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TAFE Timber Education Newsletter 2010 #1 |
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1-Mar-2010
In this issue of the newsletter:
2010 #1
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Welcome to our first newsletter for 2010. I hope your new year has started well.
I welcome for the first time to this newsletter 20 or so vocation education staff working on high school based apprenticeships
and training in the NSW school system. I hope this helps keep you up-to-date with new resources and issues in the timber
industry that may assist your course delivery.
Please contact me for assistance with obtaining resources or any aspect of teaching timber related units or to update your
contact details. Please note that we have new contact phone number as we have moved out of the Sydney CBD to the northern
suburbs - the rent is much cheaper!
Stephen Mitchell
Co-ordinator, National Timber Education Program - ACT, NSW & SA
p: 02 8824 3700
e:
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National Carpenters Day is on Friday 16th April this year.
This year, in addition to the Carpenter of the Year Award, National Carpenters Day includes the Apprentice Carpenter Award. Entries for both are open now at
www.carpentersday.com.au
and close on 24th March with the winners announced on 16th April. There's a brilliant collection of tools for the winning apprentice carpenter.
Australia-wide the day will be celebrated by BBQ's and TAFEs are invited to host one - attendees have the chance to win great prizes too. Free BBQ support packs worth $100 are available, but numbers are limited so act soon! Please fill out and send the application form (also available at
www.carpentersday.com.au)
if you are interested.
PS. We realise ACT, NSW and SA TAFEs are on holidays at this time but we've already had some interest from some regional TAFEs who plan to have a BBQ that day anyway.
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Termite Management - Guide and Free CPD Course
Although the risk of major damage is very low, all types of houses are at risk from termite attack. The key to reducing this risk is regular inspection and maintenance of termite barriers. Always bear in mind that termite management regulations may vary between states and council areas.
There are a number of Australian Standards which relate to termite management:
- AS 3660.1-2000 : Termite management - New building work
- AS 3660.2-2000 : Termite management - In and around existing buildings and structures - Guidelines
- AS 3660.3-2000 : Termite management - Assessment criteria for termite management systems
- AS 4349.3-1998: Inspections of buildings - Timber pest inspections.
A comprehensive guide for builders is available at
www.timber.net.au
under "Termite Management". You can also access the free Termite Management CPD course there.
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Environmental Certification - FSC and AFS/PEFC Now on Equal Footing in Commercial Green Building Market
Many builders and shopfitters may have come across the Green Star requirements when dealing with clients on commercial work. Just before Christmas managers of the GreenStar scheme, the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) announced changes to the Timber credit.
These changes follow representations from the timber industry that is clear evidence that illegally sourced timber is being used in Australian buildings, particularly in imported engineered wood products and furniture. The GBCA introduced revisions to the Timber credit to encourage the use of legal timber in Green Star projects.
The GBCA believes that legal timber is easily demonstrated through Forest Certification Schemes accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) International or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
FSC Australia
is the Australian provider of FSC certification. The
Australian Forest Certification Scheme
(AFCS) is the PEFC accredited scheme in Australia.
The vast majority of Australian timber production forests are certified by the AFCS scheme so this is good news for the Australian industry as previously the GBCA did not acknowledge this certification scheme.
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Increasing Quantities of Imported Wood on the Australian Market
The high Australian dollar and downturns in the building industries in the US and Europe has resulted in increasing volumes of imported wood being used in construction in Australia.
There are increasing imports of well-priced European and North American softwood timbers such as white Baltic, red Baltic as well as Douglas Fir (Oregon). Radiata pine from Chile is also finding its way here.
The American hardwoods industry is also making a strong push into Australia so American hardwoods such as American white oak, cherry, ash and others are being advertised in architectural and design magazines to stimulate demand.
More information about these imported timbers attributes such as durability, strength and their fire hazard properties can be found in fact sheets of the Australian Timber Importers Federation at the bottom of the species guide at
www.timber.net.au/index.php/species.html
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Painting Guidelines for External Timber
Design Pine, who distribute a range of exterior preservative treated structural and decorative pine products, have released a great fact sheet on storage, preparation, painting and top coat colour selection of their primer coated timber products. Some key tips from their fact sheet, which are based on research with paint companies and their own observation over the years include:
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Store boards in a dry well ventilated area, and prevention measures should be used to minimise the impact of raising moisture from underneath the boards when stored.
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Ensure the board is equal to the original size or has the correct moisture content (8-14%) prior to installation.
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Ensure any surfaces exposed through cutting or notching are recoated with an approved preservative sealer and primer.
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Applying the first top coat before installation can save time later as well as help to protect against moisture uptake during the construction and finishing process.
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As a minimum for weatherboards, it is highly recommended that the top 50mm is top coated (the area under the lap) prior to installation as this will prevent the blue primer showing through if the board does expand and contract as a result of climatic change.
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Check that painters follow paint companies recommendations about coverage. It's a simple matter of measuring the area and seeing how much is (or isn't) left in the tin!
Another great tip is that the use of a light coloured topcoat is essential to minimise the temperature build up in a board's surface, maximising the performance of the product and painted surface. Their recommendation is that the light reflectance value (LRV) for paint colours should be greater than 30%. Design Pine has prepared a basic colour chart showing a range of colours that are greater then LRV 30 but any paint company should be able to tell you the LRV of their paint colours.
More info at
www.designpine.com.au.
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The BCA 2010 Information Seminars will be conducted in capital cities throughout March and April.
ABCB 2010 Seminar Flyer
This year, AIRAH will also be conducting afternoon Workshops on Section J Energy Efficiency, Volume One, after the ABCB Seminars. Please note: the Workshops will only be held on the first afternoon, where the ABCB Seminars are delivered over two days, as below:
Canberra - 25 March
Sydney - 31 March
Adelaide - 20 April
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Even More Teaching and Learning Resources
The web site
www.timber.org.au
has a large range of resources for use in education relating to the use of timber in buildings.
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Teaching Resources - information for teachers including downloadable PowerPoint presentations on applications, properties, production, AS1684, multi-residential timber framing, cladding as well as timber stairs manual.
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Learning Resources - information for students including applications, properties, production, durability, specifications, manufactured wood products, connections as well as 18 case studies of timber in use.
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Reference Resources - for teachers and students including timber flooring (installation guide), timber construction in bushfire prone areas through to structural timber design guides.
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The following educational resources are available through the Timber Development Association at no or small
cost. We also have a more extensive list of publications available from our website,
www.timber.net.au, which may aid your teaching.
Acceptable Standards of Domestic Construction
This excellent resource has been revised to address the most recent developments in construction and timber
design. The recommended retail price is $25. For bulk purchases of one box (30 books) we are offering the books at the reseller price.
Australian Hardwood and Cypress Manual
The Hardwood and Cypress manual is a must have for all specifiers and for anyone teaching timber
related subjects. The Manual is split into four sections: an introduction, a technical and detailing
guide, a set of species guides, and application guides.
We have recently found a few more hardcopies and CDs of the manual when we moved our storage unit. Contact me if you'd like a free copy. It is also available for free download from
www.timber.net.au.
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Timber Framing Multi-Resource CD
This free all-in-one CD contains teaching resources for the following topics:
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Introduction to timber framing (video)
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Video
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Timber framing
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Interactive construction game
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Bracing and Tie-down Desin - 4 case studies
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PowerPoint
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Using AS16884.2 span tables
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PowerPoint
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Introduction timber construction
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PowerPoint
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Timber stairs, balustrades & handrails manual
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PDF
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Timber wall cladding systems
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PowerPoint
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Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD)
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PowerPoint
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Occupation health & safety (OH&S)
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PowerPoint
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Timber truss installation (update)
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PowerPoint
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This program is funded by the timber industry through Forest and Wood Products Australia
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