3. materials

1. 3. materials N4/5 Practical Woodworking Skills

2. Everything you need to know • Manufactured boards and veneered manufactured boards: • Chipboard • Plywood, • Hardboard • MDF • Blockboard • Dowel rod • Softwoods • White pine • Red pine • Cedar • Larch • Hardwoods • Ash • Oak • Beech • Mahogany and meranti (Philippine mahogany)

3. Softwoods and hardwoods • Softwoods come from coniferous (cone-bearing) or evergreen trees. • Softwoods grow faster and closer to home than hardwoods making them easier and cheaper to produce. This also makes them more environmentally friendly. • Hardwoods come from deciduous trees which shed their leaves in winter. • Hardwoods grow slowly and are often denser than softwoods. • Hardwoods are often grown abroad in rain forests. State why softwood could be considered more environmentally friendly than hardwood.

4. softwoods • For your exam you will need to know the following 4 softwoods. • White Pine • Red Pine • Cedar • Larch You should know the colour, some properties and its uses. State the name of a suitable softwood

5. White pineSoftwood • Softwood that is straight grained, but knotty, quite strong and easy to work. Light beige in colour. • Inexpensive, soft, weak, lightweight • Low water resistance • Easy to work and shape • Used for construction

6. Red pineSoftwood • Softwood that is straight grained, but knotty, quite strong and easy to work. Pale yellow in colour. • Inexpensive, soft, weak, lightweight • Low water resistance • Easy to work and shape • Used for furniture

7. Cedarsoftwood • Softwood that is usually straight grained, works well and is a warm brown colour. • Medium weight, low strength • Good water resistance • Works well but can have knots • Used for furniture and veneers

8. Larchsoftwood • Softwood that has sharp grain definition and is a dark reddish brown colour • Moderately heavy and hard • Good water resistance • Works fairly easily • Used for construction and flooring

9. hardwoods • For your exam you will need to know the following 4 softwoods. • Beech • Ash • Oak • Mahogany/Meranti You should know the colour, some properties and its uses. 1. The base was manufactured from a hardwood. State the name of a suitable hardwood. 2. The duck was made from a close grained hardwood. State the name of a suitable hardwood

10. BeechHardwood • Hardwood with a closed grain, pinkish brown in colour, and used for tool handles and toys. • Heavy and hard • Good water resistance • Machines well but difficult to work by hand • Used for tool handles, worktops and veneers The toy was made from a light coloured, close grained hardwood. State the name of a suitable hardwood.

11. OakHArdwood • Light brown, hardwood, tough, heavy and durable outside. Gets harder with age. • Heavy, hard and strong. • Steam bends very well. • Difficult to work by hand. • Used for furniture, veneers and barrels.

12. AshHardwood • Hardwood that is a light beige, with an almost always straight grain. • Moderately heavy, hard, strong and tough • Poor water resistance • Machines fairly well • Used for furniture and tool handles

13. Mahogany/MerantiHardwood • Hardwood, dark reddish in colour, quite strong. • A common hardwood used in schools. • Moderately heavy and hard. • Moderate water resistance. • Works fairly easily. • Used for furniture, veneers and panelling.

14. Chipboard • Plywood, • Hardboard • MDF • Blockboard Manufactured boards There are many reasons for choosing a manufactured board over natural wood including: • Strength – manufactured boards can be far stronger than natural wood • Cost – manufactured boards can be far cheaper • Large sizes available – manufactured boards are made in large sheets • Warping – there is no warping in manufactured board • Stability – manufactured boards are more stable • Easy to paint • Easy to work with State the name of a suitable manufactured board State one benefit of using manufactured board instead of natural timber

15. ChipboardManufactured board • Chipboard is used by gluing small wood chips together under heat and pressure. • It is only for interior use • An example of its use is Kitchen worktops

16. PlywoodManufactured board • Made from veneers glued together with the grain direction at 90° to the one next to it. Very stable and costs less than solid wood. • It is strong, stable (will not warp or twist) • It can be painted • Quality finish • Defect free • Exterior use • Durable • Lightweight. • Available in large sheets 1. Plywood is a manufactured board. Describe how plywood is constructed to give it strength. Sketches may be used. 2. Many parts of a child’s toy bike are made from plywood. State two reasons for this choice of material.

17. MdfManufactured board • Its full name is Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) • Does not twist or warp • Available in large sheets • Defect free • Cheaper than ‘natural’ wood • Has a good surface to paint on • Easy to work shape. • Made from fine wood fibres, compressed and glued together. 1. State two reasons why MDF is a suitable material for the shelves.

18. Block boardManufactured board • Strips of softwood are glued together and then sandwiched between two hardwood veneers. • The veneers run at right angles to the strips of softwood for strength. • Resistant to bending. • It is only suitable for indoor use.

19. HardboardManufactured board • Hardboard is made by mixing wood fibres with water and synthetic resin glue, hot pressing it into sheets and leave to dry. • It is not very strong and is generally only used internally.

20. dowel • Dowel rod is used in dowel joints. • Dowel rod when cut into smaller usable sections is called Dowel Rod. • It is a cylindrical piece of wood. • The ends of dowel are chamfered to assist the location of the dowel into the hole State the reason for chamfering the ends of the dowels.