2021 HSC Timber paper

A

A

D

B

A

D

C

Sliding bevel (2021 marking feedback).

Memorise pack: notes 3.11

• Correctly names the tool 1

NESA sample answer

Sliding bevel.

Kiln seasoning is much faster (days or weeks rather than months or years) because heat, humidity and airflow are controlled. It can also dry timber to a precise, lower moisture content suited to indoor furniture, and the heat kills insects and fungi.

Memorise pack: T2

• Provides the advantages of kiln seasoning 2
 • Provides at least one advantage 1

NESA sample answer

Timber can be dried to an exact moisture content.
Reduction in time for seasoning (quick method).

Answers could include

• Weather does not affect the process
• Does not require a lot of space
• Seasoned timber is always available
• Kills insects and fungi.

Work out the top size first: frame length + 80 mm and width + 80 mm (40 mm overhang on each side). Number of top boards = top width ÷ 140, rounded up. Cost = number of boards × top length (m) × $20.00. Add the given leg, long-rail and short-rail costs for the total. Exact figures depend on the diagram dimensions; check the 2021 marking guidelines.

Memorise pack: T16

• Provides the correct answers to all 3 calculations 3
 • Provides the correct answers to at least 2 calculations 2
 • Provides the correct answers to at least 1 calculations 1

NESA sample answer

Member Number Length Width Thickness Cost per Total cost
 metre
 Legs 4 431 40 40 $10.00 $17.24
 Long rails 2 920 75 40 $5.00 $9.20
 Short rails 2 400 75 19 $5.00 $4.00
 Top 4 1080 140 19 $20.00 $86.40
 Total cost $116.84
Note – 3 calculations = correctly determine size of top: correct multiplication; correct addition.
NESA 2021 HSC Industrial Technology – Timber Products and Furniture Technologies Marking Guidelines

Logs are debarked, cut into billets and softened by soaking or steaming. Each billet is rotary-peeled on a lathe into a continuous veneer, which is clipped into sheets and dried to a low moisture content, then graded and patched. Glue is applied and the veneers are laid up with the grain of each layer at 90° to the next, using an odd number of plies. The lay-up is hot-pressed so heat and pressure cure the glue, then the sheets are trimmed, sanded to thickness and graded.

Memorise pack: T4

• Provides characteristics and features of plywood manufacture 4
• Sketches in general terms features of plywood manufacture 3
• Provides a feature of plywood manufacture 2
• Provides some relevant information 1

NESA sample answer

Plywood is usually made by bonding three or more thin sheets of timber, known as plies, so
that the grain is at right angles in adjacent layers. The number of layers is usually odd,
ranging from 3 to 21.

Answers could include

Veneer is produced from logs using rotary peeling or slicing; veneer sheets are glued, with
grains at ninety degrees to each other; pressure applied; trim edges and cut to size.

Timber selection: use plantation, recycled or certified (FSC/Responsible Wood) timber rather than illegally logged or rare exotic species, to protect native forests and biodiversity. Economical use: plan cutting lists and sheet layouts to minimise waste, and reuse offcuts. Manufactured boards make use of residues, but low-formaldehyde (E0/E1) boards should be chosen to limit emissions. Finishes: low-VOC water-based finishes reduce air pollution, and solvents and rags must go to approved waste facilities. Life cycle: durable, repairable designs and flat-pack transport reduce resource use and freight emissions, and designing for disassembly allows recycling at the end of the product's life.

Memorise pack: T14

• Provides a comprehensive understanding of the characteristics and
 5
 features of environmental considerations for the timber industry
• Provides a sound understanding of the characteristics and features of
 4
 environmental considerations for the timber industry
• Sketches in general terms environmental considerations for the timber
 industry
OR 3
• Provides characteristics and features of at least one environmental
 consideration
• Shows some understanding of environmental issues 2
• Provides some relevant information 1

Answers could include

• Use of plantation timbers
• Recycling/reusing timbers
• Waste minimisation
• Pollution control (dust, noise, chemicals)
• WHS issues.
NESA 2021 HSC Industrial Technology – Timber Products and Furniture Technologies Marking Guidelines
Section III

If demand falls and the company downsizes, redundancies must follow the Fair Work Act 2009 and the relevant award (e.g. the Timber Industry Award 2020), including consultation, notice and redundancy pay. The selection of who is retrenched must be fair and non-discriminatory. Unions represent workers in negotiating these changes, redundancy packages and new enterprise (group) agreements. Disputes can arise if consultation is poor, possibly leading to industrial action and lost production.

If demand rises and the company expands, it must recruit fairly under equal employment opportunity (EEO) and anti-discrimination law. It may negotiate overtime, shift work and new individual or group contracts. Introducing new technology or roles changes job descriptions and pay rates, so the employer must consult workers and unions to avoid disputes.

Memorise pack: S12

• Demonstrates comprehensive understanding of the characteristics and
 features of industrial relations issues that would occur to adapt to the 5
 company’s changes
• Demonstrates a sound understanding of the characteristics and features
 of industrial relations issues that would occur to adapt to the company’s 4
 changes
• Sketches in general terms industrial relations issues that would occur to
 adapt to the company’s changes
 3
OR
• Provides characteristics and features of one industrial issue
• Shows some understanding of industrial relations issues that would occur 2
• Provides some relevant information 1

NESA sample answer

If the company is going to downsize this could lead to employee job losses and
retrenchments. This requires redundancy packages and union negotiation in regards to
individual contracts. The company needs to ensure that employees’ rights are protected in
accordance with government legislation and policies. The retrenchment process needs to be
conducted in an equitable fashion.
If the company is going to expand, recruitment of new staff will be necessary. Existing staff
can be retained and upskilled. Unions play a major role in the negotiation of group and
individual contracts. Equal Employment Opportunity legislation has implications for the hiring
of new staff. This includes new employees and the promotion of existing staff.
NESA 2021 HSC Industrial Technology – Timber Products and Furniture Technologies Marking Guidelines

When a furniture company modifies its operations, for example by expanding production and introducing CNC technology, it creates significant career and training opportunities that benefit both workers and the business.

Apprenticeships and recruitment: expansion creates entry-level jobs and apprenticeships, such as a Certificate III in Cabinet Making through TAFE NSW, combining paid on-the-job work with off-the-job study. This builds a skilled workforce for the future.

Upskilling on new technology: introducing a CNC router means existing workers need training in CAD/CAM programming, machine operation and maintenance, through supplier training (e.g. the machine manufacturer) or short courses. This keeps experienced workers employed in higher-skilled, better-paid roles.

Multi-skilling: training workers across several machines or stations lets the company move staff where demand is greatest, improving efficiency and making workers more secure and employable.

Career progression: expansion creates supervisor, quality control, production planning and management roles. Workers who complete leadership or project management courses can be promoted, and the firm keeps knowledge in-house.

If the company downsizes instead, retraining and redeployment can replace redundancies, and workers who keep their skills current are less likely to be made redundant. Training is also legally required for WHS: induction and machine-specific competency training reduce injuries.

Overall, training and career opportunities are vital: they increase productivity, quality and safety for the business and give workers job security, higher pay and promotion.

Memorise pack: S13

• Provides detailed strategies the company could implement to provide
 career and training opportunities to its employees and links the strategy to 9–10
 the desired outcome
• Provides sound strategies the company could implement to provide
 career and training opportunities to its employees and makes some link to 7–8
 the outcome
• Describes some strategies the company could implement to provide
 career and training opportunities to its employees
OR
 5–6
• Identifies a strategy the company could implement to provide career and
 training opportunities to its employees and provides points for and/or
 against the strategy
• Outlines strategies the company could implement to provide career and
 3–4
 training opportunities to its employees
• Provides some relevant information 1–2

Answers could include

Strategies for company expansion:
• Employees have opportunities to train and further develop their knowledge and skills in
 the industry they work in

• If the company brings in a new machinery or technology, it must make sure all employees
 get trained to use the machinery or technology
• All employees must be provided with the opportunity to further their career by training
 through TAFE or universities
• Training to use special machines or technologies through outside agencies or in-house
 training
• On the job training where employees get trained while they are working
• Multi-skilling of employees
• Management opportunities/change structure/leadership opportunities/internship
 traineeships
• Recruitment/hiring of new staff to meet the significant change in demand.
Strategies for downsizing:
• Employees can be retrained
• Voluntary redundancies
• Employees who go for regular training in new courses are not likely to be made redundant
• Part time / casual work
• Government subsidy
• Management structure change.
NESA 2021 HSC Industrial Technology – Timber Products and Furniture Technologies Marking Guidelines
2021 HSC Industrial Technology
Timber Products and Furniture Technologies