Prepare and assemble furniture using mechanical fixings
Overview
This standard covers the skills and knowledge required to prepare and make furniture using mechanical fixings.
This involves:
- checking and preparing components
- preparing and assembling components to specification
- working in ways which maintains your own and others' safety
- finishing and checking assemblies conform to specifications
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- comply with health and safety requirements and procedures at all times
- obtain specifications and requirements of the items to be produced following standard operating procedures
- obtain equipment and materials required to carry out the job following standard operating procedures
- check equipment is set up and in good working order following standard operating procedures and manufacturer's instructions
- check materials required are to specification and free from faults
- check surfaces are in suitable condition following standard operating procedures
- position fittings for correctness of fit within the required tolerances following standard operating procedures
- attach fittings using required methods following standard operating procedures
- pass on completed work to the next stage following standard operating procedures
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- standard operating procedures and how to apply these
- relevant health and safety responsibilities
- meaning of terms used in specifications
- how to check equipment is set up and is in good working order
- how to check materials and the common faults that can occur
- different types of fittings used and their purpose
- quality checks to be made before fittings are used and the consequences of not doing these
- consequences of incorrect positioning of fittings
- consequences of not securing fittings correctly
- when and why different methods for attaching fittings are used
- functions and uses of different types of equipment used in assembly
Scope/range
Tools and equipment
Hand operated and machine equipment used within modern furniture production environments for sanding, scraping, filing, drilling, boring, stapling, pinning, screwing, removing faults in furniture components.
Equipment problems
These relate to none functioning, missing or damaged tools and equipment or equipment parts. The person carrying out would be expected to solve any equipment problem for which maintenance engineers are not required. Where a problem does require a maintenance engineer the person would be expected to report the problem to a more senior person.
Components
The pieces which are assembled to create furniture items. They may be made of wood composites, metals or plastics.
Joints
The joints used in making production furniture whether for the domestic or office market. These include mechanical joints which are pinned screwed or stapled together.
Specifications
The set of instructions which describe the work to be carried out, including details of qualities of components to be used, the method of fixing and tolerances to be achieved. The specifications will also detail the assembly to be produced and the time in which this must be completed. In the context of these standards a tolerance of +/- 0.5 mm would be expected.
Assembly
An assembly is some part of an item of furniture which will be combined with other assemblies to make the full item.
Assembly problems
The problems will be related to the quality of the components relating to tolerance whether any are incorrect missing or damaged in some way. The person carrying out this role is responsible for identifying minor repairs; problem which cannot be solved in this way will be reported using correct work place procedures.
Mechanical fasteners
The screws, staples, pins and bolts used in modern furniture production methods.
Substances* *
This includes grease, adhesives, solvents and general manufacturing debris