Year 8 - Design and technology
Timbers properties, sources and stock forms
Collaborative design: tactile toys to teach
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
Using knowledge of timber properties and processes, pupils will work together to design a batch of tactile toys. They will prepare a manufacturing plan and develop their knowledge of quality control, applying this to checks throughout manufacturing to produce the batch within acceptable tolerances.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to identify timber categories, sources and stock forms.
Key Notes
- Timbers can be categorised as softwood, hardwood or manufactured boards.
- Timber is sourced from trees.
- Timber is available in planks, sheets, mouldings and dowel.
Vocabulary To Learn
- softwood: timber from coniferous trees, typically lightweight and easy to work with
- hardwood: a dense, durable timber from broad-leaved, deciduous trees
- manufactured board: engineered wood products made by bonding layers or particles of wood together
- stock form: a standard pre-made size or shape of a material
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Softwoods are soft and light, hardwoods are hard and heavy.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Timbers can be categorised as softwood, hardwood or manufactured boards. Timber is sourced from trees.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'softwood'
timber from coniferous trees, typically lightweight and easy to work with.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Softwoods are soft and light, hardwoods are hard and heavy. Correction: The terms softwood and hardwood don't refer to how soft or hard the wood is. They classify trees based on their seed type. Many softwoods are softer than hardwoods but it's not a strict rule. Balsa is a hardwood, but it's one of the softest woods.
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