wood tech

• Medium density fibreboard (MDF)

  smooth even surface

  easily machined and painted

  avaliable in water and fire resisatant form
• Chipboard

  Particle board used for kitchen and bedroomn furniture

  made from chips of wood glued together
• Plywood

  Used for boat building and exterior work and furniture

  strong board

  constructed of layers of venners or piles which are glued together with the grains at 90 degrees to eachother
• Hardboard

  Very cheap particle board

  kitchen unit and furniture back panels
• Oak

  Very strong

  light brown

  open grained

  very had but easy to work with

  high quality furniture and beams
• Mahogany

  Easy to work with, used for door furniture and fittings
• Beech

  Straight grained hardwood with a fine texture, used for tool handles and sports equipment
• Ash

  Tough, hard but easy to work with, can be steam bent, used for furniture and ladders
• Pine

  Pale yellow with dark knots and a fine, even texture, readily available for dry work and simple joinery
• Acrylic

  • Hard wearing, will not shatter, can be coloured
• Acrylic uses

  • Bathtubs, School Projects, Display signs
• Polypropylene

  • High impact strength, softens at 150°C, can be flexed many times without breaking
• Polypropylene uses

  • School chairs, Crates
• High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS)

  • Light but strong, widely available in sheets
• HIPS uses

  • Casings of electronic products
• Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

  • Weaker and softer than HDPE, lightweight
• LDPE uses

  • Carrier bags, Squeezy bottles
• High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

  • Stiff, strong plastic
• HDPE uses

  • Pipes, Bowls, Buckets
• Urea formaldehyde

  • Colourless plastic, can be coloured
• Urea formaldehyde uses

  • Door and cupboard handles, Electrical fittings
• Strength

  The ability of a material to stand up to forces being applied without it bending, breaking, shattering or deforming
• Elasticity

  The ability of a material to absorb force and flex in different directions, returning to its original position
• Ductility

  The ability of a material to change shape (deform) usually by stretching along its length
• Malleability

  The ability of a material to be reshaped in all directions without cracking
• Hardness

  The ability of a material to resist scratching, wear and tear and indentation
• Toughness

  A characteristic of a material that does not break or shatter when receiving a blow or under a sudden shock
• Aluminium

  • Dark grey in colour, shiny appearance
• Mild Steel

  • Lightweight
• Stainless Steel

  • Shiny appearance
• Cast Iron

  • Dark grey in colour
• Copper

  • Shiny appearance
• Brass

  • Shiny appearance
• Carbon Fibre

  • Expensive, very good strength to weight ratio
• Carbon Fibre uses

  • High end sports cars and sports equipment
• Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP)

  • Lightweight, good thermal insulation properties, high strength to weight ratio
• GRP uses

  • Glass reinforced plastic is composed of strands of glass woven into a flexible fabric, then placed in a mould and polyester resin is added
• Tracing paper

  Thin, translucent paper used for making copies of drawings
• Cartridge paper

  Good quality white paper available in different weights, general purpose work
• Bleedproof paper

  Smooth, hard paper used with water-based and spirit-based felt-tip pens