Lesson video

Hello, thank you for joining me for your design and technology lesson.

My name is Mrs. Conway, and I will be guiding you through your learning today.

So today's lesson outcome is I can identify timber categories, sources, and also stock forms. So we're gonna be looking a little bit more in detail at timber specifically today.

And our keywords for the lesson are softwood, hardwood, manufactured board, and stock form.

I'll go through each one of these as we work through the lesson.

So the first thing we're gonna start with then is looking at timber sources and their categories.

Now, timbers are woods that are prepared for use in building carpentry or other construction purposes, and they can be separated into three main categories.

These are softwoods, hardwoods, and manufactured boards.

Now, the term softwood and hardwood don't actually refer to how soft or hard the wood is, and that's a common mistake that can sometimes be made when differentiating between those two woods.

They actually classify trees based on their seed type instead.

So don't ever get muddled with that.

So let's have a little look at softwood in a little bit more detail first.

Now, softwood are sourced from coniferous trees, and these are trees that are evergreen with needle-shaped leaves.

And that may be familiar, that picture of those needle-shaped leaves there.

If you've ever had a Christmas tree, then those needle-shaped leaves covered all over your Christmas tree.

Now, the reason these are called evergreen is that they are always green, evergreen.

Now, that refers to whatever time of year it is, so this is a coniferous tree in winter, and you can see it's still green.

It hasn't dropped those needles off or those leaves off.

Some trees, however, do do that.

So during autumn, leaves will turn brown and fall to the floor on some trees, but on coniferous trees, that doesn't happen.

They keep their needles throughout the year.

Now let's just do a quick check for understanding on that.

The image below is showing what type of tree.

Was it A, Collaborative, B, carnivore, or C, coniferous? Feel free to pause the video here.

Just take a moment to think about your answer.

And the correct answer, it was C.

That's an example of a coniferous tree, that evergreen tree that doesn't drop its needles in winter.

So let's look at the properties of softwoods then.

So typical properties of softwoods include they're lightweight.

And because they're lightweight, that does make it easier to work with them.

They're also considered to be fast-growing.

And fast-growing, you're looking at around approximately 25 years to reach maturity.

Now, that makes them more sustainable, widely available, and more cost effective.

It's something that's going to grow quickly, then we can grow that easier and we can have more of them, and that helps in terms of keeping the cost down.

They also have a straight and an open grain.

And think about that picture of that tree.

It was a very straight up tree trunk, and that helps that grain to stay nice and straight.

But also that grain is open.

I'll show you what I mean by that in a minute, but that helps to reduce warping and also makes it easier to cut as well.

They are, however, less durable, so they're less resistant to wear, rot, and also insects compared to hardwoods, for example.

And here's that example of that open grain, those grains lines are not very close together.

They've got quite big gaps between them, and that is the example of the open grain that I'm referring to.

So typical examples of softwoods are Scots pine, cedar, Douglas fir, and spruce.

And here's an exam example or a section of Scots pine, and hopefully you can see there that open grain that I was referring to.

There's quite a large gap between each grain line.

You'll also see it's quite pale in colour, and you can also see that it's not exactly as attractive as some woods may be.

Now let's look at example of a toy made using the softwood Scots pine.

Now, the particular toy we're looking at here is this noughts and crosses toy.

Now, there's several reasons why the Scots pine is a suitable timber for this toy.

Now, there's two elements of this toy.

You've got the actual grid itself and then the individual actual pieces, the noughts and crosses that go into it.

Now, the fact that the wood is straight and an open grain makes sawing the noughts and crosses much easier, And there's quite a bit of detail into those knots and crosses when sawing those.

Now, since both elements of the toys don't require high impact resistance, then a less durable materials such as a softwood is suitable for this particular toy.

Also, this toy can be disassembled really easily, making it really good for transportation.

So actually, once again, the wood being lightweight really, really helps and is an advantage to this particular toy.

So let's have a little look at hardwoods in a bit more detail.

Now, hardwoods are sourced from deciduous trees.

Now these are trees that do lose their leaves, so they typically turn brown and fall off the trees in autumn, and they go throughout winter being bare.

Now, these have a broad-shaped leaves.

And again, this picture of the tree may be familiar to you, and you may have seen these on your walks or when you've been playing in the park.

Now, this is an example of a desiduous tree in the summer.

In the winter, all of those leaves would have fallen off, and this would be a bare tree.

These are examples of those broad-shaped leaves that I was referring to.

Again, you'll have seen lots of these on the floor when they've turned brown and they've fallen off the trees.

Let's just do a quick check for understanding on that then.

I'd like you to complete these two sentences by filling in the missing words.

Feel free to pause the video here just to take a moment to think about your answer.

Okay, how did you get on? Let's see if you got it right.

So hardwoods are sourced from deciduous trees.

Well done if you did get that one right.

And the second one, these are trees that lose their leaves in autumn.

Again, well done if you got that right.

So properties of hardwoods include.

They're quite dense and heavy, so they're more solid and heavier than softwoods for example, making them strong and also durable.

Now, these are slow growing compared to softwoods.

These take more like 100 years and more to reach maturity, making them harder to source.

And in the opposite way to a softwoods, these have got a closed grain, so not that open grain, closed.

And again, I'll show you the image of that to show you the difference in a minute.

So this actually allows a really intricate and varied grain patterns, making them much more visually appealing than a softwood.

They're also highly durable.

So again, opposite to softwoods in this sense.

They're really good with resistance to wear, rot, and pests, making them very long-lasting.

And here you can see a closed grain.

So hopefully you can see the difference between the gaps between the open grain structure and how small the gaps are on that closed grain structure as well.

So typical examples of hardwoods include oak, balsa, beech, ash, and birch.

There are more examples.

That's just some of them for you.

And this is an example of a section of oak timber and again, hopefully you can see on that example that intricate grain detail, but also how close those grains are to each other.

So let's have a look now at a toy made you using the hardwood beech.

Now, the toy we're looking at is this construction toy, and hopefully you may have seen one of these before.

Either you played with one when you were younger or you may have a younger brother or sister that's played with one.

Now, the purpose of this toy is to use that hammer to actually hammer in the pegs into this toy.

Of course there's gonna be a lot of high impact with the use of this toy.

So let's look at why beech is suitable for that.

So the hammer and the whole plank need to be a really durable material, as I've mentioned.

That's just to help it and prevent it from breaking with that high impact.

And beech is dense and heavy.

That makes it really stable and more stable than a softwood in reducing the movement when the pegs are struck.

So beeches are perfect wood for this particular toy.

Let's look at manufactured boards now then.

So manufactured boards, the actual source of them is primarily wood fibres such as sawdust, wood chippings, and shavings.

These are then processed and bonded together using adhesives or resins, and usually some is applied to push those all together.

Here's the example of the wood chips that usually make up manufactured boards.

Plywood, however, is not made up of wood fibres or shavings.

Plywood is a little bit different.

It's made up of something called wooden veneers.

Now, wooden veneers are thin layers of wood.

Let's just have a little look in more detail about how we actually get those veneers.

So the tree is cut down.

And then from those trees, we then can actually remove thin layers of the wood, and this is called veneer peeling.

So it's literally being removed around the tree trunk, these little layers of the wood.

They're then dried out with a heat source and flattened.

Once they've been flattened into those thin layers, those layers are then kind of added on top of each other.

Now, the really interesting thing about plywood is if my hand here was showing the grains going down my hand, on the one layer, the grain will be going that way, on the next layer, the grain will actually be going at a 90-degree angle to the layer below it.

The layer then goes on top again, and another 90 degree angle to the one below.

And that pattern continues.

The reason that's done is it actually makes the wood stronger and less susceptible to braking or peeling.

Once those layers have been put on top, then resin holds it together, and also that pressure is actually going to glue all of those together, either with adhesives or resins to just hold them really, really tight together and make a really strong bond.

Okay, let's just do a quick check for understanding on a thin layer of wood.

A thin layer of wood is called a, is it A, vector, B, vessel, C, veneer, or D, vernier? Pause the video here just to take a moment to think about your answer.

Okay, and the correct answer, it was C, the veneer.

So a thin layer of wood is called a veneer.

Well done if you got that right.

So let's look at the properties of manufactured boards then.

Manufacture boards are very durable.

They've been engineered for strength, just as I was explaining about the plywood and the way it's made up in those layers.

They're also very easy to shape, so they can be easily cut, drilled, and shaped, which makes them great in terms of manufacturing.

They're also versatile as well.

They can be used in a variety of applications, and they have many different finishes that can be applied to them.

And they're also available in quite large boards.

Now, being available in large boards removes the need to join planks of woods such as softwoods and hardwoods that usually have to be joined to actually create these big boards.

That doesn't need to happen with manufactured boards.

They're available already in those large boards, which makes them suitable for those really big jobs.

And they're also uniform as well.

So they're resistant to warping and can have smooth surfaces on them.

Typical examples of manufactured boards include medium-density fiberboard, or MDF, plywood and chipboard.

So the first example here is MDF, and MDF is made up of more sawdust.

So sawdust that's been compressed together.

Plywood, as we've been talking about, you can really clearly see those layers that I was referring to.

But plywood, you can see the top surface, you can still see that grain, 'cause obviously the way the layers are removed from the tree means you can still see some grain going through it.

And chipboard is made up exactly of that, little chips, like little chippings of wood.

So you can see this is much coarser than the MDF that uses sawdust, but it's applied in the same way.

So you've got a adhesives and compression pushing and holding all of that together.

So let's just do a quick check for understanding on manufactured boards then.

I'd like you to identify the examples of manufactured boards out of these options.

Pause the video here just to take a moment to think about your answer.

Okay, how did you get on? There are two examples of manufactured boards here, and they are plywood and NDF.

The rest are examples of either softwoods or hardwoods.

Well done if you got that right.

So let's look at a toy that's been made using the manufactured board NDF.

So that was medium-density fiberboard.

Now, this is a suitable timber for this toy reasons being this is a toy cashier till.

And hopefully, again, you may have played with something similar when you were younger.

And this toy has many shaped parts that's been used to put it together, and the MDF is easy to shape, making that production that little bit simpler.

MDF is also really versatile if you remember, and that allows for various finishes like paint and graphics as you can see on that toy.

Okay, it's gonna be over to you guys now to have a go.

So I would like you to identify the following in the images below.

I'd like you to be able to tell me which one is the softwood, which one is a hardwood, and which one is a manufactured board.

So you've got three examples there that you need to name.

If you'd like to have a go at naming the actual wood, even better.

All I'm really looking for is which ones is softwood, hardwood, and manufactured board.

The second part of your task then is I'd like you to then work as a collaborative design team, and you are going to choose one type of timber.

It could be a softwood, a hardwood, or a manufactured board.

It's up to you, but you're going to then provide reasons why that timber is suitable for making a toy.

In the examples I've gone through with you, I was talking about the properties of the material and then describe the reasons why those properties were suitable for a toy.

As I said, this is going to be a collaborative design team piece of work.

So really think carefully and have lots of discussions about those reasons as to why the timber is suitable for making a toy.

Okay, it's gonna be over to you now.

So pause the video here to have a go over this task.

okay, how did you get on? So the first part of this task then was to name the types of wood that are being shown here.

So the first one was hardwood, the second one was manufactured board, and the third one was softwood.

Well done if you got each one of those correct.

The second part of your task there is to work as a collaborative design team to suggest a type of woods that would be suitable for use in a toy, and then to give the reasons as to why.

Now, your answer will be slightly different to this design team's, but just compare your answer to theirs to see if you've got similar kind of answers or you've at least given the kind of structure that we were looking for, which was naming a particular wood and then the reasons.

So as a design team, we've chosen a softwood like Scots pine.

The reasons that Scots pine is suitable as a material for a toy are.

It is fast growing, making it more sustainable, widely available, and cost-effective.

Its straight and open grain reduces warping and makes it easier to cut and shape than hardwoods.

It's a lightweight material, making it easier to work with and suitable for the intended use.

It has an aesthetically pleasing natural finish, but many finishes like paint can also be applied.

So you can see here, they've actually given quite a few reasons as to why they chose Scots pine.

So just compare your answer to theirs.

Have you given enough reasons? Okay, next we're gonna look at timber stock forms. So a stock form refers to the standard shapes, sizes, and types in which materials are available for purchase.

And the reason manufacturers do this is to ensure consistency as well as ease of use and cost efficiency.

Now, typical common stock forms for materials include, for timbers, you get things such as planks, boards, and dowels.

For metals, you get things such as sheets, rods, bars, and tubes.

And for polymers, again, typical ones are sheets and pellets.

Now, these are not all of them.

There are more.

These are just some examples of those common stock forms for those different types of materials.

Now, stock forms help to reduce waste.

They also simplify manufacturing and allow for easier transportation and handling.

Okay, let's just do a quick check for understanding on that then.

A stock form refers to the standard shapes, sizes, and types of, A, components, B, materials, or C, manufacturing.

Pause a video here just to take a moment to think about your answer.

And the correct answer was materials.

So a stock form refers to the standard shapes, sizes, and types of materials.

Well done if you got that right.

So here are some visual examples of the stock forms available for timbers.

So the top one there is a plank.

The next one is a square section.

It's easy to identify square section because it's a square at the end.

You've then got a board, and a board was a typical stock form for a manufactured board.

You then got dowel.

Dowel, a little bit like square section, but, with dowel, it is cylindrical.

You've then got mouldings as well as beams or joists, and then you've got those veneers that we were looking at that we use to make plywood.

Okay, quick check for understanding on those stock form examples then.

Have a look at these pictures.

I'd like you to identify the different stock forms for each one.

Pause the video.

Just take a moment to think about your answer.

And the correct answer.

So the first one was a plank, the second one was a board, and the third one was dowel.

Well done if you've got all of those right, but well done even if you just got one or two.

So stock forms available for each different timber category then.

So soft softwoods are available in things such as planks, square section, and mouldings.

Hardwoods are available in planks, square sections, moulding, dowel, veneers, and beams, and joists.

And manufactured boards are available in things such as boards and mouldings.

Right below is a wooden toy, and the timber stock forms have been used for this.

I'm just gonna go through each one.

So hopefully you can see you've got dowel for the actual candles.

That was that cylindrical shape.

So you should be able to identify that.

At the bottom, you've got the use of a board.

And in the middle, for kind of the actual cake slices, you've got a plank.

Let's have a look at another example again, now you've got a coffee machine toy.

Let's have a look at those stock forms again, but just take a moment now.

Just have a little look yourself.

Can you identify any? Can you have a little look at those different parts and notice anything such as the handle? What stock form would that have been made out of, for example?, or the base of the toy? Okay.

Let's have a look then.

So you've got dowel.

So that handle of the coffee machine and the little knob at the front, that's gonna be be made out of dowel.

You've then got boards, the base and the side.

And then you've got some square section for that middle bit as well.

You've also got these of a plank for the handle of that coffee machine at the front.

So quite a few different timber stock forms have been used for this particular toy.

It's a really good practise to start getting used to seeing the world in a slightly different way.

So as you go about your day to day, just trying to identify and applying some of the knowledge that you've learned to the actual objects you see in day-to-day life.

Okay, it's gonna be over to you now then.

So I'm gonna give you a task to do.

As a design team, I'd like you to locate two timber products around your classroom, school, or home.

Now, the product could be a timber-based one or another type of product, but I maybe recommend going for a timber one as we've looked at that in a bit more detail today.

The first part of that task then is to pick the timber, but then I'd actually like you to state what the product is and what type of timber you think it has been manufactured from.

You need to do that for the two different timber products that you've chosen.

The second part of that then is I'd like you to identify the stock forms that have been used to manufacture those two products as well.

And remember, you're looking at the stock forms that have been used to manufacture the different components or parts of the product.

Remember, you are also doing this for two different products as well.

Okay, it's gonna be over to you now then.

So pause the video here just to take a go at these tasks.

Okay, so let's have a look at some examples.

And of course you could have picked any products.

So these examples are gonna be on different products, but that's absolutely fine.

Again, just compare your answers to Jacob's and Aisha's.

So Jacob has suggested and has said that he's actually looked closely at this yo-yo.

And it has a closed grain, meaning it is a hardwood, possibly beech.

That was the first part of this task, just to actually name the product and suggest the wood that has been used for it.

Aisha goes on to do the second part of the task.

So she has said the stock form used in this is most likely dowel or maybe a plank has been used and the circles have been cut and sanded.

So she's thought really carefully about her stock forms, but also about her possible manufacturing process there as well, and that's just helped her to form her opinion.

Let's look at a different example here then.

So this is that coffee machine toy that we were looking at before.

So Lucas here has suggested, for the first part of the task, this coffee toy machine uses a variety of timbers.

I can see some painted MDF for the base and sides, and a beech hardwood handle.

So he's really used his knowledge of stock forms and materials to be able to work that out himself.

And then Sam has suggested the stock forms used include boards for the MDF parts, a plank for the beech handle, and I can see some dowel for the switches and milk spout.

Again, these answers come from using that knowledge of stock forms. Let's just summarise our lesson from today then.

So we've been looking at timber properties, sources, and the stock forms. And timbers are woods that are prepared for use in building, carpentry, and other construction purposes.

And they can be separated into categories such as softwoods, hardwoods, and manufactured boards.

The source of all three of those categories of timber are trees, and each category has its own unique properties and uses, and these should be considered when selecting timbers to manufacture products.

We also looked at stock forms, and stock form refers to the standard shapes, sizes, and types in which materials are available for purchase.

Stock forms help reduce waste and simplify manufacturing.

And lastly then, common stock forms of timbers include things such as planks, boards, and dowels.

Well done on the lesson today.

There's lots of content to go through on those different types of timbers and those stock forms. Thank you for all your hard work and I will see you soon.