VCE VET Furnishing flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

PPE for machine use

Personal protective equipment worn when operating furnishing machinery, including safety glasses, hearing protection, dust mask, and closed footwear, with loose clothing and long hair secured away from cutters.

Hierarchy of control

Ranking of risk controls from most to least effective: eliminate the hazard, substitute, engineer controls such as guards and extraction, apply administrative controls, and use PPE last.

Quarter-sawn timber

Timber cut so growth rings meet the face at roughly 60 to 90 degrees, producing boards that are more dimensionally stable and show attractive figure compared with back-sawn boards.

Moisture content formula

Moisture content percentage equals wet mass minus oven-dry mass, divided by oven-dry mass, then multiplied by 100, expressing water as a share of dry timber weight.

Timber warp types

Distortion caused by uneven drying or grain orientation: cupping is across the width, bowing is along the length, twisting is a spiral, and springing is a curve in the flat face.

MDF properties

Medium density fibreboard is a reconstituted panel with uniform density and no grain, suited to machining, routing, and painting, though it has lower screw-holding strength than solid timber.

Face side and face edge

The two reference surfaces marked on a workpiece after planing; all subsequent marking out and measurement is taken from these faces to keep components square and consistent.

Squaring stock sequence

Reducing timber to size by first crosscutting to remove defects and square an end, then ripping to width, then planing or thicknessing to final thickness and checking squareness.

Abrasive grit progression

Sanding sequence that steps through grades such as 80, 120, 180, and 240 without skipping more than one step, sanding with the grain and removing dust between grits.

PVA adhesive use

Water-based wood glue suited to interior close-fitting joints; standard PVA is not moisture resistant, while cross-linked Type II and III versions tolerate limited or full exterior exposure.

Contact adhesive

Adhesive applied to both surfaces and allowed to become touch-dry before pressing together; used for laminates and edge trims rather than for structural timber joints.

Door reveal allowance

The gap left between a flush door and its frame, typically about 1.5 to 2 millimetres, allowing the door to swing freely and accommodating seasonal timber movement.

Cubic metre calculation

Timber volume found by multiplying length, width, and thickness in metres, then multiplying by the number of identical pieces to give total order volume in cubic metres.

Wastage allowance

Extra material ordered above the calculated requirement to cover defects, machining losses, and offcuts, commonly about 10 to 15 percent for solid timber and sheet goods.

Scale drawing 1:10

A drawing where one unit represents ten units in reality, so a component of 1200 millimetres is drawn at 120 millimetres and all dimensions are read at the stated scale.

3-4-5 squaring rule

Using Pythagoras to check a right angle: a triangle with sides in the ratio 3 to 4 to 5 has a true 90-degree corner, and equal diagonals confirm a frame is square.

Mitre angle formula

For a regular frame, each mitre cut equals half of 360 degrees divided by the number of sides, so a four-sided frame needs each piece cut at 45 degrees.

Cutting list contents

A production document listing each part by name, quantity, finished length, width, thickness, material, and grain direction so components are machined in the correct order.

Try square function

A hand tool with a fixed stock and blade used to mark and check 90-degree angles and to test whether a planed face or edge is square to its reference face.

Sliding bevel function

A tool with an adjustable blade that can be locked at any angle, used to transfer an existing angle to a workpiece or to set out a new angle for cutting.

Crosscut versus rip saw

Crosscut saws have teeth filed to sever fibres across the grain, while ripsaws are filed to cut along the grain; a tenon saw has a stiffened back for accurate joinery.

Block plane use

A small plane designed for one-handed use, commonly applied to end grain, small chamfers, and fine trimming where a larger bench plane would be unwieldy or too aggressive.

Thicknesser limitation

A machine that reduces stock to a uniform thickness by referencing the opposite face, so it cannot flatten a twisted or cupped board; a jointer or hand plane is needed first.

Machine cutter hand clearance

A safety rule requiring hands to be kept at least 100 millimetres from rotating cutters and push sticks to be used when feeding narrow or short stock.

Softwood versus hardwood

Softwoods come from conifers such as pine and spruce and are generally softer, while hardwoods come from broadleaved trees such as oak and jarrah and are generally denser.

Mortise and tenon proportions

A tenon is typically about one-third the thickness of its rail and should not exceed two-thirds of the depth of the mortised member, preserving strength in both parts.

Dovetail joint purpose

A joint of interlocking flared pins and tails used in drawer boxes because the shape resists pull-out tension; half-blind versions hide the joint at the drawer front.

Knockdown fittings

Cam and dowel or confirmat fasteners that allow furniture to be assembled, transported flat, and disassembled, requiring accurate boring but giving less rigidity than glued joints.

Certified timber sourcing

Timber carrying Forest Stewardship Council or Australian Forestry Standard certification, verifying that it comes from responsibly managed forests and supporting sustainable material selection.

Structured workplace learning

Supervised on-the-job training completed with an employer, recorded in a signed logbook of hours and tasks that provides third-party evidence toward units of competency.

Competency assessment rule

A unit of competency is achieved only when every performance criterion and the required knowledge and skills are demonstrated, with evidence gathered from observation, questioning, and products.

Finish recoat practice

Applying thin coats of finish, sanding lightly between coats, and observing the manufacturer's recoat time, since thick solvent coats can wrinkle or blush from trapped moisture.