Workshop Practice
What this domain tests
Practical-skill questions on hand tools, drilling, filing, soldering, wire preparation, crimping and workshop safety, including the correct sequence of operations.
Core rules
- A file must have a handle fitted; file pressure is applied on the forward stroke only, and the file is lifted on the return.
- For tapping, the drill size is roughly the tap size minus pitch: an M6 × 1 tap needs a 5 mm drill; M4 × 0.7 needs 3.3 mm.
- Soldering uses a 25–30 W iron with rosin-cored solder; heat the joint, then apply solder to the joint, not to the iron tip. A good joint is shiny and concave.
- Strip only the insulation needed, twist stranded strands, fit a ferrule or crimp lug, and insulate with heat-shrink or tape.
- PPE: goggles while drilling, insulated gloves for live work, and a dry, clear bench. Keep 5S discipline - sort, set, shine, standardise, sustain.
Worked example
You must terminate a 2.5 mm² stranded copper conductor in a distribution board.
- Strip about 10 mm of insulation without nicking the copper.
- Twist the strands lightly and fit a crimping lug of the correct size.
- Crimp with the proper die and pull-test the lug.
- Connect to the terminal, tighten to firmness without crushing the lug, and mark the phase conductor. A loose terminal here would heat up under load and eventually burn the board.
Traps that cost marks
Using a file without a handle; soldering with a dirty, oxidised tip; stripping too much insulation and leaving copper exposed; over-tightening terminals and shearing strands; drilling without clamping the work.