This rudder is made of cloth ...

[GoldfishLord]

The vertical rudder is to keep the machine headed into the wind and is not movable. This rudder is made of cloth stretched over a light wooden frame, which is nailed to the rudder sticks connecting to the main frame.

Source: https://byrongliding.com/articles/how-to-make-a-glider/

This belt is made of cloth, and it's nice and easy to take off. If this didn't already belong to me, I'd want to buy three!

Source: https://www.depop.com/products/happypappy-this-belt-is-made-of/

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It would seem to me that there is a slight difference in meaning between "of" and "of".
"Of" refers to the structure of the rudder, but "of" refers to just the material of the belt.

Is there a slight difference in meaning between "of" and "of"?

 

[tedmc]

"Of" refers to the structure of the rudder, but "of" refers to just the material of the belt.

How can" the structure" of the rudder be stretched?

 

[GoldfishLord]

"Cloth stretched over a light wooden frame" is the rudder, not the material used to make the rudder.

 

[emsr2d2]

I can't see this difference you're talking about.

This rudder is made of cloth ...
This belt is made of cloth ...

The meaning of "of" in "of cloth" is the same in those two examples.

 

[GoldfishLord]

This rudder is made of cloth stretched over a light wooden frame.

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I can't understand why the red part is used.
Any cloth could be used to make the rudder.
Is only cloth stretched over a light wooden frame used to make it?
We doesn't have to need only "cloth stretched over a light wooden frame" to make it.

 

[güey]

To demonstrate it's the same "of" in both cases, you may replace "stretched over" with "and":

The belt is made of cloth.
The rudder is made of cloth and a light wooden frame.

 

[GoldfishLord]

To demonstrate it's the same "of" in both cases, you may replace "stretched over" with "and":

The belt is made of cloth.
The rudder is made of cloth and a light wooden frame.

What does proving that they have the same meaning have to do with replacing "stretched over" with "and"?

 

[PeterCW]

"Made of" can mean either the visible or main component or the entire construction.

If you asked me what my business suit was made of my answer would depend on the context. Normally I would just say "wool" which is the visible fabric. That is how clothes are normally described. If we were talking in detail about how clothes were made I would explain that the lining was viscose and the padding canvas.

 

[Skrej]

'Stretched over a light wooden frame' simply helps the reader visualize the construction. It doesn't change the fact that the rudder is made of cloth.

However, someone might reasonably be confused as to how a piece of relatively soft, flexible fabric could be used to steer. It helps to clarify it's not just a piece of cloth hanging loosely.

If you read the article, you'll notice that this is the same general process for constructing the other components of the glider. Build a frame of light strong wood, then fasten tightly stretched fabric over the wooden frame.

 

[GoldfishLord]

Is the meaning of the "made" in "made of" also the same in those two examples?

 

[emsr2d2]

Is the meaning of the "made" in "made of" also the same in those two examples?

Yes. What else do you think it could mean?

 

[GoldfishLord]

This rudder is made of cloth stretched over a light wooden frame. (Cloth stretched over a light wooden frame = this rudder)
This rudder is made of this rudder.

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It would seem to me that this sentence is odd.
It is like saying that this rudder is made of this rudder, because this rudder is cloth stretched over a light wooden frame. What do I misunderstand?

 

[emsr2d2]

This rudder is made of cloth stretched over a light wooden frame. (Cloth stretched over a light wooden frame = this rudder)
This rudder is made of this rudder.

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It would seem to me that this sentence is odd.
It is like saying that this rudder is made of this rudder, because this rudder is cloth stretched over a light wooden frame. What do I misunderstand?

You're totally misunderstanding it. When we say that something is "made of" something, we're simply listing the constituent parts of that thing and the materials those parts are made of. Your interpretation would work only if:

1- the only thing in the whole world that could ever be made of cloth stretched over a wooden frame was a rudder, and
2 - all rudders were made of cloth stretched over a wooden frame.

Neither of those things are true. The individual rudder in the original sentence happens to be made of cloth and a wooden frame, with the cloth being stretched over the frame in order to create something that, in this specific circumstance, is being used as a rudder.

 

[GoldfishLord]

A handkerchief is made of cloth.
A molecule is made of two or more atoms bonded together.

Source: BBC

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"Cloth" has to be processed before becoming a handkerchief. For example, it has to be cut to size and to have the edges hemmed. "Cloth" is "the material before being processed".
"Two or more atoms bonded together" doesn't need to be processed before becoming a molecule. "Two or more atoms bonded together" is "the materials after being processed".

Do we use "the materials before being processed" or "the materials after being processed" after "made of"?

 

[emsr2d2]

A handkerchief is made of cloth.
A molecule is made of two or more atoms bonded together.

Source: BBC

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"Cloth" has to be processed before becoming a handkerchief. For example, it has to be cut to size and to have the edges hemmed. "Cloth" is "the material before being processed".
"Two or more atoms bonded together" doesn't need to be processed before becoming a molecule. "Two or more atoms bonded together" is "the materials after being processed".

Do we use "the materials before being processed" or "the materials after being processed" after "made of"?

I have absolutely no idea what you're asking here. If you're suggesting that we use one of those "materials" fragments in a sentence with "made of", please give us a complete sentence to consider.

 

[jutfrank]

A molecule is made up of two or more atoms bonded together.

This sentence describes structure/composition so 'made up of' is a better choice of verb. You shouldn't think of atoms as a kind of material like wood or rubber.

 

[GoldfishLord]

This rudder is made of cloth stretched over a light wooden frame

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That is what makes me confused.
I think that the example also describes structure/composition and therefore that "made up of" is a better choice of verb.
"Cloth" and "a light wooden frame" are materials, but "cloth stretched over a light wooden frame" is the final product, not a material.
What do I misunderstand?

 

[5jj]

This rudder is made of cloth stretched over a light wooden frame

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"Cloth" and "a light wooden frame" are materials, but "cloth stretched over a light wooden frame" is a final product, not a material.

"cloth stretched over a light wooden frame" is a material.
The final product is the rudder.

 

[GoldfishLord]

That is exactly what I misunderstand.
I can't understand why "cloth stretched over a light wooden frame" is a material.
It looks to me as if it is the final product.

 

[emsr2d2]

That is exactly what I misunderstand don't understand. I can't understand why "cloth stretched over a light wooden frame" is a material. It looks to me as if it is the final product.

No matter how it looks to you, that's not what it means. The cloth and the light wooden frame are both materials. Together, in this case, those two materials, put together in the way they have been, create a rudder.

Think of it like a recipe for a dish. If I put together, for example, some onion, garlic, carrot, courgette, potato, herbs and broth, I've made vegetable soup. The soup is made of onion, garlic, carrot, courgette, potato, herbs and broth.
For the purposes of this thread, forget the example about atoms and molecules. We're talking about physical objects that are made of other physical objects.