Ch2: Materials

• Wood; Hardwood:

  • Durable
  • Visually pleasing
  • Expensive

  Examples of hardwoods:

  • Oak: light brown, strong, used in flooring and furniture
  • Beech: peach, grainy, tough, no odour, used in cutting boards
  • Ash: creamy-brown, light, flexible, used in hurleys
• Wood; Softwood:

  • Cheap
  • Easy to work with
  • Sustainable

  Examples of softwoods:

  • Red deal: used in the construction industry, not grown in Ireland
  • White deal: lightweight, grown in Ireland, used in cheap furniture
• Wood; Manufactured Wood:

  • Has no grain
  • Visually unappealing unless painted
  • Made by gluing sawdust or wood chunks together

  Examples of manufactured wood:

  • Plywood: very strong and rigid
  • MDF: very strong, easy to work with, can be easily water damaged
  • Veneered boards: a sheet of MDF with a thin sheet of real wood on the surface, to make is visually appealing
• Plastics; Thermoplastic:

  • Can be remoulded or reshaped many time with heat

  Examples; acrylic, polyethylene, PVC, polystyrene
• Plastics; Thermosetting plastic:

  • Can be moulded only once, cannot be remoulded again

  Examples; bakelite, melamine, synthetic rubber
• Metals; Ferrous metals:

  • Contain iron, meaning it is attracted to magnets
  • Will rust unless the exterior surface is coated

  Examples; cast iron, stainless steel, galvanised steel
• Metals; Non-ferrous metals:

  • Do not contain iron, and is not attracted to magnets
  • Do not rust, like ferrous metals do
  • Forms a protective coating when it reacts with oxygen

  Examples; aluminium, copper, gold