Course Syllabus –Exploring Woodworking

North Country
Woodshop
COURSE OUTLINE
INTRODUCTION TO
WOODWORKING
OBJECTIVES
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Throughout this course students will learn to exemplify general lab safety.
Students will learn how to design, plan, and construct a product using wood as a primary
material.
Student will demonstrate how to produce quality furniture or cabinetry utilizing a variety of
tools and equipment.
Students will develop time management and self motivational skills during the development of
their products.
Our mission is to provide an environment where a student’s creativity and ability is not constrained by lack
of equipment or educational resources.
Course Description
Introduction to Woodworking is a course for youth ages 15 and up. Students enrolled in this 30
hour course will learn how to design, plan, and construct a wood project of their own choice.
Example projects include: tables, chairs, cabinets, and more. Step-by-step, the instructor will
demonstrate how to produce these quality projects utilizing a variety of tools and equipment.
As a means to practicing techniques that will be needed to make their final project, students
will also be making smaller wood projects. This course requires the student to first pass
rigorous safety tests on all power equipment needed for project completion.
Class Information
Prerequisites
None
Class Project
Serving board or clip board and a project of their choice (project must be
approved by instructor).
Course Time
32 hours
Age Range
15-19 years old
Tools Covered
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Table saw
Band saw
Router
Planer
Jointer
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Drill press
Chop saw
Spindle sander
Thickness sander
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Pocket screw
Hinge cutter
Mortise machine
Palm sander
Course Goals
1. General safety
2. Measuring techniques
a. Tape measure and ruler
b. Fractions
3. Power tool operations
a. How machines work
b. Efficient use of power tools
c. Tool safety demonstrations
d. Safety test
4. Hand tool operations
a. Safe and efficient use of hand tools
b. Clamps and clamping techniques
© North Country Woodshop · All rights reserved · 1170 E Cliff Rd. Burnsville, MN 55337 · 952.500.8812 · www.northcountrywoodshop.com
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5. Materials
a. Wood properties and identification
b. Estimating
c. Health considerations
6. Sanding and finishing
a. Abrasives
b. Finish types
7. Class project
a. Shop time
b. Assessments
8. Basic case construction
a. Face frame construction
b. Joinery techniques
c. Application of moldings
d. Drawer construction
9. Planning principles
a. Layout and design
b. Basic drafting techniques
c. Creating cut lists
d. Bill of materials
10. Project
a. Working off a plan
b. Shop time
c. Gluing and Assembly methods
Instructional Philosophy and Delivery Plan
Expectation: Students will be expected to meet all the course goals by demonstrating their
understanding of basic concepts of each topic area. Student must also pass all safety
requirements prior to machine operation.
Delivery Method: Instruction will consist of lecture, reading, writing, discussion, selfassessment, hands on activities, projects and the use of technology.
Assessment: Students will be graded on the following items: written work, daily work, tests,
group work, and individual projects.
© North Country Woodshop · All rights reserved · 1170 E Cliff Rd. Burnsville, MN 55337 · 952.500.8812 · www.northcountrywoodshop.com
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North Country Woodshop
Introduction to Woodworking
Sample Handout
Working with Lumber
5 Types of Defects- Bow, crook, twist, kink, and cup.
Warp is the result of uneven shrinkage.
Ways to minimize waste while correcting these issues.
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Break it down to smaller pieces.
Face jointing to straighten one face.
Edge jointing to straighten one edge.
The grain will dictate what direction you will feed it.
Jointer
Jointer- Will put a straight edge on the board’s edge and/or face.
General information:
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The height of the infeed table determines the depth of cut.
The outfeed table supports the work piece after it passes the cutterhead.
o The outfeed table is set at the exact height of the cutterhead.
o It should only be moved when changing knives or it becomes misaligned.
Jointers are typically 4-12” wide.
The fence can be 90˚ or angled.
The fence slides to allow use of the sharpest part of the knife and to keep knives sharp longer.
Jointing end grain is unusual but possible.
Face jointing prepares the board for surface planing.
Do not put pressure down on a bowed piece. It will not straighten!
Face or edge jointing should be run with crown up (see drawings below).
Feed speed depends on type of wood, thickness or width of wood, and sharpness of knives.
Listen to the motor.
© North Country Woodshop · All rights reserved · 1170 E Cliff Rd. Burnsville, MN 55337 · 952.500.8812 · www.northcountrywoodshop.com
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Typically cuts should be no more than 1/8”.
Planer
Planer- Its basic purpose is to surface lumber and reduce its thickness.
Infeed
roller
(solid or
sectional)
Feed direction
General information:
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The planer does not straighten warped lumber.
The minimum length of material depends on the planer.
o It is typically measured by the distance between the infeed and outfeed rollers.
Check for defects including knots, cracks, or bark.
Cutterheads typically have 3-4 knives that are high speed steel or carbide.
Planers usually range from 12-30” wide.
Most planers have adjustable feed speed.
Steps:
1. Set height- the amount that can be taken off depends on the width and density of the material
as well as the feed speed. Use a slower feed rate for hardwoods and a faster one for softwoods.
It is always best to take light cuts (1/16” or less).
2. Power up machine.
3. Feed the stock, the infeed roller should grab- if not raise the table.
4. If the piece sticks and cannot be pushed then STOP the machine. Wait until cutterhead stops.
Lower the table to remove piece. NEVER LOOK INTO MACHINE WHILE IT IS RUNNING.
5. For final cut, rely on tape measure instead of gauge.
© North Country Woodshop · All rights reserved · 1170 E Cliff Rd. Burnsville, MN 55337 · 952.500.8812 · www.northcountrywoodshop.com
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Table Saw
Table saw- Used for ripping and cross cutting solid wood and wood panels (plywood, mdf, particle
board). It can also be used to cut dados.
Use a rip fence when the blade-to-fence
distance is less than the cut length.
Use a miter gauge when the material width is less
than the distance from the blade to the table
edge.
© North Country Woodshop · All rights reserved · 1170 E Cliff Rd. Burnsville, MN 55337 · 952.500.8812 · www.northcountrywoodshop.com
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