in SWI and with the highest average HHI value, which indicates that wood chips and pellets are the riskiest items among the 6 solid wood products. While the sawn wood has the highest average SWI value and the lowest HHI value, it offers the smallest supply risk.

Factors Behind Construction Companies Wood Products Purchasing Decisions: Supplier Market Impact

Companies in the construction industry have a wide range of suppliers to choose from to meet their building material needs. Local (in-state) suppliers within key southern states in the United States face challenges gaining market share within the construction sectors. Construction companies often outsource their purchase of wood products from a different state or country, which adversely affects the local economy as a result of loss of revenue. However, if companies were limited to in-state supply it would affect trade across states and countries; but the focus was to improve local wood products supplier market impact. Companies within the states of Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Florida, and Virginia were interviewed by phone and in person to determine how companies chose wood product suppliers and what factors affected their purchasing decisions. Key factors included cost, quality, delivery, flexibility, location, relationship, and payment options. A survey of construction companies was conducted after the interviews were concluded. Important factors highlighted by responses included cost, quality, relationship, and lead time in choosing a supplier. Suppliers were asked to differentiate their products using information the construction companies highlighted as factors they emphasized. In-state wood product suppliers have an opportunity to gain market share within the construction industry using the factors those construction companies favored in interviews and survey results.

DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS OF WORK ACCIDENTS IN BRAZILIAN WOOD PRODUCT MANUFACTURING

Wood product manufacturing involves many dangerous activities and a high incidence of work-related accidents. The objective of this study was to analyze registered and unregistered work accidents, as well as the most frequent type and rate increase over the years for different activities of wood product manufacture in Brazil. Total accidents were counted including both unregistered and registered accidents. The accidents were classified as either a typical accident, a commuting accident or occupational diseases. Evaluated production was subdivided into sawmill operations, manufacture of laminated wood and plywood, wood-derived pressed and agglomerated sheets, and furniture with a predominance of wood. Wood production presented 2,849,470 direct jobs. For the furniture manufacturing sub-sector, there was an increase in the growth rate for direct jobs. However, there was a greater number of total accidents and an increase in the rate of number of accidents over time. For sawmills and the manufacture of laminated wood and slabs, there was a decreasing trend in the rate of direct jobs and accidents. Of the total number of accidents, more than 20% were not reported. The primary accident incidence was the typical accident (88.3%), followed by commuting accidents (9.5%) and lastly occupational diseases (2.1%).

Web Service Platforms, Social Networks, and Firms' Innovation Capability: Mediating Effects Model Based on Web Service Platform Synergies

With the rise of new retail concepts, commodity trading has evolved from the traditional supply-to-consumer linear single-track relationship into a brand-new Internet platform-based S2b2c social networking system.1 Despite this, over 90 percent of wood product enterprises have an extremely limited understanding and application of this new kind of web service platform-based marketing systems. To reveal the impact of web service platforms on the growth of wood product enterprises, this study proposes an analytical framework that integrates the web service platform synergy, the social network synergy, and the corporate innovation capability. Using this framework, the effects of social network and web service platform synergies on the corporate innovation capability are analyzed, with a particular focus on exploring the mediating role of web service platform synergy between the social network synergy and the corporate innovation capability. Based on the questionnaire survey data of 489 large, medium, and small-wood product enterprises in the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta regions, the following empirical results are derived through a combination of stepwise regression and Sobel test: (1) Web service platform synergy has a significant positive impact on the corporate innovation capability; (2) Social network synergy has a significant positive impact on the corporate innovation capability; (3) Social network synergy has a significant positive impact on the establishment of web service platforms; and (4) Web service platform synergy has a partial intermediary relationship between social network synergy and innovation capability, accounting for 34.05 percent of the total effect. The results of this study indicate that like social networks, web service platforms are the strategic resources of enterprises. In the context of open innovation, it is essential for the wood product enterprises to deeply integrate with the social networks and web service platforms, which helps enhance their innovation capability.

Woodlot management and livelihoods in a tropical conservation landscape

In biodiversity hotspots, there is often tension between human needs and conservation, exacerbated when protected areas prevent access to natural resources. Forest-dependent people may compensate for exclusion by managing unprotected forests or cultivating planted woodlots. Outside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, household wood product needs are high and population growth puts pressure on the environment. We investigated the role of privately and collectively managed woodlots in provisioning wood products and supporting local livelihoods. We found that households relied heavily on woodlots for daily needs and as resources during time of need. We also found that locally relevant social institutions, called stretcher groups, played a role in the management of woodlots, providing shared community resources. Privately and collectively owned woodlots support local livelihoods and wood product needs in the region. Long-term management of forests in Uganda should consider the value of woodlots and the mechanisms required to support them.