Natural and Manufactured Timber

Question 1

Hardwood Trees

Answer 1

• Broad leafed deciduous trees
• Lose leaves over winter
• Grow slowly
  e.g. oak, birch, teak

Question 2

Hardwood Timbers

Answer 2

• Dense, hard and heavy
• Generally used for high quality furniture

Question 3

Softwood Trees

Answer 3

• Coniferous, evergreen trees
• Keep needles all year round
• Grow much faster
  e.g. pine, cedar and spruce

Question 4

Softwood Timber

Answer 4

• Less dense and lighter
• lighter in colour
• cheaper
• used in building roofs, walls and doors etc.

Question 5

Manufactured Boards

Answer 5

• Sheets of timber made by gluing wood fibres or layers
• Good for large, flat boards
• Stable and easy to work with
  e.g. MDF, plywood or chipboard

Question 6

Redwood

Answer 6

• Softwood
• Straight Grain
• Knotty
• Finishes well
• Durable
• Cheap
  e.g. Indoor work, Woodturning

Question 7

Western Red Cedar

Answer 7

• Softwood
• Weather resistant
• Lightweight
• knot-free
• Straight grain
• Durable
  e.g. Outside joinery, Cladding

Question 8

Parana Pine

Answer 8

• Softwood
• Hard
• Straight grain
• Knot-free
• Quite strong
• works easily
  e.g. Internal building, staircases

Question 9

Beech

Answer 9

• Hardwood
• Tough
• Close, straight grain
• Withstands shocks and wear
• polishes well
• warps
  e.g. Toys, furniture, steam-bending

Question 10

Ash

Answer 10

• Hardwood
• Wide grain
• Flexible
• Tough
• finishes well
  e.g. Baseball bats, flooring

Question 11

Elm

Answer 11

• Hardwood
• Tough
• Water resistant
• Warps
• Close grain
• Hard to work
  e.g. Garden furniture

Question 12

Oak

Answer 12

• Hardwood
• Heavy
• Open Grain
• Corrodes steel screws
• Finishes well
  e.g. High end Furniture

Question 13

Mahogany

Answer 13

• Hardwood
• Wide boards
• Polishes well
• Expensive
• Interlocking grain
  e.g. Furniture, boat fittings

Question 14

Teak

Answer 14

• Hardwood
• Hard
• Resists moisture, fire, high pH
• Straight grain
• Very expensive
  e.g. Ship decks, lab benches

Question 15

Balsa

Answer 15

• Hardwood
• Very soft
• Lightweight
• Coarse, open grain
  e.g. modelling buildings and boats

Question 16

Plywood

Answer 16

• Veneered Layers glued at 90 degrees
• Very strong and tough
• High strength to weight ratio
• Cuts and splinters easily
  e.g. Structural panelling and furniture

Question 17

Flexible Plywood

Answer 17

• Designed to make curved parts
• Three layers of veneer with matching grain direction
• Extra thin middle layer
  e.g. Curved furniture

Question 18

Marine Ply

Answer 18

• Moisture resistant Plywood
  e.g. Boatbuilding

Question 19

MDF

Answer 19

• Easy to machine and paint
• Smooth even surface
• Available in water and fire resistant forms
  e.g. Furniture and panelling

Question 20

Blockboard

Answer 20

• Similar to plywood but middle layer is timber
• resistant to warping
• Edges are difficult to clean up
  e.g. Shelving and worktops

Question 21

Chipboard

Answer 21

• Made from wood chips glued and pressed
• Easy to cut
• not very strong
• Lightweight
• Edges need covering
  e.g. kitchen worktop and shelves

Question 22

Plain sawing

Answer 22

• Cut straight across the log
• Cheaper
• Outer planks often warp

Question 23

Quarter Sawing

Answer 23

• Planks cut from quarters of a log
• More expensive
• more stable
• Produces more waste