SAINT MICHAEL’S COLLEGE OF LAGUNA

BASIC EDUCATION DIVISION

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Technology and Livelihood Education – Carpentry

First Quarter: Prepare Construction Materials and Tools

LO1 Identify Materials and Tools Applicable for a Specific Construction Job

Learning Packet No. 2. TYPES OF CARPENTRY MATERIALS

As a carpenter, you’ll be handling and working with a wide range of materials. To

ensure that you can identify, obtain, prepare and handle them correctly and safely, you’ll
firstly need to know what these materials are.
This section provides an overview of the main types of timber and associated
timber materials you’re most likely to work within your day-to-day carpentry tasks on a
building project. You’ll also look at environmental considerations, and how to be more
eco-friendly about the materials you handle. This means you’re thinking about points
such as:
 how they’re manufactured
 what goes into them, e.g. whether they contain chemicals
 how they can be recycled or reused
 whether they’re manufactured sustainably, e.g. plantation timbers
 whether they’re made from recycled materials
 how they can be disposed of in a way that won’t harm the environment.

Wood

Wood is an organic substance that supports a tree. It contains cells that store the
tree’s food, and transport water up to its branches and leaves, keeping the tree alive.

The term timber relates to a form of wood which still retains its original bark.
There are cases where it is desired to maintain the wood in as close to its original state
and appearance as possible, for design aesthetics.

Lumber describes the processed wood products that are commonly used in
home construction, and familiar to consumers.
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 Lumber may be either rough sawn or finished, the latter being the most common
form, available in various softwoods such as pine lumber, fir lumber, and spruce lumber.
Rough sawn lumber is commonly used in furniture and cabinet making, where there is a
need to do additional cutting to size, while finished lumber is the standard for
construction projects.

In some instances, the nominal strength or available sizes of lumber are

insufficient for the application. In those cases, engineered lumber, an engineered wood
product, may be used to meet the need.

Useful Terminology

The various parts of a piece of lumber have names you’ll need to be familiar with.

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Sheet materials
Sheet materials are used for a range of carpentry jobs, where a solid piece of
timber is not required or not suitable. The most common types of sheet materials you’ll
be working with are:
• plywood
• particle board (chipboard)
• medium-density fibreboard (MDF)
• plasterboard
• laminated veneer lumber (LVL)
• hardboard (Masonite).

Cement
Cement is used in all forms of in-situ and precast
concrete products, cement mortar, screeds and
rendering.

Sand and Aggregates

Sand and coarse aggregate (gravel) are used in
the production of concrete and mortar, and can be
delivered in bulk (loose) or in bags (20 kg or 1000 kg).
Loose sand and coarse aggregate should be stored
separately and as close to the cement mixer (or mixing
area) as possible.

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Nails
A nail is the simplest way of fixing two pieces of timber together. Their fixing
power comes from the way the wood fibers grip the shaft of the nail as it’s hammered
through the lumber.

Screws
Like nails, screws vary in length, diameter, head type, the metal they’re made
from and what they’re coated with. Screws have some advantages over nails. They:
• have better holding power
• can be withdrawn and re-driven
• can be inserted without vibration or damage.

Bolts
Because bolts have higher load-bearing abilities than nails and screws, they’re
the right fixing to choose for jobs where large and/or structural loads are involved.

Washers
Washers are flat metal discs that are placed under the head of a screw or bolt.
They’re used because they help to distribute load and strengthen the connection
between the fixing and the surface. Together they help make the fixing stronger, and the
screw or bolt is less likely to pull through

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Nuts
The final piece that completes the bolt fixing is the nut. This goes onto the thread
of the bolt, all the way up to the underside of the material being fixed.

In the following picture, you can see that a hex head bolt has been used to create
what’s called a bolted joint. Note the use of two washers – one under the head of the
bolt and another at the base of its shank (above the nut).

Adhesives
A lot of jobs don’t require nails or
bolts. Sometimes, an adhesive is the
perfect material for the job.

Prepared by:

GLENN F. SALANDANAN, Teacher

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