Wasting.

WASTING PROCESSES - shape things by taking away material. It's called "subtractive" because material is taken away. Sometimes, this can create a lot of waste. Metals and plastics can often be recycled, but we can't always reuse waste from wood.

These processes work differently for different materials. For example, chiseling doesn't work well for plastics.

The amount of waste depends on the process and what we're doing. For example, drilling a big hole might make more waste than shaping a small piece of wood.

LATHES - Lathes are machines used for shaping materials like wood, metal, plastics, and styrofoam. There are two main types: wood lathes for wood and center lathes for metal and plastics. They work by spinning the material while a cutting tool shapes it. Some lathes are controlled by computers, which makes them faster and more precise.

CHISELING AND CARVING (WOOD).

Only suitable for use with wood although you can use a cold chisel on metal for cutting through sheet metal. Flat chisels can be used to remove wood for making joints. Gouging chisels can be used for carving out wood to make decorative items..

DIE CUTTING, CREASING AND FOLDING.

Products such as fold flat cardboard packaging are often produced from a flat sheet of corrugated cardboard which are supplied to manufacturers in a flat pack form. Such products are printed on one side and then cut and creased with a die or cutting tool.

ROUTERING - is milling, but it's for softer stuff like wood, foam, and some metals. It can be controlled by a computer or used by hand. A handheld router can do lots of jobs, like shaping edges or cutting shapes. You can also put it in a table and move the material instead of the router.

PLANING - 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. 

CUTTING METAL.

Here are the two main types of saw used primarily for metal although they can also be used on plastics. Electric saws can also have a metal blade fitted in order to cut soft and thin metals. 

There are a few examples of electric saws. Some are hand-held while other are bench mounted.

DRILLING - 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.

Different materials call for different types of drill bits and different speeds; metal should be slow and wood fast with plastic somewhere in between.

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 used for finishing jewelry.

ABRASIVES.

Abrasives are products that are used to affect the surface finish of a materials. On wood you would used glass/sandpaper 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. Wood, particularly after having a varnish or lacquer applied, can be given a final smooth finish by using wire wool. You can finish high quality metal items to a smooth and shiny surface by using metal polish such as Brasso.