how can you make wood stronger?

Question

you can alter the wood by adding water or glue to it but it has to appear the same in the finishing results, so you can add iron to it because itll look different and no you cant put paint on it to make it look the same as it was before

you can alter the wood by adding water or glue to it but it has to appear the same in the finishing results, so you cant add iron to it because itll look different and no you cant put paint on it to make it look the same as it was before

********im sorry with all these details but please read this one******

you can alter the wood by adding water or glue to it but it has to appear the same in the finishing results, so you cant add iron to it because itll look different and no you cant put paint on it to make it look the same as it was before and it has to be the this certain type of wood i forgot wat its called but we're building bridges and we're trying to make the strongest bridge possible for its weigh the classification of the bridge is called truss bridges if you can please tell me a good bridge to make for its weight

Answer 1

Turn it into plywood or waferboard or glue-lam beams.
You can bolt a piece of metal to it as well.

Answer 2

alright, I've been there. it's called balsa wood. what you'll want to do is completely coat the wood in the glue and sand it back down after the glue is dry to minimize the weight.

the point of the water is to make it flexible - you soak the wood, dry the excess water, bend it the way you want it, then find some way of keeping it in that bent position until it dries.

ok, here's a cheap diagram of half of one side of your truss. just pretend that the angles are more correct.

.....................∕..I
..................∕.....I
..............∕.........I
......1. ∕.............I.2
......∕.................I
...∕....................I
∕______________I
............3

basically, you want to have a bunch of connections that will transfer tension between the base (side:3) and the top angled sides (side:1). beyond that, your concern will be to keep the two sides well connected.

I didn't bother with the water thing when I did it. if the outer edge is curved up away from the center, it would transfer weight more efficiently to the outside angle (angle: 1/3) and would probably be stronger overall. add a support or multiple supports from the center of the truss (angle: 2/3) to the middle of side 1 or if you use multiple supports for this step, divide the length of side 1 by the number of supports you want to use, cut those supports to fit and glue them in. fill any large spaces in the truss with another brace. cut the tips into an angle to properly fit if that tip will be placed at a corner.

try to use triangles as much as possible over other shapes - it's more reliable.

If you're allowed to use a flat base (even if it needs a hole for a chain or bolt to fit through), I suggest making a lattice pattern.

Answer 3

Don't seek to make the wood stronger. Rather, make the structure stronger. Triangles are very strong. That's why the truss is so effective.

Look up a catenary arch. Now consider a catenary arch built with a truss structure.

My son built a catenary arch out of toothpicks and they ended up having to go down to the school's weight room to get additional weights to try break it. I forget the final weight at failure, but it was well over 200 lbs

By the way, neatness counts. Not because it looks nicer, but because the glue bonds will be stronger. Big globby joints tend to be weak.

Answer 4

You can try burnishing or boning the wood. But it probably won't add much strength. And it may slightly change the look of the wood. (shinier)

Maybe core the wood and insert threaded steel rod fixed by nuts and washers on the end.

The code inspector will never go for these things though. Make wood stronger? Add more wood. Or use a different wood.

Laminating is a good idea, but does not jive with an undetectable finish.

Answer 5

Depending on the length of the wood drill a hole through the wood from end to end and insert a metal rod..if it's a long piece of wood ..splice in half.run a groove on the inside of both pieces ..implant metal strips to go from one groove to the other glue both pieces together and sand down ..the metal is hidden inside and the wood is given more strength ...if one side of the wood is hidden then you can screw a metal strip under the hidden side the wood can then be screwed through the metal to the surface ...

Answer 6

What about laminating? Alternating layers of wood and glue. What about choosing a different timber species if strength is an issue.

Answer 7

Try plasticizing it! That is often done for knife handles.