Materials

Wooden Sheeting

• Comes in thickness’ of 4mm, 6mm, 9mm, 12mm, 15mm, 18mm, 24mm

• Usually 8ft (2.44m) x 4ft (1.22m)

• MDF – Medium Density Fibreboard

• Hardboard• Plywood• Chipboard• Softwood• Hardwood

MDF - Medium Density Fibreboard• MDF is made from wooden fibres

bonded together under heat and pressure.

• It is a dense, flat material that has no knots. It is easy to cut and sand and is also a cheap material. It is not a very strong when cut down into thin strips, it is very absorbent and doesn’t hold nails well. It is advised to always wear a dust mask and goggles when cutting as it produces a lot of sawdust

• When creating our concave we decided that MDF would not be suitable to use as it is heavy and doesn’t bend unlike hardboard which was our material of choice.

Hardboard• Hardboard is made from

compressed fibres soaked in resin• It is known for having one side

smooth and the other side textured, it is not a very strong material, however it is cheap and lightweight.

• We chose hardboard to create the surface of the concave, this is because it is light and it will allow us to bend it into shape. Whereas if we’d chose MDF we wouldn’t have been able to create the concave shape we had designed

Plywood• Plywood is made from alternating

layers of thin sheets of wood. • It is a strong material and thinner

sheets of the material can be flexible. Plywood is known for splintering easily when cut. Plywood doesn’t give a good paint finish and is expensive particularly marine ply which is water resistant

• We didn’t use Plywood as we needed the wood to be able to bend into shape once we had cut it to the desired shape, whereas plywood would splinter when we cut it, therefore we chose to use hardboard as it doesn’t splinter when cut and is flexible.

Chipboard• Made from softwood chip and

sawdust• Has a textured finish so often

coated with melamine. Chipboard is fairly weak and also cheap.

• We chose not to use chipboard as it has a textured finish and is heavy. We also needed it to be able to bend into shape to create the concave much like hardboard would be able to, however chipboard doesn’t have that property and is also too weak to take and weight.

Softwood• Softwood comes from evergreen trees

such as pine, fir, and redwood• Softwood is used for furniture and

doors. It is sawn treated is rough and treated to prevent rotting whilst sawn is rough and used where you cannot see it as is isn’t particularly aesthetically pleasing. Planed is smooth surfaced softwood which is used where it can be seen as it isn’t rough. Softwood is cheap and easy to work with.

• We chose to use softwood to create the frame for the concave as it is easy to work with and cheap it also worked well with the hardboard when the concave was attached.

Hardwood• Hardwood is typically Oak, Beech

and Mahogany• Hardwood comes from slower

growing trees which makes it more expensive. It is overall denser, stronger and more durable than softwood. It is very hardwearing and therefore used for furniture making. It is harder to work with but gives a better finish.

• We chose not to use hardwood as it is too expensive so we went with softwood for the cheaper option, however softwood isn’t as strong although it is strong enough to create the frame for our concave.

Metals

• Ferrous metals – contain iron

• Steel is a heavy metal which is very strong and hardwearing.

• Stainless Steel is a strong metal which is also non corrosive

• Cast Iron is a brittle, hard metal which is shock resistant and also wear resistant

• Non Ferrous – do not contain iron

• Copper is a soft metal which is easy to shape and is a good electrical conductor.

• Aluminum is a lightweight metal which is also not very strong

• Silver is a soft, white metal. It is a good conductor of heat and electricity. It is often used in photo film and for mirrors

• Gold is a soft, shiny, bright yellow material. It is known for being non corrosive and expensive

FabricsMan Made Fabrics• Nylon is a very strong,

elastic fabric. It dries quickly and holds its shape well.

• Polyester is a easy to wash fabric that dries quickly, doesn’t wrinkle, stretch or shrink.

Natural fabrics• Cotton is a soft fabric that

wrinkles easily. It is strong fabric that holds dye well and is good for printing.

• Wool is a hard wearing, lightweight fabric that doesn’t wrinkle easily.

• Silk is the strongest natural fiber. It is a comfortable strong material that is easily dyed.

Canvas is made from heavy yarns for industrial and heavy duty purposes.

Gauze is a thin fabric made from cotton, wool or silk. It is lightweight and has a loose weave.

Plastics

Thermoplastics• Thermoplastics are softened

by heat and can be easily molded.

• Acrylic• Polystyrene• Polythene• PVC

Thermosets• Thermosets are formed by a

heat process and set and cannot change shape.

• Melamine• Bakelite• Polyester