Dissertation and Practical report writing should be submitted by candidates to the Department in partial fulfillment for

Candidates are mandated to take seminar classes before writing their final comprehensive examination.

Introduction to wood processing; broad classification of forest products, Wood as an industrial raw material,  Wood Machining: Orthogonal cutting and peripheral milling; Geometry of the sawtooth, Tool‐wood interactions during machining: Machining defects,  Sawmilling:  Sawing  methods  and  procedures,  Machinery  and  plant  layout, Sawn  wood dimensions,  Factors affecting mill recovery, Mill modernization and innovations, Integration within the physical processing industries, Timber  seasoning:  Objectives of timber  drying;  Factors  influencing  timber 

Plant layout, Definition, Determinants of plant layout, Importance of plant layout, Objectives of plant layout, Factors influencing

Timber standardization, Timber Grading Terminologies, System of Appearance Grading, Main uses of U.K. and Sierra Leone Hardwoods,

Definition of sustainable construction, Fundamental of sustainable building and design, the importance of place: Site, Transportation and

Raw material overview. Raw material: selection, specification and certification. Manufacturing: material and processing. Current Environmental issues and

Physical properties of wood in relation to its uses – wood moisture content, density and specific gravity;

Wood properties - moisture insulation, mechanical, acoustical, electrical and thermal conductivity. Impact of properties on end use.

Types of seasoning methods- advantages and disadvantages, impact on sale price and durability in service, natural kiln

Wood planks dimensions and enduse, list of timber dimensions on the market: 1’’×12’’×14’, 2’’×12’’×14’, 2’’×6’’×14’, 3’’×4’’×14’, 2’’×4’’×14’,

Define wood properties, types of wood, oil in woods, development of cells and tissues, wood anatomy, importance