McKillican | Green Reference - Terms starting with the letter S

Terms starting with ...

Salvaged Materials	Construction materials recovered from existing buildings or construction sites and reused in other buildings. Common salvaged materials include structural beams and posts, flooring, doors, cabinetry, brick and decorative items.
Sap Stain	A discoloration of the sapwood caused by the growth of certain fungi on the surface and in the interior of the wood; made possible by the same conditions that favor the growth of other fungi.
Sapwood	The wood of pale color near the outside of the log. Under most conditions, the sapwood is more susceptible to decay than heartwood.
Sash	A frame structure, normally glazed (such as a window), that is hung or fixed in a frame set in an opening.
Saw Kerf	(1) Grooves or notches made in cutting with a saw. (2) That portion of a log, timber, or other piece of wood removed by the saw in parting the material into two pieces.
Scarf Joint	An end joint formed by joining with adhesive the ends of two pieces that have been tapered or beveled to form sloping plane surfaces, usually to a featheredge, and with the same slope of the plane with respect to the length in both pieces. In some cases, a step or hook may be machined into the scarf to facilitate alignment of the two ends, in which case the plane is discontinuous and the joint is known as a stepped or hooked scarf joint.
Schedule, Kiln Drying	A prescribed series of dry- and wet-bulb temperatures and air velocities used in drying a kiln charge of lumber or other wood products.
SCS	Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) is an independent third party FSC auditor and certification organization. (www.scscertified.com)
Seasoning	Removing moisture from green wood to improve its serviceability.
Second Growth	Timber that has grown after the removal, whether by cutting, fire, wind, or other agency, of all or a large part of the previous stand.
Semi-Exposed	Term used to Identification of Parts. As defined by AWI Quality Standards 400-G-3: B. Semi-Exposed Parts - Surfaces visible when:1. Drawers/doors are in the open position;2. Bottoms of cabinets are between 762 mm [30"] and up to 1220 mm [48"] above finish floor; 3. All front edges of shelving behind doors.
Semitransparent Stain	A suspension of pigments in either a drying oil-organic solvent mixture or a water-polymer emulsion, designed to color and protect wood surfaces by penetration without forming a surface film and without hiding wood grain.
Set	A permanent or semipermanent deformation. In reference to adhesives, to convert an adhesive into a fixed or hardened state by chemical or physical action, such as condensation, polymerization, oxidation, vulcanization, gelation, hydration, or evaporation of volatile constituents.
SFI	The SFI program is now fully independent. On January 1, 2007, a new, fully independent organization, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Inc. (SFI, Inc.) was created to direct all elements of the SFI® program. This independence solidifies the SFI program’s strong market position as one of the world’s leading forest certification programs. The multi-stakeholder Board of Directors of SFI, Inc. is the sole governing body over the SFI Standard and all aspects of the program, including chain of custody certification and labeling, marketing and promotion. The diversity of the board members reflects the variety of interests in the forestry community. Board representatives come from environmental and conservation organizations, public officials, professional and academic groups, forest products industry, independent logging professionals and forest landowners. This balance ensures that the SFI Program protects the economic, environmental and social needs of our forests and communities. More information about found at www.sfiprogram.org
Shake	A separation along the grain, the greater part of which occurs between the rings of annual growth. Usually considered to have occurred in the standing tree or during felling.
Shakes	In construction, shakes are a type of shingle usually hand cleft from a bolt and used for roofing or weatherboarding.
Shaving	A small wood particle of indefinite dimensions developed incidental to certain woodworking operations involving rotary cutterheads usually turning in the direction of the grain. This cutting action produces a thin chip of varying thickness, usually feathered along at least one edge and thick at another and generally curled.
Shear	In an adhesively bonded joint, stress, strain, or failure resulting from applied forces that tends to cause adjacent planes of a body to slide parallel in opposite directions.
Shearwall	A wall or partition designed to transfer lateral loads (wind and earthquake loads) from abutting walls and roof to the foundation.
Sheathing	The structural covering, usually of boards, building fiberboards, or plywood, placed over exterior studding or rafters of a structure.
Shingle	A cedar roofing and sidewall product made by sawing both sides for a tailored appearance, as opposed to shakes that are handsplit and/or sawn.
Shiplapped Lumber	Lumber that is edge dressed to make a lapped joint.
Shipping-Dry Lumber	Lumber that is partially dried to prevent stain and mold in transit.
Shop Lumber	(See Factory and Shop Lumber)
Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)	The occurrence of health problems to occupants of a building related to the construction and mechanical systems of the building.
Side Lumber	A board from the outer portion of the log-ordinarily one produced when squaring off a log for a tie or timber.
Side-Grained Wood Grain	Another term for flat-grained lumber.
Siding	The finish covering of the outside wall of a frame building, whether made of horizontal weatherboards, vertical boards with battens, shingles, or other material.
Single Spread	Refers to application of adhesive to only one adherend of a joint.
Slash-Grained Wood Grain	Another term for flat-grained lumber.
Smart Growth	Smart Growth British Columbia is a provincial non-profit organization dedicated to assisting community associations, local governments, the public and others to create more livable communities. The mission of Smart Growth BC is to promote more compact urban centres, stop urban sprawl, preserve environmental integrity and ensure more affordable housing in our communities. www.smartgrowth.bc.ca
SmartWood	An independent third party FSC auditor and certification organization. (www.smartwood.org)
Soft Rot	A special type of decay developing under very wet conditions (as in cooling towers and boat timbers) in the outer wood layers, caused by cellulose-destroying micro-fungi that attack the secondary cell walls and not the intercellular layer.
Softwoods	Generally, one of the botanical groups of trees that have no vessels and in most cases, have needlelike or scalelike leaves, the conifers, also the wood produced by such trees. The term has no reference to the actual hardness of the wood.
Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC)	The fraction of total solar energy that enters a space through a window. The total solar gain through a window equals the SHGC multiplied by the incident solar radiation. The Shading Coefficient (SC) is referenced frequently and equals the SHGC for a windows divided by 0.87 (assuming normal incidence).
Solar Reflectanc	Ratio of the reflected electromagnetic energy to the incoming electromagnetic energy. A reflectance of 1.0 means that all of the solar energy striking a surface is reflected back and none is absorbed.
Solid Color Stains (Opaque Stains)	A suspension of pigments in either a drying oil-organic solvent mixture or a water-polymer emulsion designed to color and protect a wood surface by forming a film. Solid color stains are similar to paints in application techniques and in performance.
Solid Timber	Thicker cross sections of lumber typically sued for post-and-beam construction.
Solids Content	The percentage of weight of the nonvolatile matter in an adhesive.
Solvent Adhesive	An adhesive having a volatile organic liquid as a vehicle. (This term excludes water-based adhesives.)
Solvents	Liquids, usually petroleum based, that can dissolve solids and keep them in solution. May contribute to pollution through evaporation.
Sound Knot	A knot that is solid across its face, at least as hard as the surrounding wood, and shows no indication of decay.
Specific Adhesion	Adhesion between surfaces that are held together by valence forces of the same type as those that give rise to cohesion.
Specific Gravity	As applied to wood, the ratio of the ovendry weight of a sample to the weight of a volume of water equal to the volume of the sample at a specified moisture content (green, air dry, or ovendry).
SPF (Spruce-Pine-Fir)	Woods of similar characteristics that are grouped as one lumber type for production and marketing purposes.
Spike Knot	A knot cut approximately parallel to its long axis so that the exposed section is definitely elongated.
Spiral-Grained Wood Grain	Wood in which the fibers take a spiral course about the trunk of a tree instead of the normal vertical course. The spiral may extend in a right-handed or left-handed direction around the tree trunk. Spiral grain is a form of cross grain.
Spread	The quantity of adhesive per unit joint area applied to an adherend. (See Lbs/MSGL)
Squeezeout	Bead of adhesive squeezed out of a joint when pressure is applied.
Stain	A discoloration in wood that may be caused by such diverse agencies as micro-organisms, metal, or chemicals. The term also applies to materials used to impart color to wood.
Starved Joint	A glue joint that is poorly bonded because an insufficient quantity of adhesive remained in the joint.
Static Bending	Bending under a constant or slowly applied load; flexure.
Stay-In-Place Insulating Formwork	Concrete formwork made from expanded or extruded polystyrene which is permanent in the structure of the building. Such formwork serves as an insulator and can reduce the amount of concrete required.
Staypak	Wood that is compressed in its natural state (that is, without resin or other chemical treatment) under controlled conditions of moisture, temperature, and pressure that practically eliminate springback or recovery from compression. The product has increased density and strength characteristics.
Sticker Stain	A brown or blue stain that develops in seasoning lumber where it has been in contact with the stickers.
Stickers	Strips or boards used to separate the layers of lumber in a pile and thus improve air circulation.
Storage Life	The period of time during which a packaged adhesive can be stored under specific temperature conditions and remain suitable for use. Sometimes called shelf life.
Stormwater	Water that arrives on a site from precipitation, run off from buildings, neighbouring sites, etc. Normally this is collected and channeled into municipal storm sewers.
Straight-Grained Wood Grain	Wood in which the fibers run parallel to the axis of a piece.
Strength	(1) The ability of a member to sustain stress without failure. (2) In a specific mode of test, the maximum stress sustained by a member loaded to failure.
Strength Ratio	The hypothetical ratio of the strength of a structural member to that which it would have if it contained no strength-reducing characteristics (such as knots, slope-of-grain, shake).
Stressed-Skin Construction	A construction in which panels are separated from one another by a central partition of spaced strips with the whole assembly bonded so that it acts as a unit when loaded.
Stress-Wave Timing	A method of measuring the apparent stiffness of a material by measuring the speed of an induced compression stress as it propagates through the material.
Stringer	A timber or other support for cross members in floors or ceilings. In stairs, the support on which the stair treads rest.
Structural Adhesive	A bonding agent used for transferring required loads between adherends exposed to service environments typical for the structure involved.
Structural Composite Lumber	Lumber that is intended for use where allowable properties are required. The grading of structural lumber is based on the strength or stiffness of the piece as related to anticipated uses.
Structural Insulating Board	A generic term for a homogeneous panel made from lignocellulosic fibers (usually wood or cane) characterized by an integral bond produced by interfelting of the fibers, to which other materials may have been added during manufacture to improve certain properties, but which has not been consolidated under heat and pressure as a separate stage in manufacture; has a density of less than 496 kg/m3 (31 lb/ft3) (specific gravity 0.50) but more than 160 kg/m3 (10 lb/ft3) (specific gravity 0.16).
Structural Panels	Products such as plywood and oriented strand board.
Structural Sandwich Construction	A layered construction consisting of a combination of relatively high-strength facing materials intimately bonded to and acting integrally with a low-density core material.
Structural Timbers	Pieces of wood of relatively large size, the strength or stiffness of which is the controlling element in their selection and use. Examples of structural timbers are trestle timbers (stringers, caps, posts, sills, bracing, bridge ties, guardrails); car timbers (car framing, including upper framing, car sills); framing for building (posts, sills, girders); ship timber (ship timbers, ship decking); and crossarms for poles.
Stud	One of a series of slender wood structural members used as supporting elements in walls and partitions.
Substrate	A material upon the surface of which an adhesive-containing substance is spread for any purpose, such as bonding or coating. A broader term than adherend.
Sunken Joint	Depression in wood surface at a joint (usually an edge joint) caused by surfacing material too soon after bonding. (Inadequate time was allowed for moisture added with the adhesive to diffuse away from the joint.)
Supplementary Cementing Materials (SCM)	SCM can replace a large proportion of Portland Cement and thereby reduce the embodied energy of concrete. Common SCMs include: fly ash, metakaolin, ground blast furnace slag, natural pozzolan, GSCem (barren slag), silica fume, and incinerator ash.
Surface Inactivation	In adhesive bonding to wood, physical and chemical modifications of the wood surface that result in reduced ability of an adhesive to properly wet, flow, penetrate, and cure.
Surface Tension	The force per unit length acting in the surface of a liquid that opposes the increase in area of the liquid (spreading).
Surfaced Lumber	Lumber that is dressed by running it through a planer.
Sustainability	According to World Business Council for Sustainable Development, it is "... form of progress that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs".
Sustainable Design	(See Sustainability)
Sustainable Forestry Initiative	The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) program is based on the premise that responsible environmental behavior and sound business decisions can co-exist to the benefit of landowners, manufacturers, shareholders, customers, the people they serve, the environment, and future generations. The SFI program integrates the perpetual growing and harvesting of trees with the protection of wildlife, plants, soil, water, and air quality. (www.aboutsfi.org)
Sustainable Forestry Management	Management that maintains and enhances the long-term health of forest ecosystems for the benefit of all living things while providing environmental, economic, social and cultural opportunities for present and future generations.
Swale	(See Bioswale)
Symmetrical Construction	Plywood panels in which the plies on one side of a center ply or core are essentially equal in thickness, grain direction, properties, and arrangement to those on the other side of the core.