Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v4 - SHS 2
TOOLS AND MACHINES IN WOODWORK INDUSTRY
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TOOLS AND MACHINES IN WOODWORK INDUSTRY
Download the Lessonotes Mobile Ghana app for faster lesson access on Android and iPhone.
Subject: Applied Technology
Class: SHS 2
Term: 2nd Term
Week: 7
Grade code: 2.4.1.LI.3
Strand code: 4
Sub-strand code: 1
Content standard code: 2.4.1.CS.1
Indicator code: 2.4.1.LI.3
Theme: WOOD TECHNOLOGY
Subtheme: TOOLS AND MACHINES IN WOODWORK INDUSTRY
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In Ghana, from the local carpenter in our community making kitchen stools and "chop boxes" to the large furniture companies in Accra and Kumasi producing beds and office furniture, woodworking is a vital industry. While hand tools are essential, modern woodwork relies heavily on machines to work faster, more accurately, and with less physical effort. This lesson will introduce you to the key machines found in a typical workshop. Understanding which machine to use for which job is a fundamental skill for any technologist. It is the difference between a professional, precise job and a poorly finished, unsafe one.
This section breaks down the most common stationary machines you will find in a woodworking workshop. Stationary machines are fixed in one position and are more powerful and accurate than portable power tools. A. Sawing Machines
Sawing machines are used to cut wood to a specific size or shape. The main types are: The Circular Saw (or Table Saw) This is often considered the heart of the workshop. It consists of a circular blade that protrudes through a flat metal table. Primary Use: Ripping: Cutting a piece of wood *along* its grain to reduce its width. This is its main and most efficient use. Cross-cutting: Cutting a piece of wood *across* its grain to reduce its length. This is often done with a miter gauge or a cross-cut sled for accuracy and safety. Key Parts: Table: The flat surface that supports the wood during cutting. Saw Blade: The circular cutting tool. Blades have different numbers of teeth for different types of cuts (e.g., fewer teeth for ripping, more teeth for a smooth cross-cut). Rip Fence: A guide that is set parallel to the blade. The wood is pushed along the fence to ensure a straight cut of a consistent width. Miter Gauge: A guide used for making cross-cuts, especially angled (miter) cuts. Blade Guard: A safety cover that sits over the blade to prevent accidental contact. It must always be used. Riving Knife/Splitter: A piece of metal behind the blade that is slightly thinner than the cut (kerf). It prevents the wood from pinching the blade, which can cause a dangerous "kickback." Blade Height & Tilt Handwheels: Used to adjust how high the blade sticks out of the table and to tilt the blade for bevel cuts. The Band Saw This machine uses a long, thin, continuous band of steel with teeth, stretched over two or more wheels. Primary Use: Cutting Curves: This is its unique advantage. It is the best machine for cutting irregular or curved shapes, like the legs of a Queen Anne chair or decorative patterns. Re-sawing: Slicing a thick piece of wood into thinner planks. Key Parts: Blade: The long, flexible band with teeth. Wheels (Upper & Lower): The blade runs on these wheels. The upper wheel is adjustable for tensioning the blade. Table: Supports the wood. It can often be tilted for bevelled curve cuts. Blade Guides: Small blocks or bearings above and below the table that support the blade and keep it from twisting during a cut. Blade Guard: A telescopic guard that covers the blade, except for the part being used for cutting. It should be adjusted to be just above the workpiece. The Crosscut Saw (or Radial Arm Saw / Mitre Saw) This machine is specialised for making accurate cross-cuts. Mitre Saw: A blade is mounted on a pivoting arm that is pulled down onto the wood. It excels at cutting wood to length and making precise angled (miter) and bevelled cuts. Radial Arm Saw: The motor and blade are suspended on an arm above the table. The user pulls the spinning blade across the wood. Primary Use: Accurately cutting timber to the required length at various angles. Essential for making frames, roofing trusses, and furniture components. The Dimension Saw (or Panel Saw) This is a large, industrial version of a table saw, often with a sliding table. Primary Use: Cutting large sheets of materials like plywood, MDF (Medium-Density Fibreboard), and particleboard with high precision and safety. The sliding table supports the heavy sheet and moves it past the blade, ensuring a perfectly straight cut. B. Planing and Thicknessing Machines
These machines are used to make rough, sawn timber smooth, flat, and of a uniform thickness. They are used in sequence. The Surface Planer (or Jointer) This machine is used to create one perfectly flat face and one perfectly straight edge (at 90 degrees to the face) on a piece of timber. Primary Use: To create a true, flat reference surface on a warped or rough piece of wood. You cannot make wood a specific thickness with this machine; you only make it flat. Key Parts: Infeed Table: The table where the wood starts. It is set slightly lower than the cutterhead. Outfeed Table: The table where the wood ends up after passing the cutters. It is set at the exact height of the cutter knives. Cutterhead: A rotating cylinder with sharp knives that shaves off the wood. Fence: An adjustable guide (usually set to 90°) against which the edge of the wood is placed to make it square to the face. Cutterhead Guard: A safety guard that covers the rotating cutterhead. The Thicknesser (or Thickness Planer) This machine is used *after* the surface planer. It makes the second face of the wood parallel to the first flat face, bringing the wood to a consistent, desired thickness. Primary Use: To plane wood to a uniform thickness. Key Parts: Table: The wood rests on this. It is raised or lowered to set the final thickness. Cutterhead: Located above the table, it shaves wood off the top surface. Feed Rollers: Powered rollers that pull the wood through the machine at a constant speed. Thickness Scale/Gauge: Shows the distance between the table and the cutterhead, indicating the final thickness of the wood.
The Process: To prepare a rough board like *Odum* or *Wawa*: Pass one face over the Surface Planer until it is perfectly flat. This is now your "reference face". Place the reference face against the fence of the Surface Planer and pass an adjacent edge through until it is perfectly square (90°) to the face. This is your "reference edge". Take the board to the Thicknesser. Place it with the flat reference face *down* on the table and pass it through to make the top face parallel and bring the wood to the desired thickness. Finally, use the Circular Saw with the straight reference edge against the rip fence to cut the board to the final width. Combined Surface Planer and Thicknesser A popular machine in smaller workshops that combines the function of both machines into one unit to save space and cost. You typically use the top part for surface planning and then adjust the machine to feed the wood underneath for thicknessing. C. Modern Machines: CNC (Computer Numerical Control) What it is: A CNC machine is a woodworking machine (like a router, lathe, or saw) that is controlled by a computer. Instead of a human manually guiding the tool, a design is created on a computer (using CAD software), and the computer then instructs the machine how to move and cut the wood. Uses: Mass Production: Quickly and perfectly creating hundreds of identical parts. Complex Carvings: Engraving intricate patterns, letters, and 3D shapes that would be extremely difficult or time-consuming to do by hand. High Precision: Cutting components with very high accuracy, essential for modern furniture and joinery. Comparison: Manual Machines: Require a skilled operator for every cut; good for one-off jobs; lower initial cost. CNC Machines: Require a skilled programmer/designer; perfect for repetition and complexity; very high initial cost but can be more efficient for large-scale production.