Year 10 Manufacturing (Resistant Materials)

Lesson 4 Week 4 (Clock Project)




Hardwoods and Softwoods Table.


Hardwoods Chooser Chart
Name Uses Advantages Disadvantages Colour
Beech A very Hard wood used for furniture, floors, veneers and wooden toys. Hard, tough and very strong. The close grain withstands wear and shocks. Not suitable for outside work because it is not durable to moisture changes. It is difficult to work an does warp. White or pinkish.
European Oak Boat building, garden furniture, quality furniture and gate posts. Very strong and durable. It is both hard and strong. Easier to use than beech. It is heavy and expensive. It is prone to splitting and because of it's tannic acid content it can corrode iron and steel fittings. Light to dark brown.
Elm Turnery, garden furniture when correctly treated. some furniture. Elastic, tough, durable, does not split easily, medium weight, good for use under water. It will warp unless well seasoned. Light reddish brown.
Teak Ships decks, garden furniture, veneers. It is naturally durable to moisture because of it's oil content. It does not corrode iron and steel fittings. it is hard and strong. It is difficult to glue because of the oil content. It blunts tools very quickly. golden brown.
African
Mahogany
Shop fittings, furniture, veneers. Available in wide and long boards. easy to work, fairly strong. Warps, Hardness varies. Pink to reddish brown.
Meranti It is a mahogany substitute. furniture, interior joinery. Can be used outside if correctly preserved. It is cheaper than mahogany. Does not polish as well as mahogany. Dark red or yellow.
African Walnut High class furniture. Sometimes used as teak substitute in furniture. Attractive appearance. Available in larger sizes. It can be difficult to plane and finish. Bronze yellowish-brown with irregular dark lines.
Afrormosia Sills, gates, doors, stairs, floors. Works well, durable. Stains in contact with iron and moisture. Yellow to dark brown.


Softwoods Chooser Chart
Name Uses Advantages Disadvantages Colour
Redwood
Scots pine,
pine, fir.
Suitable for all types of inside work. Used for wood turning. Can be used outside with suitable preservatives. Fairly cheap and readily available. Easy to work and finishes well. Durable. Knotty. Cream to pale reddish brown.
Parana Pine Staircases and furniture. The best quality internal softwood. attractive grain. Available in long and wide boards. Works easily. Lacks toughness. Does tend to warp and can be expensive. Pale yellow with attractive streaks.
Western Red Cedar Cladding for the outside of buildings. Resistant to insect attack because of natural preservative oils. Weather and dry rot. Knot free. Very durable. Very easy to work. More expensive than red or whitewood. Not that strong. Dark reddish brown.
Douglas Fir Outside construction. Ladders and masts. Water resistant. Knot free. durable and easy to work. Splits easily. Attractive reddish brown.
Whitewood Spruce General outside work. Resistant to splitting. Easy to work. Small hard knots. Not durable. Plain creamy white.




 

 

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