Topic 1.1- Woods

Beech [Hardwood]
FUNCTIONS
- indoor furniture
- interior woodwork
- window frames
- veneers
AESTHETICS
- can be stained easily
- aesthetically pleasing
PROPERTIES
ADV: easy to work with
: durable
: finishes well
DISADV: prone to warping (going out of shape)

Pine {Softwood}
FUNCTIONS
-constructional woodwork
- floorboards
- children's toys
AESTHETICS
- has a lot of knots
- light brown/creamy colour
PROPERTIES
ADV: easy to work with
DISADV: knotty and prone to warping

Plywood {Manufactured}
FUNCTIONS
- boat building
- drawer bottoms
- shuttering
AESTHETICS
- always odd number of veneers
- each ply is at a right angle to the one below = stronger
- two outside layers go in the same direction
PROPERTIES
ADV: tensile strength
- some finishes look good
DISADV: prone to splitting
- some finishes have knots in them

MDF {Manufactured}
FUNCTIONS
- drawer bottoms
- heat/sound insulation
- kitchen units
- flat pack furniture
AESTHETICS
- excellent finish surface
- veneered or painted
PROPERTIES
ADV: dense
- flat with no knots
- no surface grain
- can be veneered/painted
DISADV: can cause irratation

Oak[Hardwood]
Functions-
- high quality furniture
- garden benches
- boat building
- veneers
Aesthetics-
- varies in wood colour> versatile
- can be finished in many ways
- has a natural grain>good for furniture
Properties
ADV: finishes well> comes in a variety so flexible for customers
DISADV: heavy> hard to transport
- Contains acid>corrodes steel ruining other objects