Natural & Manufactured Timber

Question 1

What type of trees do softwoods come from?

Answer 1

Evergreen coniferous trees

Question 2

What are the grain/growth rings like for softwoods?

Answer 2

Wide growth rings and wide grain

Question 3

What are the features of softwood trees?

Answer 3

• Less dense
• Needles rather than leaves
• Has seeds that are housed in cones
• Poor resistance to decay

Question 4

What is special about softwoods and what are they typically used for?

Answer 4

• Quick growing ( 10 years to reach maturity, and therefore more sustainable through regenerative harvesting )
• Less expensive
• Used in joinery

Question 5

What type of trees do hardwoods come from?

Answer 5

Deciduous (seasonal- lose leaves in winter) trees

Question 6

What are the grain/growth rings like for hardwoods?

Answer 6

Smaller growth rings and closer grain

Question 7

What are the features of hardwoods?

Answer 7

• More dense
• Broad leaves
• Seeds that are housed in fruits
• Good resistance to decay

Question 8

What is special about hardwoods and what are they typically used for?

Answer 8

• Slower growing (75+ years to reach maturity - therefore less sustainable)
• More expensive
• Furniture, flooring, musical instruments

Question 9

What are the properties of larch?

Answer 9

—> reddish in colour, softwood , open grain
Advantages:
- Tough
- Easy to work with
- Durable
- Resinous
- Naturally resistant to decaying
Disadvantages:
- Prone to splitting

Question 10

What is larch typically used for?

Answer 10

• Fencing and fence posts
• Cladding
• Decking

Question 11

What are the properties of spruce?

Answer 11

—> creamy white, softwood, close grain
Advantages:
- Strong
- Lightweight
- Soft & easy to work
- Resonant ( Sound )

Question 12

What is spruce typically used for?

Answer 12

• Bedroom furniture
• Stringed musical instruments
• Construction

Question 13

What are the properties of pine?

Answer 13

—> light natural wood ( Open grain)
Advantages:
- Attractive
- Strong
- Lightweight
- Rigid
- Soft and easy to work with
- Absorbant
Disadvantages:
- Can be knotty

Question 14

What is pine typically used for?

Answer 14

• interior joinery & furniture
• window frames

Question 15

What are the properties of ash?

Answer 15

—> pale coloured, hardwood, wide grain
Advantages:
- tough
- flexible/springy
- durable
- steam bending
- finishes well

Question 16

What is ash typically used for?

Answer 16

• sports equipment
• ladders

Question 17

What are the properties of beech?

Answer 17

—> slight pink tone, hardwood, close grain
Advantages:
- hard
- high tensile strength
- tough
- durable
Disadvantages:
- prone to warping
- prong to splitting

Question 18

What are the properties of mahogany?

Answer 18

—> deep dark/reddish colour, hardwood, very close grain Advantages:
- strong
- durable
- available in wide planks
- fairly easy to work with
Disadvantages:
- can have interlocking grain

Question 19

What is mahogany typically used for?

Answer 19

• good quality furniture
• panelling and veneers

Question 20

What are the properties of oak?

Answer 20

—> moderate brown colour, hardwood, open grain
Advantages:
- hard and tough
- very durable
- attractive and aesthetic in appearance
- very dense
- can be furnished to a very high standard ( ABSORBANT )

Question 21

What is oak typically used for?

Answer 21

• high quality furniture
• Architecture ( floors, beams)

Question 22

What are the properties of balsa?

Answer 22

—> not a typical hardwood, pale and wide spaced grain
Advantages:
- strong
- lightweight
- easy to work
- very soft
- not durable
- FAST GROWING

Question 24

What is balsa typically used for?

Answer 24

• model making ( floats, rafts, etc )

Question 25

What is manufactured timber?

Answer 25

It is an alternative to natural timber that is both popular and versatile

Question 26

What is manufactured timber typically used for?

Answer 26

- kitchen manufacturing - self assembly furniture and flat packs

Question 27

What are laminated boards?

Answer 27

Several layers ( veneers ) of wood glued together

Question 28

What are compressed boards?

Answer 28

Particles, chips or flakes of wood are compressed together under pressure

Question 29

What are the advantages of using manufactured timber boards?

Answer 29

- consistent quality and thickness ( free from natural defects and inconsistencies in physical characteristics ) - good strength to weight ratio - stability - large and standard size boards enables CNC to be used - excellent surface finish - good sound proofing qualities - cheaper - insulator

Question 30

What are the properties of plywood?

Answer 30

—> a type of laminated board ( several layers of veneer glued with grain placed at 90 degrees to the next ) Advantages: - very strong in all directions - tensile - durable - resistant to splitting - can be used in bent forms

Question 31

What are the properties

Question 32

What is plywood typically used for?

Answer 32

- furniture - flooring - roofing - boat building

Question 33

What are the properties of MDF/Medium density fibre board

Answer 33

—> made from fide fibres of low grade wood that is joined under pressure with a formaldehyde resin Advantages: - Very dense and stable Disadvantages: - Absorbant and therefore not suitable for outdoor usage

Question 34

What is MDF typically used for?

Answer 34

- self assembly and flat pack furniture - drawer bottoms - decorate moulding - shops intertiors

Question 35

What are the properties of a chipboard?

Answer 35

—> made from large flacked of chips of low grade wood that is glued together with pressure Advantages: - cheaper to produce - low density - easy to use CNC Disadvantages: - lacks strength compared to plywood and MDF - poor resistance to water

Question 36

What is chipboard typically used for?

Answer 36

- kitchen workshops - kitchen units - flooring