NCERT Textbook: Working with Wood and Bamboo | Vocational Education (Kaushal Bodh) Class 8 - New NCERT PDF Download

 Page 1


Part 2
Work with 
Machines and 
Materials
Project 3.indd   59 16-06-2025   3.41.51 PM
Page 2


Part 2
Work with 
Machines and 
Materials
Project 3.indd   59 16-06-2025   3.41.51 PM
Kaushal Bodh — Grade 8 60
Machines make our lives easy, and materials 
are all around us. Projects on Work with 
Machines and Materials will help you work 
with di??erent machines and tools to create 
new things with di??erent kinds of materials, 
and to repair and maintain things. You can take 
up projects related to making electronic toys, 
carpentry products from wood and bamboo, 
and pottery products (with and without using 
a wheel), sewing clothes, decorating fabrics, 
using computers and smartphones to make 
games and animations, and using waste 
materials to make toys or even instruments for 
a school band. It is up to you to imagine all that 
you can do with your peers.
Two examples of projects are given in this 
section, which are Working with Wood and 
Bamboo and Home Automation. You must take 
up only one project. You can either choose one 
of these projects or you can design a project of 
your own choice with the help of your teacher.
Project 3.indd   60 16-06-2025   3.41.52 PM
Page 3


Part 2
Work with 
Machines and 
Materials
Project 3.indd   59 16-06-2025   3.41.51 PM
Kaushal Bodh — Grade 8 60
Machines make our lives easy, and materials 
are all around us. Projects on Work with 
Machines and Materials will help you work 
with di??erent machines and tools to create 
new things with di??erent kinds of materials, 
and to repair and maintain things. You can take 
up projects related to making electronic toys, 
carpentry products from wood and bamboo, 
and pottery products (with and without using 
a wheel), sewing clothes, decorating fabrics, 
using computers and smartphones to make 
games and animations, and using waste 
materials to make toys or even instruments for 
a school band. It is up to you to imagine all that 
you can do with your peers.
Two examples of projects are given in this 
section, which are Working with Wood and 
Bamboo and Home Automation. You must take 
up only one project. You can either choose one 
of these projects or you can design a project of 
your own choice with the help of your teacher.
Project 3.indd   60 16-06-2025   3.41.52 PM
Working with Wood and Bamboo 61
School Kitchen Garden
Project 1:
You can do many things with natural materials like wood and 
bamboo. You can cut these materials according to a design, assemble 
the parts and convert them into useful products. This project is 
about working with wood and bamboo to make useful objects. 
As part of the project, you will be able to:
Learn about 
working with 
wood and 
bamboo
Use basic 
carpentry 
tools 
Build a 
prototype as 
per design
Make useful 
products using 
soft wood and 
bamboo
Project 3
Working with Wood and 
Bamboo 
Figure 3.1: Making useful products with wood
Project 3.indd   61 16-06-2025   3.41.54 PM
Page 4


Part 2
Work with 
Machines and 
Materials
Project 3.indd   59 16-06-2025   3.41.51 PM
Kaushal Bodh — Grade 8 60
Machines make our lives easy, and materials 
are all around us. Projects on Work with 
Machines and Materials will help you work 
with di??erent machines and tools to create 
new things with di??erent kinds of materials, 
and to repair and maintain things. You can take 
up projects related to making electronic toys, 
carpentry products from wood and bamboo, 
and pottery products (with and without using 
a wheel), sewing clothes, decorating fabrics, 
using computers and smartphones to make 
games and animations, and using waste 
materials to make toys or even instruments for 
a school band. It is up to you to imagine all that 
you can do with your peers.
Two examples of projects are given in this 
section, which are Working with Wood and 
Bamboo and Home Automation. You must take 
up only one project. You can either choose one 
of these projects or you can design a project of 
your own choice with the help of your teacher.
Project 3.indd   60 16-06-2025   3.41.52 PM
Working with Wood and Bamboo 61
School Kitchen Garden
Project 1:
You can do many things with natural materials like wood and 
bamboo. You can cut these materials according to a design, assemble 
the parts and convert them into useful products. This project is 
about working with wood and bamboo to make useful objects. 
As part of the project, you will be able to:
Learn about 
working with 
wood and 
bamboo
Use basic 
carpentry 
tools 
Build a 
prototype as 
per design
Make useful 
products using 
soft wood and 
bamboo
Project 3
Working with Wood and 
Bamboo 
Figure 3.1: Making useful products with wood
Project 3.indd   61 16-06-2025   3.41.54 PM
Kaushal Bodh — Grade 8 62
Have you ever noticed that wood and bamboo are indispensable 
to our lives? From the wooden doors of our homes to fruit and 
vegetable carts, from school benches to cricket bats, wood baskets, 
fences, jewellery and toys—they are everywhere (Figure 3.1). 
They are also seen in the handles of our kitchen tools, bookshelves 
and even fishermen’s boats and oars. 
India is known for its ancient buildings 
and architectures. These buildings have 
stood the test of time. Most were built 
of wood, stone and other naturally 
occurring materials. From the Hidimba 
Temple in Manali, Rumtek Monastery
in Sikkim and Vishrambaagh Wada in 
Pune—these buildings are renowned 
for their architecture and intricate 
decorative woodwork. Another example 
Figure 3.2: Padmanabhapuram 
Palace
is the Padmanabhapuram Palace in Tamil Nadu, one of Asia’s largest 
wooden palaces (Figure 3.2). It was built four hundred years ago and is 
spread over 6.5 acres. 
Wood is used as fuel in some parts of the country. It is also 
used as construction material for making houses, tools, weapons, 
furniture, packaging, artworks, and paper. 
Craftsmen and carpenters have shaped wood into beautiful 
and functional objects for generations. Think of the carved 
wooden pillars in old temples, the sturdy bullock carts that travel 
through villages, or even the simple wooden ladle used to stir daal
and curries. Humans have used this material in many imaginative 
ways for their benefits. 
Even when many different materials are available, wood 
is still used in many ways. Wood and bamboo are increasingly 
preferred over concrete and bricks for building houses and 
schools as they keep rooms cooler in summer and warmer in 
winter (Figure 3.3). Sports like cricket, badminton and hockey 
rely on strong wooden materials. In some places, even bridges 
and equipment in playgrounds are made from these materials 
because they are strong and last long.
Project 3.indd   62 16-06-2025   3.41.54 PM
Page 5


Part 2
Work with 
Machines and 
Materials
Project 3.indd   59 16-06-2025   3.41.51 PM
Kaushal Bodh — Grade 8 60
Machines make our lives easy, and materials 
are all around us. Projects on Work with 
Machines and Materials will help you work 
with di??erent machines and tools to create 
new things with di??erent kinds of materials, 
and to repair and maintain things. You can take 
up projects related to making electronic toys, 
carpentry products from wood and bamboo, 
and pottery products (with and without using 
a wheel), sewing clothes, decorating fabrics, 
using computers and smartphones to make 
games and animations, and using waste 
materials to make toys or even instruments for 
a school band. It is up to you to imagine all that 
you can do with your peers.
Two examples of projects are given in this 
section, which are Working with Wood and 
Bamboo and Home Automation. You must take 
up only one project. You can either choose one 
of these projects or you can design a project of 
your own choice with the help of your teacher.
Project 3.indd   60 16-06-2025   3.41.52 PM
Working with Wood and Bamboo 61
School Kitchen Garden
Project 1:
You can do many things with natural materials like wood and 
bamboo. You can cut these materials according to a design, assemble 
the parts and convert them into useful products. This project is 
about working with wood and bamboo to make useful objects. 
As part of the project, you will be able to:
Learn about 
working with 
wood and 
bamboo
Use basic 
carpentry 
tools 
Build a 
prototype as 
per design
Make useful 
products using 
soft wood and 
bamboo
Project 3
Working with Wood and 
Bamboo 
Figure 3.1: Making useful products with wood
Project 3.indd   61 16-06-2025   3.41.54 PM
Kaushal Bodh — Grade 8 62
Have you ever noticed that wood and bamboo are indispensable 
to our lives? From the wooden doors of our homes to fruit and 
vegetable carts, from school benches to cricket bats, wood baskets, 
fences, jewellery and toys—they are everywhere (Figure 3.1). 
They are also seen in the handles of our kitchen tools, bookshelves 
and even fishermen’s boats and oars. 
India is known for its ancient buildings 
and architectures. These buildings have 
stood the test of time. Most were built 
of wood, stone and other naturally 
occurring materials. From the Hidimba 
Temple in Manali, Rumtek Monastery
in Sikkim and Vishrambaagh Wada in 
Pune—these buildings are renowned 
for their architecture and intricate 
decorative woodwork. Another example 
Figure 3.2: Padmanabhapuram 
Palace
is the Padmanabhapuram Palace in Tamil Nadu, one of Asia’s largest 
wooden palaces (Figure 3.2). It was built four hundred years ago and is 
spread over 6.5 acres. 
Wood is used as fuel in some parts of the country. It is also 
used as construction material for making houses, tools, weapons, 
furniture, packaging, artworks, and paper. 
Craftsmen and carpenters have shaped wood into beautiful 
and functional objects for generations. Think of the carved 
wooden pillars in old temples, the sturdy bullock carts that travel 
through villages, or even the simple wooden ladle used to stir daal
and curries. Humans have used this material in many imaginative 
ways for their benefits. 
Even when many different materials are available, wood 
is still used in many ways. Wood and bamboo are increasingly 
preferred over concrete and bricks for building houses and 
schools as they keep rooms cooler in summer and warmer in 
winter (Figure 3.3). Sports like cricket, badminton and hockey 
rely on strong wooden materials. In some places, even bridges 
and equipment in playgrounds are made from these materials 
because they are strong and last long.
Project 3.indd   62 16-06-2025   3.41.54 PM
Working with Wood and Bamboo 63
Since trees can be planted to replace the ones that have been 
cut, wood is considered a renewable resource. However, its use 
is not sustainable if its consumption exceeds the number of new 
trees planted. It must be noted that there are certain areas, such as 
those at high altitudes in the Himalayas, where trees do not grow 
easily. Once cut, entire forests disappear. Therefore, wood must 
be used judiciously. Ideally, the wood of a tree should be used 
after it has completed its lifecycle on earth—this is a sustainable 
approach compared to cutting off younger trees for wood.
This approach is in alignment with our culture and traditions. 
While using natural resources, our ancestors used to pray to the 
earth. For example, the Atharva Veda says, “Whatever we dig out 
from you, O Earth! May that have quick regeneration. May we not 
damage our vital habitat and earth.” 
Substitutes like engineered wood or bamboo can be
used instead of wood. Examples of engineered wood around 
you include plywood and Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF). 
Engineered wood is usually made using recycled wood, sawdust 
(fine particles or dust produced when wood goes through different 
processes in the production of objects), tiny wood particles, and 
wooden fibre. 
Bamboo, on the contrary, is a perennial grass and grows back 
when cut (Figure 3.4). There are several species of bamboo in 
India, and these are grown in many parts of the country, with 
the maximum amount being grown in the north-eastern part of 
India. 
Figure 3.3: A traditional south Indian house with wood used 
for building roofs, doors, windows and pillars
Project 3.indd   63 16-06-2025   3.41.55 PM