Materials

1. Materials Practical Woodworking National 4 & 5

2. Wood • There is an enormous selection of different timbers available. This range can be split into two groups: • Softwoods • Hardwoods

3. Softwoods • Timbers which come from trees that are coniferous (evergreen) • Needle like leaves • Seeds found in cones • Most grow fast

4. Red Pine • Yellow/white softwood • Straight grain • Cheap • Lightweight • Easy to work with • Use for exterior and interior work • Suitable for turning

5. White Pine • Yellow/white softwood • Cheap • Lightweight • Easy to work with • Use for exterior and interior work • Suitable for turning • Used in construction

6. Spruce • Pale brown/red • Small knots • Cheap • Fairly strong • Easy to work • Very resistant to splitting • Lightweight • Use for interior work

7. Larch • Pale Red • Heavy • Hard • Good water resistance • Easy to work • Used in construction and flooring

8. Cedar • Light brown softwood • Lots of knots • Durable • Good water resistance • Medium weight • Low strength • Easy to work • Used for furniture and veneers

9. Douglas Fir • Pale Yellow/white softwood • Straight grain • Knot free • Lightweight • Fairly strong • Splits easily • Use for exterior work and plywood

10. Hardwoods • Come from trees which are deciduous • Have broad leaves that shed in the winter • Slow growing • Have few knots

11. Mahogany • Red/brown hardwood • Strong • Good water resistance • Easy to work and machine • Used for furniture and veneers

12. Oak • Pale yellow/brown hardwood • Heavy • Hard and strong • Expensive • Can corrode steel screws from acid • Boat building, barrels, high end furniture and floors

13. Ash • Pale brown hardwood • Expensive • Strong • Uses include veneers and furniture

14. Walnut • Dark brown hardwood • Cross grain makes planning difficult • Strong • Can be used both indoors and out for high end furniture and exterior joinery

15. Beech • Pale yellow hardwood • Hard and heavy • Good for machining • Not suitable for outdoors • Suitable for tool handles, worktops, furniture and floors

16. Teak • Brown hardwood • Hard and strong • Straight grain • Difficult to glue because of oil in wood • Used in high end furniture, lab benches and ship decking

17. Man-made Boards • Wide boards of hardwood and softwood are expensive and can warp • Available in large boards • Does not warp • Cost less to buy

18. Chipboard • Gluing chips of wood together under heat and pressure • Veneer and plastic laminate faced chipboard common • Use for worktops, shelves and furniture making

19. Hardboard • Made by mixing wood fibres together with resin glue and water then pressed into sheets • Not very strong • Usually used to support timber frames • Found in drawers and cabinets

20. MDF • Medium Density Fibreboard • Compressed under great pressure • Cheap, strong, easily shaped and finished • Used for all types of furniture, kitchen worktops etc. • Laminated for ease of washing

21. Plywood • Layers or plies of wood glued together • Grain of ply laid at right angles to the next • Strong • Used for back of cabinets, drawers and lightweight box construction

22. Blockboard • Sandwich of softwood strips between two plies • Cheaper to manufacture than plywood • Lightweight and strong • Used for doors and box construction