Unit 5

Wood

Wood is a fibrous substance that comes from trees, generally from the
trunk.

Process of obtaining wood

1. Felling Cutting the trunk of the tree.

2. Transport Trunks are taken to the sawmill
3. Sawing Bark is removed and timber is cut to obtain: beams, planks,
boards, sheets, etc.
4. Drying Eliminates moisture from the wood.

Classification of natural wood

Soft woods: Come from evergreen trees. Usually light and easy to work
with.

Hard woods: Comes from broad-leafed trees. They are denser and harder
to work with.

Artifical boards

They are made from wood which is pressed and glued together.

Plywood, Chipboard and fibreboard.

Working with wood

Making an object out of wood involves a series of steps:

Measuring and marking: Determining the dimensions of the desired object

and marking the saw lines on the wood.

Bracing: before to saw we must first hold the wood with a bench vices, C-
cramps, bar clamps or other clamps.
Sawing: The process of cutting the wood with a saw. This produces a
material called sawdust.

Planing: Helps to eliminate excess material left on the piece of wood when
it is cut.

Sanding and polishing: give a smooth finish with the sandpaper.

Drilling: Making holes of diferent diameters in pieces of wood with drill

bits.

Joining: Technique used to joint materials:

- Glued joints: Join two pieces using an adhesive permanently.

- Nailed joints: Join two pieces using a nail or tracks permanently.

- Screwed joints: Join to pieces using screws. This joint can be taken
apart.

- Wood joints: This technique consists of shaping pieces of wood to

create a joint that fits perfectly with another piece of wood.

Finishes: In order to protect the wood from external agents like sunlight,
rain, insects and also makes the piece look nicer.