Shop Information
10 questions · 6 minutes
What's covered
Tools, materials, and shop practice — woodworking, metalworking, fasteners, and measurement. Six minutes for 10 questions makes this the tightest section per question on the whole test.
Cutting tools
Crosscut saws cut across the grain; rip saws cut with it. The kerf is the width of material the blade removes. Chisels shave wood and are struck with a mallet, never a steel hammer. Planes smooth and flatten surfaces. Files shape metal and cut on the push stroke.
Drilling and threading
A pilot hole prevents splitting and guides the screw. A countersink lets a flat screw head sit flush or below the surface. A tap cuts internal threads inside a hole; a die cuts external threads onto a rod.
Striking and gripping
Claw hammer for nails, ball-peen for metalwork, mallet for chisels, sledge for demolition. Pliers grip and bend. Clamps — C-clamp, bar, pipe, spring — hold work while glue sets.
Measuring and marking
Tape measure for length. Square for 90° corners; a combination square also handles 45°. Level for horizontal and vertical. Plumb bob for true vertical using gravity. Calipers and micrometers for precise dimensions, with the micrometer the finer of the two.
Fasteners
Screws: flathead (slotted), Phillips (cross), Torx (star), hex/Allen. Bolts pair with nuts and washers; a lock washer resists loosening from vibration. Nails, rivets, and dowels each suit different loads.
Wood joints
From weakest to strongest: butt, lap, dado, rabbet, mortise-and-tenon, dovetail. A miter joint uses two 45° cuts to form a 90° corner.
Abrasives and finishing
Sandpaper grit numbers run backwards from what you'd expect: higher number means finer abrasive. Work coarse to fine.
Metalwork
Annealing heats and slowly cools metal to soften it for working. Tempering reduces brittleness after hardening. Galvanizing coats steel with zinc to prevent rust. Welding fuses metal; soldering and brazing join it with a filler at lower temperature.
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