Materials and Processes Report

Wooden Joints

DS-219
PDPM IIITDM Jabalpur

June 2, 2020

Group D
Partha S. Hukai (2018518)
Saurav Basumotari (2018526)

Mentor
Prof. Puneet Tandon
Professor of Mech. Engg; Professor of Design at PDPM IIITDM Jabalpur, India

SUMMARY

This report details a project undertaken by Design undergraduate students at the PDPM Indian
Institute of Information Technology, Design, and Manufacturing, Jabalpur as a part of the course
DS-219. The goal of the project and the course was to gain experience and knowledge on the
manufacturing processes that go behind producing a tangible product.

In this particular assignment, the original objective was for us to design and build a product that
compromises of wooden joints. Throughout the process, both the assignment requirements and
their corresponding specifications have been kept in mind. The process in its entirety is detailed
throughout this report, including methodology, procedures, analyses, and end results. A detailed
description, including plans and finalized design sketches of the components, is provided as well.
This report serves to document the entire process from the initial background research to final
recommendations for improvement to the final design. This report documents the entire design
process including the final manufacturing plan, the measures are taken to ensure that all
requirements of the assignment have been fulfilled and specifications have been validated, a
detailed description and analysis of every major manufacturing processes that are to be used to
produce the desired product, this also includes a description of the product and its features, and
finally, our recommendations concerning improving the final design and suggested future work.

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 TABLE OF CONTENT
Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………..1

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………....…....3

Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………....….3

Aim/objective………….………………………………………………………….……………….4

Research……….………………………………………………………………………….…...…..4

Ideation…………………....………………………………………………….………….......…....4

Concept…………..……………………………………….......…………………………………...4

Detailed design and planning………………..….………………………………………………....4

Manufacturing……………………….……………………..………………………...…..……..4-6

Tools Needed……………………..………...…………………….…………………….....4

Material……….. …………………………………………………………………….…....5

Choosing the cutter………………………………………………………………………..5

Cutting the MDF………………….………………………………………….…………....5

Finishing…………………..………………………………………………....……..……..6

Testing ………...…………………..………………………………….…………………...6

Conclusion and Reference…………………………………………….…....………………......6-7

Design sketches and Plans……………………………………….………………………………..8

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 DESIGNING A PRODUCT THAT CONSISTS OF WOODEN JOINTS

Abstract

This report details the process of concept generation, designing, and manufacturing for a
product that consists of wooden joints. The assignment was not done in the mechanical lab
workshop and rather we were given the entire semester to design and manufacture the
product or artifact. This required us to initially learn about wooden joints and its types, the
operations to perform to generate the desired joints, and the steps required to efficiently
and safely perform the same. We were initially required to both design and manufacture
the product but due to the current scenario, this requirement was changed to us delivering
the detailed design and manufacturing processes to be used to generate the product. This
report documents the very process including the measures taken to ensure that all
requirements and specifications of the assignments have been validated, and
recommendations concerning improving the product and suggested future work.

Introduction

Woodworking joinery is the craft of connecting and securing the separate members of the
wooden construction to one another by means of specific cuts on the ends and/or sides of the
members. Woodworking joint is the spot where usually two pieces of wooden construction are
joined together to form a rigid self-supporting and permanent construction. Woodworking joints
can be formed between the edges or between the end and the face, in the direction of the length,
at right angles or it may be at an angle, other than a right angle. Various glues or fasteners (nails,
screws, bolts…) are being used to increase the strength, effectiveness, and rigidity of
woodworking joints. Since the main purpose of woodworking joints is to join wooden parts
together, their construction should be done carefully, so it would not weaken the parts that are
joining. Each of these joints has a name and is usually some variation of a hole or slot on one
timber, and a corresponding, matching projection on the other.
There are many types of woodworking joints; some can be made easily and the others are quite
difficult to make, but the practice will show us that the more complex the woodworking joint is,
the stronger it is. The quality woodworking joints can be manufactured with the hand tools, but if
we need high productivity, we will have to rely on machines and power tools.

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AIM/OBJECTIVE
The objective of this assignment was initially for us students to design and manufacture a
product that consists of wooden joints and gain insight into the machining processes while
making a product with wood. Now however due to circumstances, the aim of the assignment is to
deliver detailed design and manufacturing plans highlighting the materials and processes used for
the same.

RESEARCH
During this stage, we had a rough idea of what we were going to end up designing. We did some
research to find resources online to understand how our product works. We also looked into what
our material selection would look like that this stage itself.

IDEATION
We decided to make an interlocking wooden puzzle that consists of six wooden parts that
interlock to form one joint.

CONCEPT
After deciding on our product we moved ahead to design multiple configurations of the puzzle in
an attempt to make the puzzle work. This is also where we thought about making a spherical
wooden puzzle but scrapped the idea that it did not suit our requirements. We also experimented
and tried increasing the number of parts but it turned out to be too complicated.

DETAIL DESIGN AND PLANNING

For this stage of the project, we would start to make blueprints for all the six parts of our puzzle
keeping in mind that we have to get the measurements of the slots on the parts correct as
otherwise the whole puzzle would not work.

Designing and making of templates along with planning was done digitally on Adobe illustrator
with 1:1 measurement and scale

MANUFACTURING

Tools Needed
Clamps
Saw
File
Sander
Scales

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 Material
Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)

Why MDF?
We choose MDF because we we not looking for anything structurally strong we were just
looking for something that was relatively easy to work with and MDF was a good option
for that. Plus MDF is also cheaper than wood.

CHOOSING THE CUTTER

There are three ways to cut MDF board

Cut through the marked area using your Circular saw.​ Line up the front of our circular saw
with the beginning of our marked line. Then, turn the saw on and gently push it through our
MDF piece. Do our best to hold the saw steady, and make sure our cutting speed is slow and
consistent.

Jigsaw with a bi-metal cutting blade.​ To make cuts in our MDF piece, acquire a jigsaw that is
compatible with quick-change blades. For the best results possible, look for a narrow blade that
has lots of small teeth, such as a T-shank.

Cutting using a Bandsaw. ​To make a cut using a bandsaw we would cut outside the line and
make relief cuts. ​For these straight cuts, we will need the right blade plus a sturdy fence. The
fence needs to be positioned parallel to the blade, typically on the left side of the blade.

For this purpose, we will be using a bandsaw as it will remove most of the material and gives us
more precision over our cuts than the other two cutting methods. Also, we want to keep manual
finishing of the workpiece to a minimum

CUTTING THE MDF

We will first print out the template at a 1:1 scale and stick it to our MDF workpieces. Before we
do this we have to cut down the workpieces to a manageable size. Now that we have our
template on the workpiece we start the bandsaw and then start making cuts as straight as possible
following the template. We will have to be careful to not remove too much material as it is not
possible to undo.

After all the 6 pieces are cut properly we can move ahead to finish the pieces.

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FINISHING
For finishing the pieces, we would use a combination of files and sandpaper. Files will be used
when there will be a requirement to remove more material and sandpaper will be used to perform
minor adjustments.

TESTING THE PUZZLE

The six-piece wooden puzzle is a relatively straightforward puzzle to solve once we see how it
gets put together. The first step is to take one of the notched pieces and stand it up so that it looks
like the letter E.

The second step is to take another one of the notched pieces and lay it on its side. From there, we
connect it with the piece that we stood upright in step one.

The third step is to create the left side wall by sliding a piece with a notch at the bottom along the
side of the first piece. The bottom notch will connect with a notch in the second piece to keep all
three of them together.

Step four is to take a piece that looks identical to the one used in the beginning step. However, it
will go in the opposite direction to create another puzzle wall. This means that this piece would
look more like the number three when we stand it up.

The fifth step is to repeat the action taken in step three. However, this will act to create a wall on
the right side instead of the left. At this point, all four walls should be created, and there should
be a gap in the middle.

This gap is where the solid burr will be placed after the other pieces have been assembled. Once
the solid burr has been put into place, we have successfully completed the puzzle.

CONCLUSION

The objective of this assignment was initially for us students to design and manufacture a
product that consists of wooden joints and gain insight into the machining processes while
making a product with wood. Now however due to circumstances, the aim of the assignment is to
deliver detailed design and manufacturing plans highlighting the materials and processes used for
the same.

To that extent, it has to be concluded that the objective of the assignment has been successfully
achieved as the team was able to not only learn more about the machining of wood, MDF in this
case but also deliver detailed design plans for a product.

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REFERENCE

https://www.familyhandyman.com/tools/saws/how-to-use-a-bandsaw-essential-bandsaw-tips-tric
ks/

https://www.wikihow.com/Cut-MDF

https://www.siammandalay.com/blogs/puzzles/how-to-solve-wooden-burr-puzzle-6-12-piece-burr
-puzzle-solution

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