Carpentry and Furniture Making

Who it is for. Beginners with no formal certificate, including school leavers, women's groups and persons with disabilities. National Proficiency I is the first level of Ghana's TVET framework.

Why carpentry and furniture

• A study of 300 Ghanaian timber firms found that the furniture industry struggles with the decline of the preferred traditional timbers and with competition from imported furniture.
• The same study found most makers hardly use lesser-used species, often because they lack information on what those woods can do.
• A study of knockdown furniture in Ghana found weak knowledge of wood seasoning and finishing. So a carpenter who understands seasoning, finishing and legal timber has an advantage. This is an inference from these studies, not a measured fact.
• A news report describes the furniture sector as a route to work for young people who cannot continue to higher education.
• Ghana's timber and timber products earned about US$260 million in 2025 from exports and local sales.
• Carpenters are among the building trades in short supply in Ghana.

How the module works

Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent. About 70% of the time is practical. Every unit ends with homework and Check yourself, three quick questions. Keep all your work in your logbook.

Words on prices, names and sizes

• Prices. No current Ghana price list for timber, glue, screws or varnish was found. Every price in this module marked example is invented to teach the sums. Before you quote any job, phone three local timber yards or hardware shops and write down their prices with the date.
• Names. Local names for tools differ from place to place. This manual uses the common English names and the Ghana timber names that were verified. Ask your trainer and the carpenters around you for the local tool names (local tool names not verified).
• Sizes. Cutting-list sizes in this module are examples from general trade practice, labelled "typical practice; trainer to check". Your trainer must test a project before you build it.
• Foreign guidance. Where a safety or method source comes from another country (UK, Australia, the USA), the text says so. The rule is still a good rule, but Ghana's own law is what counts.

Competency standard

Range. The training workshop and hand tools. Machines are watched, not used. Evidence. Hazard walk record; first aid practical; oral questions.

The main hazards

• Wood dust from saws can be very high, and hardwoods and MDF give far more dust than softwoods. Dust can cause skin problems and asthma, and hardwood dust can cause nasal cancer. The first control is to remove dust at the source; a dust mask is the last line of defence. This is UK guidance; Ghana-specific dust limits were not found.
• The UK health regulator lists noise, wood dust, manual handling, fire and explosion, and slips and trips as woodworking hazards.

Your protection

Hand tool safety rules

These are common trade rules (typical practice; trainer to check).

1. Cut away from your body. Never hold the work in one hand and cut towards that hand.
2. Keep both hands behind the cutting edge of a chisel.
3. Clamp the work. A moving board makes a cut that slips.
4. A sharp tool is safer than a blunt one, because you push less and it slips less.
5. Carry saws and chisels with the edge covered or pointing down.
6. Put tools back in their place. Never leave a chisel or saw on top of the work.
7. Keep the floor clear of off-cuts and shavings to avoid slips and trips.

Machines: what you should know

At Level 1 you watch machines, but you must know the rules because you will work near them.

• Machines need fixed guards. Where a guard alone cannot keep hands away, use push sticks and jigs as well.
• A school safety document that applies the UK machine code gives these figures: a push stick at least 450 mm long; use it for any cut under 300 mm and for the last 300 mm of a longer cut; hands never closer than 300 mm to the blade; adjust a guard only with the machine stopped. These are UK figures, for teaching.
• Circular saw benches are controlled with a guard, a riving knife and anti-kickback devices. Stand out of the line of the blade.
• Wiring for any machine in a Ghana workshop is done only by an Energy Commission licensed electrician. A trip switch (RCD) on the workshop circuit is normal good practice (typical practice; trainer to check).

First aid for a cut

These steps come from first aid bodies in Australia and the UK. Your trainer should check them against the Ghana Red Cross or a nurse.

1. Get help. Shout for the trainer. For a bad bleed, call for emergency help. The Ghana ambulance number is not verified in this manual: your trainer must write it on the first aid box.
2. Press hard on and around the wound with a clean pad or cloth, or let the injured person press it. Press the edges of the wound together if you can.
3. Raise the injured part above the heart, unless you think a bone is broken.
4. Cover with a pad and bandage. If blood soaks through, add more on top. Do not remove the first pad.
5. If something is stuck in the wound, do not pull it out. Press on either side of it.
6. Check the bandage is not too tight. Press a fingernail below it for 5 seconds. If the colour does not come back in about 2 seconds, loosen it.
7. Give no food or drink to someone who is badly hurt.
8. Small cut: wash with clean water, cover with a clean dressing. Avoid cotton wool on the wound.
9. If a finger or part is cut off, get help at once. Do not delay to tidy up. Handling the cut-off part: not verified here, your trainer must teach it.

Check yourself

1. Which hand-tool rule keeps your hand safe when you chisel?
2. Why is a sharp saw safer than a blunt one?
3. What do you do if something is stuck in a bad cut?

Competency standard

Range. The trainee's own set of hand tools. Evidence. Tool identification test; observation of use; a sharp chisel.

The tool kit

Where to buy. Hardware shops and tool sellers in Takoradi sell basic tools. Prices were not found. Ask three shops and write the prices with the date (example prices only in this manual). Buy tools that hold an edge; cheap soft steel goes blunt quickly. Ask the carpenters around you which brands they trust. Used tools from a retiring carpenter are often a good buy.

Wikibooks' free woodworking book lists these drill and screwdriver types: a twist drill makes a long clean hole (used for dowel holes); a centre bit makes shallow holes up to about 50 mm; a countersink bit makes the cone-shaped recess for a screw head; an auger bit makes holes of about 6 to 25 mm; screwdriver heads are slotted, Phillips, square drive and Torx.

How to use the main tools

These steps are general trade practice (typical practice; trainer to check). Your trainer and a master carpenter will show each one.

The try square

1. Hold the stock (thick handle) firmly against a planed, straight edge of the board.
2. Slide the blade along the board until it touches the face.
3. Mark along the blade with a pencil or knife.
4. Check the square itself: draw a line, flip the square over and draw a second line against the same edge. If the lines do not match, the square is wrong; do not use it.

The hand saw

1. Clamp the board, or hold it on a bench hook, with the cut line just past the edge.
2. Start the cut with a few short, light backward strokes, with your thumb as a guide.
3. Use long, even strokes with a relaxed grip. Let the saw do the work; do not push hard.
4. Keep your eye above the saw so you see both the line and the blade.
5. Saw on the waste side of the line, so that the line stays on the piece you keep.
6. Slow down near the end and support the off-cut so it does not break away.

The plane

1. Check the blade is sharp and sticks out only a hair's thickness; a thick shaving needs a big effort.
2. Clamp the board. Stand with your feet apart, and push with your body weight, not just your arms.
3. Start with pressure on the front of the plane, and move it to the back at the end of the stroke.
4. Plane with the grain (the direction that gives a smooth shaving, not tearing).
5. Sight along the board to check it is flat, then check with the edge of a steel rule or straight edge.

The chisel

1. Clamp the work.
2. Keep both hands behind the edge. Use one hand to guide, the other to push or tap with a mallet.
3. Make small cuts. Do not try to remove too much at once.
4. For paring (thin, clean cuts), push by hand with the bevel up and control it with your other hand.
5. For chopping, tap the end of the chisel with the mallet.

Sharpening a chisel or plane blade

Sharp tools cut cleanly and safely. The numbers below come from woodworking sites in the USA and UK, for teaching.

• Flatten the back of the blade once, so it is smooth right to the edge.
• The primary bevel is about 25 degrees.
• Then hone a small second bevel at about 27 to 28 degrees on a coarse stone (about 1,000 grit) and then a fine stone (about 4,000 grit).
• Chisels are about 25 to 35 degrees; plane blades about 25 to 30 degrees.
• A honing guide holds the angle for you, which helps beginners.

Steps (typical practice; trainer to check).

1. Wet the stone as the stone's maker advises (water or oil; use only one on a given stone).
2. Clamp the chisel in the honing guide at the right angle.
3. Rub the bevel on the coarse stone with firm, even strokes until you feel a tiny burr on the back.
4. Move to the fine stone and make the same strokes, using lighter pressure.
5. Lay the back flat on the stone and take off the burr with one or two strokes.
6. Test: a sharp chisel shaves a thin curl from the end of a piece of softwood. A blunt one crushes the wood.

Looking after tools

Check yourself

1. Which side of the marked line do you saw on?
2. Why must you flatten the back of a chisel?
3. Name two things you do to protect tools from rust.

Competency standard

Range. The timber species in this unit and the local yard. Evidence. Species chart; yard visit report; board check.

Common Ghana timbers

All property figures below are typical and differ from tree to tree, so treat them as a guide.

• About ten species give roughly 90% of timber export sales, and species such as odum are over-used. Lesser-used species are a chance for you, but most makers do not use them because they lack information. Ask your trainer and a timber yard which lesser-used woods are for sale and what they are good for.
• Strength figures for wawa and emire from a Ghana source were not found (not verified). If you need strength for a job, ask a timber yard or the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG).
• Rule of thumb (typical practice; trainer to check): do not use a non-durable species outside or in contact with the ground without treatment.

Why moisture matters

Wood is full of water when a tree is cut. As it dries it shrinks and can twist, crack or warp. Seasoning means drying timber evenly, with little damage, until it is close to the moisture level of the air where it will be used. That level is the equilibrium moisture content (EMC).

• In Ghana, a study of 21 towns found yearly EMC values for sheltered outdoor timber from 9.8% (Navrongo) to 18.3% (Takoradi). So timber for use outside near Takoradi settles near 18%. Indoors, especially in air-conditioned rooms, it settles lower. This is a climate study, not a standard.
• Air drying alone gets timber down to about 20%. A moisture meter tells you the actual figure. A meter's price in Ghana was not found.
• Wawa dries quickly and easily with little damage.

Stacking timber to air-dry (typical practice, not verified in a Ghana source; trainer to check):

1. Choose a dry, shaded, airy place off the ground.
2. Lay the boards flat with stickers (equal-thickness strips) between layers, lined up one above another so the stack does not bend.
3. Seal the end grain with paint or wax, so the ends do not dry too fast and split.
4. Put a weight on top to keep the boards flat.
5. Check often with a moisture meter, and keep a record.
6. Make furniture when the wood is close to the EMC of where the furniture will live.

Legal sourcing

This part is about your business safety. It is not legal advice. Check the current position with the Forestry Commission office in Takoradi.

• Chainsaw milling to sell lumber is illegal in Ghana under the Timber Resources Management Act 1997 (Act 547) and its 1998 regulations (LI 1649).
• The ban has not worked in practice. Chainsaw lumber supplies most of the local market, and one study quoted 84% of local supply from illegal chainsaw milling, probably dated. The current position in 2026 is not verified.
• A news report says specialised lumber and solid wood for furniture has become an "illegal commodity" in most timber markets.
• Ghana has a system to trace timber, and a domestic documents system (a dealer registration certificate, and a domestic timber inspection certificate) was planned for local sales.
• Harvest of some species is restricted, including sapele, iroko (odum) and the African mahoganies.
• Rosewood (Pterocarpus erinaceus, called kono): harvest and export have been banned since 2014 and it has been protected under the CITES treaty since 2017. Whether it can be sold locally and the current enforcement in 2025 and 2026 is not verified.

What this means for you (our own inference).

1. Buy from a registered yard that can say where the wood came from, and keep every receipt.
2. Do not buy rosewood.
3. Do not buy wood you suspect came from a protected forest.
4. Illegal timber can be seized, and the customer who owns the furniture can lose it. What papers a small carpenter must keep when buying local timber is not verified: phone the Forestry Commission in Takoradi.
5. Use legal alternatives: plantation teak, lesser-used species, and sawn timber from a licensed mill.

How to check a board

1. Look along the edge. Close one eye and sight along the board. A curve is a bow or spring; a twist like a propeller is winding. Reject badly twisted boards.
2. Look at the faces for cracks, knots that are loose or large, rot, blue stain or insect holes (small round holes may be borers).
3. Look at the ends. Large splits mean it dried too fast.
4. Smell and feel. Wet or green wood feels cold, heavy and damp; mouldy or musty smell means it was stored wet.
5. If you have a moisture meter, push the pins in at three places and write the readings.
6. Ask for a receipt that says the species, size and where it came from.

Check yourself

1. Name two Ghana timbers and one use for each.
2. Why does timber warp if it is used wet?
3. Name one thing you must not buy and one thing you should keep when you buy timber.

Competency standard

Range. One practice board and a small box or frame. Evidence. Finished pieces checked against the cutting list; observation.

These steps are general trade practice (typical practice; trainer to check). The free Wikibooks woodworking book describes the same chapters as "breaking down and dressing" rough timber, but it is incomplete.

Measuring and marking

1. Read your cutting list and your drawing before you touch the timber.
2. Use the same tape or rule for all the pieces of one job. Different tapes can disagree by a millimetre or two.
3. Measure from a straight, square end, not from a damaged end. If the end is rough, square a new end first.
4. Mark with a sharp pencil or a marking knife. A knife line gives a cleaner cut for joints.
5. Make a small V mark (an arrow) to show which side of the line is waste.
6. Mark a face side and face edge on each piece (a small curly mark). All measuring and gauging is taken from these two faces; this keeps the parts matching.
7. Use the try square from the face edge to mark across. Carry the line round the board with the square.
8. Use the marking gauge to mark lines parallel to an edge: set the fence to the distance and score a line while pushing the gauge away from you.
9. Label each piece (for example, "Leg 1") so you do not mix them up.

Sawing

1. Mark the line all round the board with a square.
2. Clamp the board with the line just beyond the bench edge, or hold it on a bench hook.
3. Start the cut at the far edge with short backward strokes, with the saw teeth just on the waste side.
4. Use long, even strokes, with the saw at about 45 degrees for a cross cut across the grain.
5. Keep the saw straight up and down: check from the side against a square.
6. Near the end, support the off-cut, and cut slowly.
7. Keep the line. The saw takes a thin slice (the kerf, typically a few millimetres: about 2 to 3 mm for a hand saw, typical practice; trainer to check). Plan for it.

Common mistakes and fixes

Planing a board square: face, edge, width, thickness

This is the standard order, called dressing timber.

1. Plane one face flat. Check it with a straight edge across, along and corner to corner. Mark it as the face side.
2. Plane one edge straight and square to the face side. Check with a try square from the face side. Mark it as the face edge.
3. Gauge the width from the face edge. Plane the other edge to the line.
4. Gauge the thickness from the face side all round the board. Plane the other face to the line.
5. Cut the ends square, to length.

Planing tips.

• Plane with the grain. If the grain tears, turn the board round, or take a thinner shaving.
• Take thin shavings near the finish line.
• Do not plane past the gauge line.
• Check often. Do not take off too much.

Drilling

1. Mark the centre of the hole with a centre punch or a nail, so the bit does not wander.
2. Choose the bit: a twist bit for a clean hole, a centre bit for shallow holes, a countersink for screw heads.
3. Wrap tape on the bit at the depth you want, or use a depth stop.
4. Drill square to the face. Ask a partner to watch from the side, or use a drill guide block.
5. For through holes, put a spare block behind the board so the back does not splinter.
6. Clear shavings out often.

For a screw. In hardwood, drill a pilot hole (a small hole for the screw to grip) and a countersink so the head sits flush. Nails are best driven across the grain at a slight angle for strength (typical practice; trainer to check).

Check yourself

1. Why do you mark a face side and a face edge?
2. What is a kerf?
3. Why put a spare block behind a board when drilling through it?

Competency standard

Range. One edge joint, one halving joint, one dowel joint and one stool. Evidence. The finished joints and stool; checks recorded; logbook.

The main joints

Facts to remember.

• For a mortise and tenon, the tenon is about one third of the rail thickness.
• A dovetail slope of 1 in 6 is for softwood and 1 in 8 for hardwood.
• A dowel in a blind hole needs a path for glue and air to escape (a flat on its side or a groove), or the wood can split.

Glue

• Use PVA wood glue. Typical times for this type of glue, from a UK supplier and a US maker: you have about 10 to 20 minutes to assemble, and should clamp for 30 to 90 minutes if the joint carries no load, or up to about 24 hours if the joint will be stressed. Read your own glue's label, which is the rule for that glue.
• Wait several days before planing or sanding a glued-up board made with water-based glue, or the joint can dry "sunken".
• Clean off glue squeeze-out; dried glue shows under a clear finish.

Joint 1: glued edge joint (butt joint)

1. Choose two boards that match in colour and grain. Mark them so that you know which edges meet.
2. Plane the two edges so that they are straight and square. Put them together and hold them up to the light. No gap should show.
3. Dry fit them with the clamps (no glue). Make sure the clamps are ready.
4. Spread glue thinly on one edge.
5. Press the two boards together, add clamps from both sides (alternate over and under) with gentle pressure. Over-tight clamps squeeze out all the glue.
6. Wipe the squeezed-out glue with a damp cloth.
7. Leave to set as the label says.

Joint 2: halving joint

1. Plane both pieces to the same width and thickness.
2. Mark the shoulder lines with a knife and square.
3. Set the marking gauge to half the thickness and gauge the depth on both pieces.
4. Score the shoulder lines. Saw down to the gauge line on the waste side, using a back saw.
5. Remove the waste with a sharp chisel: pare in small cuts, working from both sides to the middle.
6. Test the fit. It should slide together by hand and be flat on both faces.
7. Glue and clamp, or glue and screw. Check it is square.

(Method: Source: Fairham Joints)

Joint 3: dowel joint

1. Plane the pieces to size, and cut them to length.
2. Mark the hole positions on the two pieces together with a try square, with the pieces held side by side. Use a pencil or knife line across both.
3. Set a marking gauge to the middle of the thickness and mark the hole centres.
4. Choose the dowel size: about one third of the board thickness is a common rule (typical practice; trainer to check). For 20 mm rails, that is about 6 to 8 mm.
5. Drill the holes square and to a set depth with a depth marker, about 3 to 4 times the dowel diameter in total (typical practice; trainer to check).
6. Cut the dowels about 5 mm shorter than the two holes together, and cut a small flat or groove down one side for glue to escape.
7. Dry fit. If the holes are out of line, the joint will not close.
8. Put glue in the holes and on the dowel, not too much; push the joint together and clamp.

Project: a stool (a worked example)

All sizes are examples (typical practice; trainer to check). Your trainer should make and test a stool first. The stool is about 475 mm high and the seat is 330 mm square.

Tools. Steel tape, try square, marking gauge and knife, hand saw, back saw, jack and smoothing planes, chisel, drill and bits, clamps, mallet, sandpaper. Materials. Wawa, emire or other dry, legal hardwood boards; PVA glue; 6 to 8 mm dowels; sandpaper. Timber. For example, a dry board 25 mm thick for the seat; and 45 mm square pieces for the legs.

Cutting list (finished sizes in mm, example)

The frame is 300 mm wide outside the legs (45 + 210 + 45), and the seat overhangs the frame by 15 mm each side.

Steps.

1. Check the cutting list, the drawing and the timber. Dry boards only.
2. Dress the leg and rail timber to size (face, edge, width, thickness). Cut to length.
3. Glue the seat: edge-joint two boards to make a 330 mm square, with clamps. Leave to set.
4. Mark the joints: put legs and rails together as they will go. Number each joint (for example, A1 on both pieces). Mark each rail so the top edge of the rail is 20 mm below the top of the leg.
5. Drill the dowel holes: two dowels per rail end, 8 joints in all, so 16 dowels. Drill square and to depth.
6. Dry fit one side: two legs and two rails. Check it is flat and square.
7. Glue the two sides first (a pair of legs with two rails, called an end frame). Clamp. Check diagonals are equal. Leave to set.
8. Join the two end frames with the two other rails. Glue, clamp, check square again.
9. Check the legs: stand the frame on a flat surface and check it does not rock. Fix a rocking leg by trimming the long one (plane or sand a little at a time).
10. Cut the seat to its final size, plane the edges, and round the sharp edges slightly with sandpaper.
11. Fix the seat: drill and countersink pilot holes up through the rails, and screw the seat on, or glue and screw. Make sure the screws do not go through the top (check the length).
12. Sand all surfaces. Move to Unit 6 for finishing.

Checks.

• Diagonals equal (measure corner to corner both ways; if unequal, the frame is out of square).
• The stool stands flat, with all four feet on the floor.
• No gaps in the joints.
• No sharp edges or splinters.
• The stool carries a trainee's weight without moving.

Common mistakes and fixes

Check yourself

1. Why do you check the diagonals of a frame?
2. Why cut a flat on a dowel?
3. Why are roof trusses not part of this module?

Competency standard

Range. The stool from Unit 5 and one costing. Evidence. The finished stool; a costing sheet.

Choosing a finish

Ghana brands, prices and steps for stain and paint were not found. Ask a Takoradi paint or hardware shop what they have, and read the can. Always follow the label for the product.

Sanding

1. Remove glue marks and pencil lines first.
2. Sand with the grain, never across it.
3. Start with coarse paper (for example about 80 grit), then medium (about 120), then fine (about 180 to 240). The grit numbers are typical practice; trainer to check.
4. Wrap the paper around a sanding block. This keeps the surface flat.
5. Brush or wipe off the dust between grits.
6. Round off sharp edges slightly so they are comfortable and take finish better.
7. Wipe with a slightly damp cloth, leave to dry, and lightly sand again to remove raised grain.

Applying a finish

1. Work in a clean, dry, dust-free place, out of the sun.
2. Stir the finish gently. Do not shake it, because shaking makes bubbles.
3. Apply a thin coat with the grain with a clean brush or cloth.
4. Let it dry fully as the label says.
5. Sand very lightly with fine paper (about 240 grit), wipe clean, and apply the second coat.
6. Two or three thin coats are better than one thick coat.
7. Let it cure before heavy use. Ask the seller how long.

Common mistakes and fixes

Costing timber

Step 1: volume of timber

Volume = thickness × width × length (all in metres) = cubic metres (m³). Add a waste allowance because of off-cuts, planing and mistakes. A planning allowance of 15% to 25% is common (typical practice, not verified).

Step 2: the price of timber

You need the price per cubic metre, per piece or per board foot. Ghana price units were not found; ask your timber yard. The method for board feet is in Wikipedia's Board Foot page.

Example prices only. In this unit, timber is GH¢3,500 per m³. This is an example, not a real price.

Step 3: other materials and labour

Add glue, dowels or screws, sandpaper and finish, and your time. A day's labour should not be less than the national daily minimum wage, GH¢19.97 in 2025 (the floor only). Use your own value; the example below uses GH¢80 a day.

Step 4: profit

Add a profit on top of cost. This example adds 30%.

Check yourself

1. Which direction do you sand?
2. Why apply thin coats of finish?
3. What goes into a price besides timber?

Competency standard

Range. The trainee's own plan. Evidence. One-page business plan; portfolio; discussion.

What customers face

• Many Ghanaians buy imported furniture, and many makers have folded or moved into trading.
• Customers want quality, so you must show you can make strong, finished work.
• The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) and CSIR-FORIG announced testing and certification of imported and locally made furniture before sale, and a wood and furniture testing centre has been set up. Ask the GSA what a small maker has to do (not verified).

Business ideas

Evidence on how much each earns in Ghana was not found (not verified). Do your own research: ask three carpenters what they charge and what sells.

Choosing a location

Market yourself

1. Photograph every finished piece (plain background, good light). Keep a portfolio on your phone and in a small folder.
2. A WhatsApp catalogue with photos, sizes and prices.
3. A price list for common items, and a written quote with the measurements, the timber, the finish and the delivery date.
4. A warranty in simple words, for example how long you will fix a loose joint at no cost (your own choice).
5. Put a finished piece in a Hub display area or a shop.
6. Ask each customer for a recommendation, and a photo of the item in their home.
7. Put your name and phone on every piece (a small burn mark, stamp or label).
8. Keep your promise on the date.

Registration, tax and accounts for a business are covered in Level 3.

Accessibility: seated bench work

Carpentry suits many persons with disabilities, especially hand-tool, finishing and upholstery tasks. Heavy lifting and machine work are the limits. The adjustments below come from woodworking magazines and forums, which are not standards, and one Ghana disability-inclusive guide was not found.

• A seated worker can use a lower bench. One wheelchair-user bench was built with a top about 74 cm high (many shop benches are about 86 cm), with a low-profile face vice so the user can roll under it. Let the worker help design the bench to their own measurements: reach, grip and transfer matter as much as the chair.
• Adjustable benches can be raised or lowered. A machine at the wrong height, even by 2 inches, makes a difference.
• Bring the work to the worker: raised or angled work surfaces, a work support for long boards, and a stop block and clamp so that one hand can saw (our own suggestions, typical practice; trainer to check).
• Hearing impairment: use visual stop signals and mark danger zones; make sure machine noise cannot hide a warning (typical practice; trainer to check).
• Visual impairment: tactile marks on rules, tools in fixed places, and good lighting.
• Tasks that suit: marking, measuring, hand sawing with a jig, chiselling, sanding, finishing, repairs, upholstery, design and sales, keeping the books.
• An occupational therapist can advise on fit (our own suggestion).

Check yourself

1. Name two business ideas in carpentry.
2. Name two things to consider when choosing a workshop site.
3. Give one change that helps a seated worker.

1. Name three items of protection a carpenter should wear.
2. Why must you keep both hands behind a chisel's edge?
3. What do you do if something is stuck in a bad cut?
4. On which side of the line do you saw?
5. Name two Ghana timbers and a use for each.
6. Why must timber be dried before use, and what is EMC?
7. Name one thing you must not buy when buying timber, and one thing you should keep.
8. In what order do you plane a board: face, edge, width or thickness?
9. What is a kerf, and why does it matter?
10. How do you check that a frame is square?
11. How do you work out the volume of a piece of timber in cubic metres?
12. Name one change that helps a seated worker.

Best next reads: the free Wikibooks woodworking book; the Hub's Workplace Safety and Money Skills manuals; a Takoradi master carpenter.

What this module does not cover: mortise and tenon and dovetail joints in detail, doors and windows, drawings, beds and wardrobes, power tools, roof trusses, and business registration (see Levels 2 and 3).

Every source used in this manual is listed, with links, in the Teacher Copy.