Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v3 - Senior Secondary 1
Handtools: types, classification and uses
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Handtools: types, classification and uses
Download the Lessonotes Mobile Nigeria 2025 app for faster lesson access on Android and iPhone.
Subject: Furniture Making
Class: Senior Secondary 1
Term: 3rd Term
Week: 3
Theme: Woodwork Tools,Equipment & Machines
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List types of hand to ols. Classify hand to ols according to the ir uses. Use different hand to ols.
Before delving into specific tools, it is crucial to establish safety as paramount.
Select the Right Tool: Always use the correct tool for the job to prevent damage to the tool, workpiece, or injury to the user.
Inspect Tools: Before use, check tools for defects (e.g., loose handles, dull edges, cracked wood). Never use damaged tools.
Proper Grip: Hold tools firmly and correctly to maintain control.
Workpiece Stability: Ensure the workpiece is securely held (e.g., in a vice or with clamps) to prevent it from shifting.
Clear Work Area: Maintain a clean and organised workspace to prevent tripping or accidents.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Use safety glasses, gloves, and appropriate footwear when necessary.
Store Properly: Store tools in designated places, clean and protected, to prevent damage and ensure easy access.
Direction of Cut: Always cut away from the body.
Sharp Tools: Keep cutting tools sharp. Dull tools require more force, increasing the risk of accidents. and removing small amounts of material from wood or metal.
Rasp: Similar to a file but with coarser, individually cut teeth, designed for rapid removal of material from wood and softer materials. Common for rough shaping of wood.
4. Striking/Driving Tools: Claw Hammer: A hammer with one end for driving nails and the other (a V-shaped claw) for pulling them out. The most common hammer in furniture making and general repairs in Nigeria.
Mallet: A hammer with a head made of wood, rubber, or plastic. Used for striking chisels or tapping joints together without damaging the wood surface.
Screwdrivers: Tools for driving and removing screws.
Flat-head (Slotted)
Screwdriver: For screws with a single slot.
Phillips-head Screwdriver: For screws with a cross-shaped recess.
5. Boring Tools: Brace and Bit: A hand-powered drill for making holes in wood. The "brace" provides leverage, and various "bits" (auger bits, flat bits) can be inserted to bore different sized holes. Useful when electricity is unavailable.
Hand Drill: A smaller, hand-cranked drill, often used for smaller holes and finer work than a brace.
Gimlet: A small, pointed hand tool with a screw-like tip, used for boring small pilot holes for screws.
6. Assembly/Disassembly Tools: Pincers: Pliers-like tool with blunt jaws, used for gripping, nipping, and pulling out nails or small fasteners. * Pliers: Versatile gripping tools, used for holding, bending, and cutting wires or small pieces of material. Students should be familiar with the following common hand tools:
1. Measuring and Marking Tools: Measuring Tape: Flexible strip, usually 3m, 5m, or 7.5m long, used for measuring longer lengths of timber. Essential for dimensioning large furniture pieces like wardrobes or tables.
Steel Rule: Rigid metal rule, typically 30cm or 60cm, used for shorter, more precise measurements and for drawing straight lines.
Try Square: L-shaped tool with a steel blade fixed at 90 degrees to a wooden or metal stock. Used for checking squareness of corners and for marking lines across the face and edge of timber at right angles. Highly used for ensuring square joints in chairs, doors, and frames.
Marking Gauge: Consists of a stock, stem, and pin. Used for marking lines parallel to the edge of a piece of timber. Crucial for marking tenons, rebates, and dado joints.
Sliding Bevel: Similar to a try square but with an adjustable blade, allowing it to be set at any angle (other than 90 degrees). Used for marking and checking angles, e.g., for chair legs or angled joints.
Pencil/Bradawl: Pencil for general marking; bradawl (a pointed tool) for marking precise points, especially for drilling or screw locations.
2. Holding/Work-Holding Tools: Bench Vice: A sturdy mechanical device fixed to a workbench, used to hold wood securely while it is being worked on (e.g., sawing, planing, chiselling). Indispensable for a furniture workshop.
G-Clamp (C-Clamp): A portable clamp shaped like the letter 'G', used to hold smaller pieces of wood together, especially during gluing or assembly. Common in Nigerian workshops for temporary clamping.
Sash Clamp: A long, adjustable clamp used for holding large assemblies, such as tabletops, door frames, or cabinet sides, while glue dries.
Hand Vice: Small, portable vice used for holding small workpieces.
3. Cutting Tools: Saws: Tenon Saw: A small, fine-toothed saw with a reinforced back (stiffener) for rigidity. Used for accurate cross-cutting and cutting joints like tenons and dovetails.
Rip Saw: Has large teeth set at an angle suitable for cutting along the grain (ripping) of timber.
Cross-cut Saw: Has teeth designed for cutting across the grain of timber. Often has a finer tooth count than a rip saw.
Coping Saw: A small saw with a very thin, fine blade held under tension in a frame. Used for cutting intricate curves and shapes, e.g., decorative elements on furniture.
Chisels: Hand tools with a sharpened bevelled edge, used for cutting, paring, and shaping wood.
Firmer Chisel: General-purpose chisel with a strong, rectangular blade. Used for chopping out joints, paring, and cleaning recesses.
Bevel Edge Chisel: Similar to a firmer chisel but with bevelled sides, allowing it to reach into acute angles, especially useful for dovetail joints.
Planes: Tools used for smoothing, shaping, and reducing the thickness of timber by shaving off thin layers.
Jack Plane (Fore Plane): A general-purpose plane, about 35-45cm long. Used for preliminary planing, removing rough surfaces, and straightening edges before fine finishing.
Smoothing Plane: Shorter (20-25cm) and lighter than a jack plane, with a finer blade setting. Used for final smoothing of surfaces.
Block Plane: Small, one-handed plane, often used for planing end grain, chamfering, and fitting small parts.
Spokeshave: A hand tool with two handles and a short blade, used for shaping curved surfaces, similar to a plane but for convex or concave shapes. Ideal for shaping chair legs or decorative mouldings.
Files and Rasps: File: A steel hand tool with numerous small cutting edges (teeth) used for shaping, smoothing, and removing small amounts of material from wood or metal.
Rasp: Similar to a file but with coarser, individually cut teeth, designed for rapid removal of material from wood and softer materials. Common for rough shaping of wood.
4. Striking/Driving Tools: Claw Hammer: A hammer with one end for driving nails and the other (a V-shaped claw) for pulling them out. The most common hammer in furniture making and general repairs in Nigeria.
Mallet: A hammer with a head made of wood, rubber, or plastic. Used for striking chisels This classification directly addresses Performance Objective
2. Measuring and Marking Tools: Purpose: Used to determine dimensions, check angles, and mark lines on timber.
Examples: Measuring Tape, Steel Rule, Try Square, Marking Gauge, Sliding Bevel, Pencil, Bradawl.
Holding/Work-Holding Tools: Purpose: Used to secure workpieces firmly in place during various operations.
Examples: Bench Vice, G-Clamp, Sash Clamp, Hand Vice.
Cutting Tools: Purpose: Used to cut, saw, or pare wood to desired shapes and sizes.
Examples: Tenon Saw, Rip Saw, Cross-cut Saw, Coping Saw, Firmer Chisel, Bevel Edge Chisel.
Planing/Shaping Tools: Purpose: Used to smooth, flatten, reduce thickness, or create specific profiles on wood surfaces.
Examples: Jack Plane, Smoothing Plane, Block Plane, Spokeshave, Files, Rasps.
Striking/Driving Tools: Purpose: Used to drive fasteners (nails, screws) or deliver impact to other tools (e.g., chisels).
Examples: Claw Hammer, Mallet, Flat-head Screwdriver, Phillips-head Screwdriver.
Boring Tools: Purpose: Used to create holes in wood for joinery, fasteners, or decorative purposes.
Examples: Brace and Bit, Hand Drill, Gimlet.
Assembly/Disassembly Tools: Purpose: Used for joining components or taking them apart, often involving fasteners.
Examples: Pincers, Pliers.
Home and Community Repairs: The ability to identify, classify, and use hand tools is directly applicable to repairing broken furniture, fixing loose hinges, or assembling new items in homes and community centres. For instance, a student can use a claw hammer to fix a squeaky chair leg or a screwdriver to tighten screws on a wobbly table at home or for neighbours, fostering self-reliance and contributing to local welfare.
Entrepreneurship and Local Industry: Proficiency in hand tools forms the bedrock for starting small carpentry or furniture repair businesses. In many Nigerian communities, skilled artisans rely heavily on hand tools to craft furniture, doors, and window frames due to limited access to electricity or more expensive power tools. Students can leverage these skills to become apprentices, set up their own workshops, or join existing furniture manufacturing ventures, creating employment and supporting the local economy.
DIY Projects and Innovation: Knowledge of hand tools empowers individuals to undertake various do-it-yourself projects. This could range from building simple shelves for a bookshop, constructing a chicken coop for a small farm, or creating decorative wooden items for sale at local markets. This encourages creativity and problem-solving, allowing students to develop unique products that might cater to specific local needs or tastes.