Key Stage 3 design and technology · Make

KS3 design and technology: using workshop tools and machines

In Years 7 to 9, design and technology pupils move from simple hand tools to the specialist tools, processes and machinery of a school workshop, kitchen or textiles room. They are taught to choose the right tool for a job, use it precisely and safely, and keep improving what they make through repeated rounds of designing, making and testing. Precision matters because a part that is 2 mm out will not fit the part next to it.

Workshop tools and machines, explained

The National Curriculum asks pupils to select from and use specialist tools, techniques, processes, equipment and machinery precisely. In practice this means that lessons start with demonstrations and safety rules, and pupils then practise on a real task. Typical equipment depends on the school and its rooms. A workshop might have hand tools such as a try square, a tenon saw and a coping saw, plus a bench-top or pillar drill, a sander and a strip heater for bending acrylic. A textiles room has sewing machines and overlockers, and a food room has ovens and hobs. In many schools pupils are only allowed on a machine once they have passed a short safety check with the teacher, and they wear eye protection and tie back hair.

Precision begins before any cutting. Accurate making starts with accurate marking out: measuring from one datum edge rather than from the end of a worn rule, using a try square so lines are truly at right angles, and scribing or marking lightly so that the line can be cut to rather than guessed. Teachers often talk about tolerance, which is how far a part is allowed to be out and still work. A hole for a dowel might have a tolerance of one millimetre, while a bedroom door can be out by several. Pupils learn to measure twice, cut once, and to check a part against the drawing before moving on.

Choosing the correct tool is part of the skill. A coping saw cuts curves but wanders on a long straight line, while a tenon saw gives a straight, neat cut. A pillar drill holds the drill bit upright, which is hard to guarantee with a hand drill, and the work is clamped in a vice so that the pupil’s hands stay clear. Different materials need different tools and settings: metal needs cutting oil and slower speeds than wood, and a large drill bit turns more slowly than a small one. Part of what teachers assess is whether a pupil can explain why a tool and process were chosen, not just whether they used it.

Computer-controlled machines, such as laser cutters, 3-D printers and routers, also belong in this strand, and you can read about them in the separate guide to computer-aided manufacture. They are used alongside hand skills, not instead of them, because a laser-cut part still has to be sanded, glued and finished by hand.

The second objective for this topic describes an iterative process of designing and making. Iterative means going round more than once. Pupils make a first version, test how well it fits and works, then refine it. A joint that is too loose is not a failure but information: the next attempt is marked out a little tighter. Teachers give credit for this thinking, which is why you may hear your child say they made a “prototype” or a “test piece” in scrap material before committing to the final one.

Words your child will hear

Marking out: Drawing the cutting, drilling or folding lines on a material before work begins.
Datum: A straight, accurate edge or line that all measurements are taken from, so errors do not build up.
Tolerance: The amount a size is allowed to vary while the part still works, such as plus or minus 1 mm.
Jig: A guide or template that holds a part or a tool in position so that the same job can be repeated accurately.
Pillar drill: A drill fixed upright on a stand, with a table and a clamp, for drilling holes straight and safely.
Prototype: A first working model made to test an idea before the final product is made.
Iterative: Repeating a cycle of making, testing and improving until the result meets the need.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 3 says:

When designing and making, pupils should be taught to select from and use specialist tools, techniques, processes, equipment and machinery precisely, including computer-aided manufacture
Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils should be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: drilling holes accurately in a pencil holder

A pupil is making a pencil holder from a block of pine 90 mm × 60 mm × 40 mm. It needs four holes in a row, each 10 mm across and 30 mm deep. How do they get the holes accurate and the job safe?

Choose the tool for the job. A pillar drill holds the bit upright, so the holes will be straight, and it is far safer than drilling by hand into a small block.
Mark out from datum edges. Measure 30 mm in from the front edge at each end (halfway across the 60 mm side) and join the marks to draw a centre line along the top. Then measure every hole centre from the same left-hand end, square a short line across the centre line at each one with a try square, and press a bradawl into each crossing point so the bit does not wander.
```
Block length: 90 mm
Centres from left end: 15, 35, 55, 75 mm
Centres are 20 mm apart; last centre is
90 − 75 = 15 mm from the right end
Each hole is 10 mm (5 mm either side),
Wood at each end: 15 − 5 = 10 mm
Wood between holes: 20 − 10 = 10 mm
```
Set up before switching on. Clamp the block in the machine vice, fit the 10 mm bit, and set the depth stop so the bit goes in 30 mm only. Choose a lower speed for a larger bit and check that guards are in place and that eye protection is on.
Drill steadily with a pause at the top to clear the shavings, a little at a time, with the vice and not the hand holding the work.
Check against the plan. Test one hole with a 10 mm dowel or pencil and measure the spacing. If one hole is 1 mm out but the tolerance is 2 mm, it still works. If not, note what went wrong and change the method for the next block.

The holes are accurate because of three choices: marking out from a datum, centring each hole with a bradawl, and holding the work in a vice on the correct machine. Checking against the plan and noting what to change next time is the iterative part of the process.

Common mistakes and how to help

Thinking that power tools do the work, so speed and force make things better

Machines look as though they should cut quickly, so pupils push hard or run at full speed. Too much force snaps drill bits, burns the material and causes accidents.

What helps: Explain that each material and tool has a suitable speed and pressure, and that smooth steady cutting is faster overall than redoing a ruined part. Teachers praise control, not speed.

Measuring from the end of the ruler

Rules wear at the ends, so the zero mark is often not the true start. A pupil can be a millimetre out before they have even begun.

What helps: Start from the 10 mm mark and subtract 10, or use a try square against a datum edge. Compare two measurements of the same length.

Using whichever tool is closest

At this age, pupils can find the whole room overwhelming, and picking the first tool they see feels like making progress.

What helps: Ask “what does this tool do best?” before starting. Try a simple chart of tool, job and why. Saying the reason aloud sharpens the choice.

Thinking sanding will fix a poorly cut part

Sanding feels like a magic finishing step, so careless sawing or drilling seems less important.

What helps: Sanding smooths, but it cannot move a hole or add back wood that was cut away. Teachers want the error to be avoided at the marking and cutting stage.

How to help at home

Talk about the right tool. When an adult does a small repair at home, ask your child why that tool was chosen. A cross-head and a flat-head screwdriver, for instance, suit different screws. Naming tools and their jobs builds the vocabulary used in the workshop.
Practise measuring and marking out. On cardboard, use a ruler and a set square to draw a rectangle exactly 80 mm by 50 mm, then check the corners are right angles. Measure from one edge each time. Cutting stays with an adult.
Make a test piece first. Before a real project, such as a card photo frame, make a rough version from scrap packaging. Fold or fit it together, find what is out by a few millimetres, and write down what to change. This is the iterative process at home.
Join in with a supervised repair. Let your child hold, measure and mark while an adult uses any sharp or powered tool. Tightening a loose cupboard handle with a screwdriver is a good example. Power tools and blades stay with adults.
Ask about the safety rules. Ask what they must do before using a machine in school, such as tying hair back and wearing eye protection. Explaining the rules in their own words helps them to remember them.

Builds on

Key Stage 2: Using tools accurately
Key Stage 2: Choosing materials