Our everyday activities revolve around wood – primarily as a raw material for our products, but there are so many other aspects to wood. Wood has a story to tell.
We uphold a cultural tradition in which it has been a matter of course to use timber as a raw material in buildings, structures, interior fittings and the manufacture of articles for everyday use. We are the successors of skilled tradesmen with ideas and solutions who have passed on their know-how and techniques to form the modern manufacturing processes of today.
Old knowledge and new technologies
One example of production that is conducted in combination with experience from traditional joinery techniques is the products SCA Timber manufactures for the window industry. Windows – which function as a boundary between the exterior and interior environment – are exposed to the elements, with fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Sun, wind, rain and snow influence functionality and, ultimately, the technical life of the window. High-quality timber that can withstand these stresses is of crucial importance.
At our window component plant at the Munksund sawmill in northern Sweden, the raw material is just around the corner. The slow-grown northern pine with its tight growth rings results in a durable and stable wood with natural high resistance to rot. The pine’s high heartwood content contains natural impregnation substances, including terpenes and other natural resins, and is thus particularly suited to window manufacturing.
The logs with the highest heartwood content are selected using modern X-ray grading technique. A special sawing technique is used to cut the timber. During final assembly of the windows, the heartwood is turned outward in the frame, which offers the best resilience against weather and temperature variations. This is an old method used in the past by craftsmen who manufactured windows that lasted generations.
Wood for feeling
Despite the emergence of refined technology and large-scale industrial production, the feeling remains that wood is a natural and living material.
The smell of newly sawn timber, the contrast between various structures and appearances, the rough surface of traditionally sawn wooden products in contrast to the smooth surface of a planed interior panel. A rustic pinewood floor that will last for generations or the sensation of walking barefoot on a timber deck warmed by the sun have the ability to create memories and a sense of well-being. No other material can be used as a substitute.
Wood as a material in the daily lives of people has a tradition that we are happy to be a part of and uphold.