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Shaping by wasting
Shaping by wasting simply means cutting away material to leave the desired shape. It gets its name because the material which is removed, such as shavings or sawdust, is usually thrown away. Shaping by wasting can be done on any type of material.
Shaping by wasting which can be done by hand
| Process | Wood | Metal | Plastics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cutting straight lines | Tenon saw (dovetail saw for fine work) | Hacksaw (junior hacksaw for small work) | Hacksaw (junior hacksaw for small work) |
| Cutting curved lines | Coping saw (fret saw for fine work) | Abra saw (piercing saw for fine work). Tin snips can be used on thin sheet metal | Abra saw (piercing saw for fine work). A coping saw can also be used |
| Trimming cut edges to a straight line | Jack plane or smoothing plane | Flat or hand file | Flat or hand file |
| Trimming cut edges to a curved line | Spokeshave or rasp | Round or half round file | Round or half round file |
| Cutting grooves and slots | Tenon saw to cut sides, then wood chisel or coping saw | Drill holes at ends, then use abra saw | Drill holes at ends, then use abra saw or piercing saw |
Machine wasting
Cutting timber on a circular saw bench
Almost any wasting technique can be mechanised. For health and safety reasons, some of these processes should only be done by a teacher.
Common machines used for shaping by wasting
| Process | Wood | Metal | Plastics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cutting curved lines | Jig saw, either fixed or portable, with suitable blade. Band saw (teachers only) | Bench mounted Jig saw (with suitable blade). Band saw (teachers only) | Jig saw, either fixed or portable, with suitable blade. Band saw (teachers only) |
| Making holes | Drilling machine and suitable drill bits | Drilling machine and twist drills | Drilling machine and twist drills |
| Creating round shapes of different diameters | Wood turning lathe | Metal turning lathe | Metal turning lathe |
| Cutting grooves and slots | Hand router or Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling machine | Vertical milling machine or CNC milling machine | Vertical milling machine or CNC milling machine |
Shaping machines may also be controlled by computers - an example of computer-aided manufacturing [computer-aided manufacturing: use of computers to assist in any of the phases of manufacturing a product. CAM for short ]. Computer control means the work is more accurate and the task can be more frequently and quickly repeated without any deviation from the standard.
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