Materials and Components: Timber

Question 1

What are the two types of wood?

Answer 1

HARDWOOD or SOFTWOOD

Question 2

What are 3 features of Softwoods?

Answer 2

1. Grow in colder climates
2. Fast growing (makes them cheap)
3. Evergreen and coniferous (e.g. cones, needles, pine)

Question 3

What are 2 examples of Softwoods?

Answer 3

1. Scots pine

2. Parana pine

Question 4

What are 4 features of scots pine?

Answer 4

1. Yellow with brown streaks
2. Strong
3. Cheap
4. Knotty (black spots) which makes it harder to work with

Question 5

What are 3 uses of scots pine?

Answer 5

1. Telegraph poles
2. Fences
3. Cheap furniture

Question 6

What are 4 features of parana pine?

Answer 6

1. Pale yellow with red streaks
2. Hard
3. Not very knotty (compared to Scots pine)
4. More expensive (than Scots pine)

Question 7

What are 2 uses of parana pine?

Answer 7

High-quality joinery such as:

1. Interior doors
2. Stairs

Question 8

What are 6 features of Hardwoods?

Answer 8

1. Grow in warm climates
2. Slow growing (makes them more expensive than softwoods)
3. Broad, flat leaves
4. Usually deciduous (sheds its leaves annually)
5. Tends to have a tighter grain (than softwoods)
6. Denser and harder than softwoods

Question 9

What are 4 examples of hardwoods?

Answer 9

Mahogany, Teak Ash, Beech

Question 10

What are 2 features of Mahogany?

Answer 10

1. Red-brown colours

2. Expensive

Question 11

What are two uses of Mahogany?

Answer 11

Good quality furniture, e.g. tables/benches

Question 12

What are 4 features of Teak?

Answer 12

1. Golden brown
2. Hard
3. Weather-resistant
4. Expensive

Question 13

What are 2 uses of Teak?

Answer 13

1. Garden furniture

2. Window Frames

Question 14

What are 4 features of Ash?

Answer 14

1. Pale cream colour
2. Tough
3. Flexible
4. Takes finishes well

Question 15

What is one use of Ash?

Answer 15

Tool handles

Question 16

What are 3 uses of Beech?

Answer 16

1. Pinkish-brown
2. Hard enough to resist being dented
3. Can be bent using steam

Question 17

What are 2 uses of Beech?

Answer 17

1. Chairs

2. Toys

Question 18

What are 5 forms of wood?

Answer 18

1. Different sizes, e.g. planks and strips
2. Planed Square Edge (PSE), wood has its rough surfaces shaved off with an electric planer.
3. Rough sawn wood is not smoothed after it’s cut - so it’s cheaper and useful for construction work where it won’t be visible.
4. Mouldings - hardwood strips that come in a range of cross-sections. They’re used for skirting board, door frames and picture frames.
5. Veneers are thin cuts of wood that are glued onto other materials to give them a nice appearance.

Question 19

What are 4 ways of protecting wood?

Answer 19

1. Apply woodstain to enhance the appearance of its grain.
2. Oil maintains the wood’s natural appearance.
3. Paint is often used to colour and protect wood.
4. Polyurethane varnish can be used to seal and protect the surface of the wood, and give it a smooth surface finish.

Question 20

What are two types of paint that protect wood?

What are some features of these paints?

Answer 20

1. Emulsion paints: cheap but they are water-based, so they don’t protect wood from water.
2. Polyurethane paint is more expensive but it is waterproof and much tougher.

Question 21

What are the 4 basic stages in felling wood?

Answer 21

1. The trees are felled (cut down) from a plantation/forest.
2. If the tree is from a plantation/sustainably managed forest, other trees will be planted to replace it.
3. The bark is removed and the trunk is sawn up.
4. The wood is then seasoned by drying it - this makes the wood stronger and less likely to rot or twist.

Question 22

What are the 5 sorts of manufactured boards?

Answer 22

1. Plywood
2. Blockboard
3. Chipboard
4. MDF
5. Hardboard

Question 23

What are 3 features of Plywood?

Answer 23

1. Made up of layers of wood glued with their grain at 90 degrees to each other - making it strong compared to wood.
2. It can be bent, which makes it useful for curved furniture.
3. The outside board can be finished with a veneer.

Question 24

What are 2 uses of Plywood?

Answer 24

Building

General construction

Question 25

What are 4 features of Blockboard?

Answer 25

1. Isn't as strong as plywood but it's a cheap substitute when you need thicker board. 2. Strips of softwood (usually pine or spruce) between 7mm-25mm thick are glued together, side by side, and sandwiched between one or two layers of veneer on each side. 3. The veneers add strength to make the board look nicer. 4. The outer veneers are glued with their grain at right angles to the grain of the inner core - this makes the board stronger.