Manufacturing and Production

Furniture Manufacturing and Wood Machining

Furniture is judged by touch and by whether a drawer still runs after a year, which makes joint accuracy and finish the whole product, and both are set by machine setup rather than by craftsmanship on the bench. This course covers the setup. Delegates work through material selection across solid timber, panel products and veneer, with the movement each allows. Machining follows through ripping, cross cutting, planing, moulding and sanding, with cutter geometry, feed speed and the tear out and burn that indicate a setting is wrong. Panel processing is covered including panel saws, edge banding and drilling for fittings. Joinery is addressed across dowel, biscuit, mortice and tenon and knock down fittings, with the strength and tolerance each offers. Assembly, clamping and squareness follow. Finishing is covered through sanding grades, sealing, spraying and curing, since finish defects are the commonest rejection. Upholstery is addressed at an overview level. The course closes on cutting lists, yield and batch production efficiency.