Processing Woods

Wasting Processes

Wasting processes shape the object or component by the removal of material.

It is a subtractive process which, in some circumstances can be very wasteful. Some materials such as metals and polymers may be able to be recycled but the waste from wood cannot always be used to make products.

These are the processes available but not all are suitable for the full range of materials, for example chiseling is not suitable for plastics.

They are presented here in order of the typical amount of waste produced but this is only a guideline. For instance, drilling a very large hole could remove more waste than turning a small piece of wood.

Lathes

This can either be a wood lathe (wood) or a centre lathe (which can use metal and polymers) but both involve the rotation of the material to be worked; hence the name 'turning'.

A cutting tool moves left to right and towards the centre to shape the material. The machine may also be a CNC controlled version which allows for greater speed and accuracy.

Chiseling and carving (Wood)

Flat chisels / dovetail chisels can be used to remove wood for making joints. Gouging chisels can be used for carving out wood to make decorative items.

Sanctuary of Truth

Routering (Wood)

Routering uses a rotary cutter(s) to remove material and it is for materials such as wood and foam. It can be CNC operated or in hand-held form as a 'plunge' router which can perform a variety of tasks from putting a profile on an edge to cutting out shapes from panels. It can also be mounted into a table allowing the user to feed material into the cutter rather than moving the router itself.

Planing (Wood)

Planing involves shaving away at the wood with a sharp blade which is mounted into the body of the 'plane'. A variety of different planes are available and the process dates back thousands of years.

Cutting Wood

Here are a few examples of hand saws used primarily for wood.

Can you name them and what they are used for?

See Workshop Tools and Equipment for the names

Drilling (Wood, Metal and Plastic)

Holes in materials are generally made by using a drill and a drill bit. There are two main types of drill and again, can be hand powered or electrically powered. Can you name them?

Drill Bits (tools)

Different materials call for different types of drill bits and different speeds; Speeds for woods should generally be fast.

Filing

Files are used to apply a final shape to a product or to remove imperfections. There are several types of file ranging from rasps which remove a lot of wood quickly but leave a rough surface through to tiny needle files.

Abrasives

Abrasives are products that are used to affect the surface finish of a materials. On wood you would used glass (sand) paper to remove the rough surface and leave the wood smooth. Hence the term ‘sanding it down’. The lower the ‘grit’ number, the more coarse and abrasive the paper will be. The higher the grit number the smoother the paper is.

Wood, particularly after having a varnish or lacquer applied, can be given a final smooth finish by using wire wool.

Summary

Wasting is a subtractive process. Any process that removes material to shape the object is a wasting technique.
Because of the nature of wood, it is commonly shaped through wasting techniques.
Wasting techniques are often the least environmentally friendly due to the amount of waste material but it can often be recycled or reused.
A range of tools and processes can be used to shape an object by removing materials
A range of abrasives are used to affect the surface finish of materials.

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