Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v3 - Junior Secondary 3
Woodwork Projects.
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Woodwork Projects.
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Subject: Basic Technology
Class: Junior Secondary 3
Term: 3rd Term
Week: 3
Theme: Tools, Machines And Processes
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select and use appropriate to ols, machines and materials for woodwork; construct simple household furniture.
A woodwork project involves designing, marking out, cutting, shaping, joining, and finishing wooden components to create a functional or decorative item. It requires careful planning, precision, and adherence to safety protocols. Every successful woodwork project follows a series of systematic steps: Design and Planning: Concept Generation: Deciding what to build (e.g., a stool, a small shelf, a shoe rack).
Sketching: Drawing preliminary sketches of the item, including different views (orthographic projections or isometric).
Dimensioning: Adding accurate measurements to the sketches.
Material Estimation: Calculating the required amount of wood, fasteners (nails, screws), and finishing materials (varnish, paint) based on the dimensions. This involves considering material thickness and waste.
Tool Selection: Identifying all tools required for each stage of construction.
Example: A teacher planning a simple stool project will first sketch the stool, decide on its height (e.g., 450mm), seat dimensions (e.g., 300mm x 300mm), and leg thickness (e.g., 50mm x 50mm). From these, the total length of wood required for legs, rails, and seat can be estimated.
Marking Out: Transferring the dimensions from the design onto the actual wood pieces using measuring and marking tools.
Tools: Steel rule, measuring tape, try square, marking gauge, pencil, scriber.
Cutting and Shaping: Reducing the wood to the required sizes and forms.
Tools: Saws: Tenon saw (for accurate cross-cuts and joint work), Cross-cut saw (for cutting across the grain), Rip saw (for cutting along the grain).
Planes: Jack plane (for initial rough shaping and squaring), Smoothing plane (for fine finishing), Block plane (for end grain and small work).
Chisels: Bevel edge chisel (for paring and cutting joints).
Joining: Connecting the individual wood components together to form the complete structure.
Tools: Mallet (for striking chisels or assembling joints), Hammer (for driving nails), Screwdriver (for driving screws), Clamps (G-clamp, F-clamp – for holding pieces securely during gluing or assembly), Bradawl/Gimlet (for starting pilot holes).
Fasteners: Nails, screws, dowels, wood glue.
Finishing: Preparing the surface of the wood and applying protective or decorative coatings.
Tools: Sandpaper (various grits – coarse to fine), Scraper, Sanding block.
Materials: Varnish, lacquer, paint, wood stain, wood filler. 2.3.1 Common Hand Tools: Measuring & Marking: Tape Rule: For measuring long lengths.
Steel Rule: For accurate short measurements.
Try Square: For marking lines at 90 degrees to an edge and checking squareness.
Marking Gauge: For marking lines parallel to an edge.
Pencil/Scriber: For marking lines.
Cutting: Tenon Saw: Fine-toothed saw with a stiffening rib, ideal for precise joint cuts.
Cross-cut Saw: For cutting across the wood grain.
Rip Saw: For cutting along the wood grain.
Planing & Shaping: Jack Plane: General-purpose plane for rough shaping and bringing wood to size.
Smoothing Plane: For producing a smooth, flat finish.
Boring (Drilling Holes): Brace and Bit: Manual tool for drilling larger holes.
Gimlet/Bradawl: Small hand tools for making pilot holes for screws or small holes.
Joining & Fastening: Claw Hammer: For driving nails and pulling them out.
Mallet: For striking chisels or assembling jointed parts without damaging the wood.
Screwdriver: For driving and removing screws (various types: flat, Phillips).
G-clamps/F-clamps: For holding pieces of wood together, especially during gluing.
Finishing: Sandpaper: Abrasive paper used to smooth wood surfaces. Available in different grits (e.g., 80 grit for coarse, 120-180 for medium, 220+ for fine). 2.3.2 Basic Woodwork Machines (Mentioned for awareness, focus on hand tools for JSS3 practicals): Hand Drill: Can be manually operated or electric, for drilling holes.
Bench Vise: A sturdy clamping device attached to a workbench, essential for holding wood securely. 2.3.3 Materials: Wood: Softwoods: Pine, Cypress – generally from conifers, easier to work with, less durable, common for general construction.
Hardwoods: Iroko, Mahogany, Obeche, Teak, Sapele – generally from deciduous trees, harder, more durable, suitable for quality furniture. Iroko and Mahogany are popular choices in Nigeria.
Fasteners: Nails: Common wire nails (various sizes), panel pins.
Screws: Wood screws (various sizes and head types).
Dowels: Small wooden rods used for alignment and reinforcement in joints.
Adhesives: Wood Glue (PVA glue): Strong adhesive for joining wood parts.
Finishing Materials: Varnish: A clear, protective coating that enhances the natural beauty of wood.
Paint: Opaque coating for colour and protection.
Wood Stain: Changes the colour of wood without obscuring the grain. Understanding different joints is crucial for constructing sturdy and durable wooden items. Students should be able to sketch and explain the uses of at least three common joints.
Butt Joint: Description: The simplest joint, where the ends or edges of two pieces of wood are butted together, usually at 90 degrees, and fastened with nails, screws, or glue.
Sketch: ``` +-------+ | | | | +-------+ | | | | +-------+ ``` (Imagine two rectangular blocks touching end-to-end or edge-to-edge)
Uses: Simple frames, temporary constructions, boxes where strength is not critical, or where reinforced with cleats/brackets.
Strength: Weakest joint unless heavily reinforced. Lap Joint (e.g., Half-Lap Joint): Description: Portions of the wood are removed from two pieces so they can overlap and fit together, creating a flush surface (half-lap). This can be an end lap, middle lap, or cross lap.
Sketch (Half-Lap): ``` +-------+-------+ | | | +-------+-------+ |_______| | | +-------+ ``` (Imagine two pieces, each with half its thickness removed, overlapping and glued/screwed)
Uses: Frameworks, rails, where a strong, relatively flush joint is needed, e.g., for table aprons or internal frames.
Strength: Stronger than a butt joint as it offers a larger gluing surface and mechanical interlocking.
Mortise and Tenon Joint: Description: One piece of wood (the tenon) is shaped to fit precisely into a rectangular hole (the mortise) cut into another piece. This is a very strong and traditional joint.
Sketch: ``` Piece A (Mortise): +---------+ | ----- | | | | | | ----- | +---------+ Piece B (Tenon): +----+ | | | | | | +----+ ``` (Imagine the tenon fitting snugly into the mortise)
Uses: Highly durable furniture construction, door frames, window frames, tables, chairs – anywhere high strength is required.
Strength: Very strong and resistant to twisting and pulling forces, especially when glued.