Timber Mindmap

Timber Mindmap

1. Hardwood

   • Jelutong
     • Advantage
       • Even, close grain is easy to cut and shape.
     • Disadvantage
       • Soft and not very strong, so not good for structural uses.
     • Common uses
       • Model making, moulds for casting or vacuum forming.
   • Birch
     • Advantage
       • Regular, even grain and easy to work.
     • Disadvantage
       • Low resistance to rot and insect attack.
     • Common uses
       • Veneers: to make plywood and to surface cheaper materials that and used for interior door and furniture.
   • Ash
     • Advantage
       • Strong, tough, flexible and finished well.
     • Disadvantage
       • Low resistance to rot and insect attack.
     • Common uses
       • Handles for tools, sports equipment, ladders.
   • Balsa
   • Beech
   • Oak
   • Mahogany

2. Manufactured Timber

   • Chipboard
     • Description
       • Wood chips are mixed with glue and presses into flat sheets.
     • Advantage
       • Uses waste materials so is cheap to produce.
     • Disadvantage
       • Do not have much structural strength, especially in damp conditions. Surface is very rough, so usually plastic coated.
     • Common uses
       • Desktops, kitchen worktops, cheap flatpack furniture.

3. Softwood

   • Larch
     • Disadvantage
       • Tough, durable and resistant to water. It can be used outside untreated, and fades to a silvery grey.
     • Advantage
       • Costs more than some other softwoods.
     • Common uses
       • Small boats, yachts, exterior cladding on buildings.

4. Source and Origin of Timbers

   • Colder region, Europe and rainforest.

5. Lamination

   • A laminate is a thin layer of material. Lamination can be useful to make curved shapes from timber. The thin layers are glued and bent into shape. Timber can be bent a little bit by steaming it, but laminating can achieve much larger bends. Lamination can increase the strength of material such as plywood. Lamination is used to increase the strength of wooden beams, for example Glulam and Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL).

6. Exam Style question

   • https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zkvny4j/test
     • This is a link to Exam Style Questions.

7. Veneering

   • Veneer is a thin layer of wood, which means it can be more prone to damage. Plywood is made of layers of veneer laminated together. Veneer can be glued onto the surface of a cheaper material, such as MDF, to make the surface look like more expensive wood. MDF can be bought covered with hardwood veneer