How to shape wood with hand tools and other machinery

Design & Technology students must understand how to mark out, cut, drill, and shape timber. This article summarises basic woodworking tools, methods, and practical techniques. It concludes with sample examination questions from the Cambridge AS/A Level syllabus.

How to mark out wood

Marking out means to carefully measuring and drawing the required shapes on materials ready for cutting. This usually requires taking dimensions from a ‘working drawing’ (an orthographic drawing showing multiple views, drawn accurately to scale).

Stencils and templates can also be used to improve quality control when more than one product (such as small batch production) or multiple identical parts are needed.

CAD software can also be used to mark out shapes, when using CAM methods.

Cutting, drilling, and shaping timber

A woodworking lathe in action:

Note: a CNC router can also be used for drilling.

Timber forming methods

Wastage vs Additive processing techniques

Wastage processing techniques (as opposed to additive methods) involve starting with a larger piece of material and removing (cutting away) portions to create the final shape. The removed material becomes “waste” or “wastage.” Cutting, sanding, and drilling are all wastage methods.

Additive manufacturing methods build up the final product by adding material and joining pieces together (most products involve wastage and additive methods). Laminating and steam bending are additive methods.

When bending timber you often need to create a former and jig to help hold and shape the item while it dries.

Methods for holding/supporting timber:

Jig: a custom-made tool or device to guide the motion of another tool or hold a workpiece in a specific position while making it. Jigs help to ensure consistency when repeating a processes multiple times. For example, a drill jig might be used for precise placement, or to help hold timber while bending around a mould.

Former: an object that provides a solid form that other materials are shaped around or over (like a mould, except that a mould has an internal cavity). For example, a former is used to vacuum form PVC sheets, or to bend and laminate timber around to create consistent curves or shapes.

• G clamps/cramps
• A woodworking vice
• Bench-hook
• Sometimes by hand, such as a piece of timber resting on a sawhorse

A few thin pieces can be taped together and cut at once when multiple identical pieces are needed.

Sample examination questions (AS Design & Technology)