Thread: School Projects

Get them interested, we need more young woodworkers.

Younger people have the energy to explore new ideas, ideas that others may not be bothered to even try in case it falls over.

More photos would be good.

Gidday Hagrid
Sorry about the lack of response from the forum about suggestions... no excuse really but anyway maybe better late than never eh?

Soo.... while the wee table is a goodun the purple heart platter also... I'll try to think of some others for you

Start small on the lathe work... pens easy as and gets a foot in and interest up in lathe work anothery is a lamp stand just a bedside lamp will do the idea to build a) interest and b) competence then move on to a goblet and bowl

Next? a fine jewelry box in different timbers and or veneers, this can incorporate some interesting dovetail work... another thing Id do is teach them to make their own hingest and hasps makes an awesome additional touch and they gain skills in smaller work without resorting to metal hinges and hasps.... with veneers make artwork with the stuff!! its just as good and enjoyable a medium as paint or any other medium and gives some stunning effects and finishes.

Some routing? try a canoe or such... too big a project? not if the class gets into it its not! many high schools and colleges in the USA do canoe building during woodworking classes over a year... so why not? So many ruddy schools buy those peice of crap plastic canoes for their water sport things when their own students could make them beautiful functional wooden ones

Okay if not then what about a glory box? you could cut some 1/4in strips and then route the edges of 2x2 framework then get them to either bead and cove the strips and join them together or do a bit of "caning" of the strips and over under the strips for a different effect... then fit to the slots making the box as you go... this would give awesome look and ventilation by the way... for the top make a curved formwork and steam bend the strips to the form... thus creating a "sea chest" glory or blanket box... this could look really spectacular if you use say African Mahogany for the framework and say Huon or another pale type timber for the slats contrast that with some thing for the top and with hand made hinges and hasp some rope work for the handles either side... what could be better?

Find out what theyre interested in and make them make that or something related!... computer geek? make a timber harddrive case!... car nut? make a timber car of their choice and get them to make it so everything works!... artist? a paint brush box an easel... crafty? a mobile crafters centre... guitarist? MAKE A GUITAR! or several!!!... the list really is endless and only restricted by YOUR as their teachers imagination and determination to inspire them

Make it INTERESTING CHALLENGING and ENJOYABLE and they will BEG you for more! Trouble with most schools tafes and such is they get boring as hell projects which turn the younguns off... well it did for my son a couple of years ago and its taken me 6 years to get him inspired enough to have another go!

But I hope Ive given you something to start with

Good luck with it!

Thank you Wild dingo

I did a pen turning class for some visiting students from another school in the hope that they would take up wood when they moved to this school.
it went over a treat having 25 students walking out with their own pen.
Also seemed to inspire some of my students a bit.
I made a box jointer to make a more interesting joint and to speed up the time for some of the ideas i have to help the students.
D/t are very nice but as each class is only an hour it is hard to get students to put the time into getting them right.
Thank you for your ideas.
I can see i have more planning ahead.
As i said before i will post a few more pics in the next couple of days.
also of the box jointer as i think it would suit others who need a safe quick way to make a neat joint.
Regards
Hagrid.

Originally Posted by Hagrid

Thank you Wild dingo

I did a pen turning class for some visiting students from another school in the hope that they would take up wood when they moved to this school.
it went over a treat having 25 students walking out with their own pen.
Also seemed to inspire some of my students a bit.
I made a box jointer to make a more interesting joint and to speed up the time for some of the ideas i have to help the students.
D/t are very nice but as each class is only an hour it is hard to get students to put the time into getting them right.
Thank you for your ideas.
I can see i have more planning ahead.
As i said before i will post a few more pics in the next couple of days.
also of the box jointer as i think it would suit others who need a safe quick way to make a neat joint.
Regards
Hagrid.

Share the box joint thing mate! ahem with us?

So half an hour class?... how many times per week per class? or fortnight month?... maybe you can spread it over a term or two?... Is there the possibility of extra curricular study time? half an hour here and there over a week with the more interested or enthusiastic students or the ones who NEED the help and encouragement?

A bit of planning and consultation with head of department principle whatever whoever and you never know eh?

Of course some of these can be as jaded and negative as anyone whos ridden the same horse for some time can be... but perhaps with a different perspective a new challenge by someone with somewhat fresh ideas and thoughts can turn them away... of course this will take some dedication and persistence by you... enter some of the students works into a local fair or such get a few prises under you and their belts and then take that to the head of department principle or whoever to show that it can be done... if they come onboard the school could gain some much needed (isnt it always needed?) community cred and from that community support?

Just try not to fall into the "well I tried and thats the end of it" mode of thinking and so trip over and down into the same boring mundane pathetic methodology soo many schools highschools tafes and such have fallen into... the objections will probably come thick and fast not only from the jaded but also from other departments as they vie for attention and funding... but dont be put of by them and dont back down from what you have formulated for the students and use the school as the platform to encourage the school community platform the school credo and the school gaining at least some of the community glory..

Last year my 12 year old son and I made a couple of things out in the shed and the missus entered them in the local fair... and they won ... Joshy's school (the local one) does not have a woodworking class as it was always seen as too costly too much effort too problematical not in keeping with the area (cattle grazing... like every sodding kid is a grazier or dairy farmers friggin kid or even has the slightest interest in it ) etc etc etc by the long standing jaded principal... BUT!! next year they will have one the tools are being bought this year and a class being built by the end of the year... It will be used initially by the small year 6 and 7 classes to teach basic woodwork!! why? because one of their year 6 kids had made and won a prize at the community fair WITHOUT any input from the local school in fact there was NOTHING whatever from the school or its students at the fair... it embarrassed them into doing something!! so next year woodworking this year the girls are learning quilting and tatting if interested art and pottery if not the boys have to wait for the tools and class to be bought and established first.

Small country town not many of the small number of boys want to be seen to be doing girly stuff like quilting or tatting... mind you one of Joshy's entries was a quilted pillow he and his mum made which came second place at the same fair... but we dont mention that cause he gets a tad embarressed...

But see? the community approval and participation or in this case lack of it in what is a major community fair in West Aussie made the principal and others sit up and take notice when one student won some firsts and seconds but the school didnt gain any credit for it... now they aim at lifting that profile and gaining some cred for the students efforts!

I think you can do it mate... just have to really look at what time is available IF there is any extra to be nicked from somewhere else and what you can get them to make that will encourage inspire and motivate them!... and the school... I think more than the kids it will be the jaded teachers and heads that will cause more grief to the project.

Oh and a canoe can be done by the way!!... a class or year project!... so if you have say 3 classes from the same year for half an hour one day a week thats an hour and a half of work that can be done... now if youve got say 15 kids in each class thats 45 sets of hands you have access to... (note here ask Ramps what he could have done with 45 extra stets of hands when he built his canoe!!) So sort and allocate the work into sectional bits that each class can participate in then over the hour and a half the boat would be... given what I0 weeks in a term? I think??

First section as a group year effort

Class 1... half an hour for 15 sets of hands to draw out on 1/2in ply the 10 moulds and to build the strongback? easy as... so if thats all you get done great its done!
Class 2... half an hour for 15 sets of hands to locate mark out and stand up the said moulds onto the strongback making it fast and then others cutting strips... easy as if thats all they get done thats great!
Class 3... half an hour for 15 sets of hands to route bead and coves along all the strips and if needed scarf and join the strips... cut out the fore and aft decks and the keep strip

So in the first hour and a half you will have achieved the setup of the canoes moulds and strongback AND curt and readied the strips... THATS JUST ONE SET OF 3 CLASSES!!

Seriously... why not?

Class 1 second week... bend the inner stems to the formwork and start stripping
Class 2 second week... finish stripping hull and start sanding
Class 3 second week... finish sanding and start prep for fibreglassing of the hulls

Seriously 2 weeks 3 class groups same year can do at least 3 canoes like the above

Second section individual class group section... so they get one half done canoe per class group now they finish their own canoe

Class 1 third week... fibreglass of hull 1
Class 2 third week... fibreglass of hull 2
Class 3 third week... fibreglass of hull 3

Half hour for each class group would see this section done... so you would now have 3 canoes ready for turning over... and I tell you what having gotten this far so fast the kids would now be able to SEE the canoe and envision themselves paddling it!! INSPIRATION meets MOTIVATION brings out DETERMINATION... and so to week 4

Class one... turn boat and remove from strongback and onto sling stands start internal sanding
Class two... turn boat and remove...
Class three... as above (fingas gettin sore here!)

So now 4 weeks in the kids can SEE their boat coming together... PRIDE kicks in COMPETITIVE NATURES kick in... so to week 5

Class 1, 2, 3... fibreglass the internal of canoe

Week 6 fiddley things

Do the gunnals the seat and the foredecks (remember each class group has got 15 sets of hands!! get them into groups doing the individual bits... and another doing the paddle or paddles whichever you decide is easier Id go at least 2 single paddles and 2 doubles... remember the 15 sets of hands? use them!

So to week 7...

Intallation of items made in week 6

Week 8

a bit of finishing work rubbing sanding varnishing etc

You and your students have now built 3 Canoes!... take pictures pose on the lawns with them ENCOURAGE INSPIRE DREAM AND MOTIVATE!!

Week 9 Plan for next term!! Brainstorm... have the canoes RIGHT THERE where they can SEE what THEY have created in just one term!! INSPIRE!!

Week 10...

GO CANOEING!!

Invite the principal and the nay sayers!!! let them go for a paddle let the kids show them what THEY have created

I bet my bottom dollar not only will your class ideas and projects be accepted more readily and with more enthusiasm but you will gain ideas thoughts and projects from the principal and naysayers... your school will become vitalized and encouraged by your class's success to try to achieve with more gusto more

Oh and by the end of the year (4 terms) you will end up with 3 canoes and if you do different class year groups up to 12 canoes!! sell them or give them as end of year prizes!... but your school would never have to waste money on the stupid placcy canoes!! PRIDE MATE!! future students would be INSPIRED by what these students achieved

Anyways!

Think positive think strong and think I AND WE CAN DO ANYTHING!!

Whew... all the best!!

Wild dingo that is an idea i will put into my next school next term.

Their is much i do not know about canoes. Is there a source that you would recomend that i could get myself in the know.
I can see that a project like this would be a good one to let the school see what their kids could do.
thank you

Hagrid

As i said i would here is a couple of pics of jointer and of Australian wood smith project i am getting the kids to do i hope anyway up to what my mentor says after he sees how the project turns out when i am done.

With the jointer i made a little router table that can be held in the bench vice and then made a sliding table to go over that.
in the slide i cut a slot for the work peice to go in and then made this suit a 6mm router bit.
as you can see i also made it able to take a dust extractor hose from tridant bucket.
By having the cutter below table height it is able to be used by the students with even the smallest bits of wood.
it does have its limitations as i have set the spacer to do only 6mm joints but for me that is all i would want to do here.
i made the spacer out of steel to handle the riggors of a school enviroment.

Couple more Pics

Excellent stuff Hagrid

The best canoe building book resource I can point you toward is Mac McCarthy's "Building the Featherweight canoe" available through the library or for purchase through here.. an excellent book and he goes from woe to go complete including paddles seat and a jouney through the Adrionacs... he gives the mould station (offsets) for both the Wee Lassie and the Wee Lassie 2 (12 and 14ft)

Theres another by a bloke named Gil something who was a champion canoeist years back and is now a trail guide up the in the middle of somewhere in the States... he has the stations and offsets for building about 6 different canoes from 16ft through to 22ft and one with a transom for an outboard.... utilizes one building board for several canoes of differing lengths... cant remember the name of the damned book though

Also Ted Moores has his Canoe Craft book also available from the library or through the net somewhere... mind here Im only going by info supplied to me with anything of Ted Moores as Ive never read anything by him... kept missing the book at the library

You could even have a whirl at the Eureka canoe by Mik and midge (find the threads in the boating section of the forum) or get the plans from Mik at his sitehere

Theres a stack of websites that can give you more info than you can wade through in a month of sundays! I cant remember the one Ramps ended up building but as I recall he sourced the plans through the net somewhere... duckflats? anyway a check through the forum posts in the boating section will get to him

Anyways mate Imagination... bend the mind a little try to think from their perspective of what they want and make something that appeals to them... what we like and want are often quite at odds with what younguns want and like... or so Ive found

i will post finished pic of project on the morrow
Hagrid

G'day Hagrid,
I have been lurking for donkeys looking at all the great pics to get ideas for my D&T classes. I felt I had to get in touch to see if you have checked any dept rules regarding your finger joint cutter. In Vic schools you are not allowed to invert a router either temporary or permanently for student use. In a previous life as wooden products officer (working with shall we say employees who could not go home at the end of their shift) same story. Duty of care and all that good stuff. I also heard a reason that it is not an engineered machine or such and therefore if worksafe (Vic) were involved it would be good night nurse. Hope this is some help.

By the way if you want to cut finger joints or dovetails, get a Gifkin Jig, best thing since sliced bread. I use it by holding the router free hand and securing the jig to the box sides. Slower, but works a treat.


Now that I have taken the plunge and become a forum user, I will try and get some pics of some of my kids work for you to look at.

Rabbet
not rebate

So Rabbet....

You can't have a router table in Vic??? What is the justification behind not having an inverted router? I am interested as I am currently finishing my studies to become a Indus Tech & Design Teacher in QLD.

Wood butcher,
I can confirm in Vic State schools that the dept of ed has a list of prohibited machinery that students are not permitted to operate. This includes spindle moulders, which include inverted fixed routers. The student safety guidelines for technology students (provided to Vic schools on CD rom) does mention an exemption for trained and certified students. I contacted Noel Arnold and associates, the contracted OH&S people for the dept and they confirmed that school students should not be using router tables. The only exemption is for VET furnishing students and then only after a on site risk assessment has been carried out by Noe Arnold and Associates.

When I started looking for the written regulation, I found this link that may interest Qld teachers. http://education.qld.gov.au/health/p...uter-alert.pdf

I mentioned this Qld circumstance to the person at Noel Arnold and he replied that different states have different regs.
Hope this is some help and always remember when you start teaching that when it comes to the safety of the students (If you want to keep your house (put it in your wifes name)) do not take any chances.

Hagrid, talk about freaky. I'm sure I responded in your orignial thread about plans for a money box that was done with our Education Support/ Special Ed kids. I had not forgotten, but had been trying to track down the teacher that did it. Didn't have much succes. Walked into the front office today and who should be standing there but the man himself!!!! Retired from our school over 10 yrs ago. Got the pattern and and a sample one am now going to try to track down the musical insert they used. Came home and thought it could take awhile now to find the thread as it was awhile ago AND I was a bit fuzzy about who's it was, and what do I find, it is current!!! spooky!!!

These are cute 3D money boxes (cut on bandsaw I'd imagine) from thick balsa (sp?) wood, perspex 'tummies' and the money goes through a mechanism that plays music - a real incentive to add money! I'll scan the plans and email them if you are interested in this type of basic stuff. Animal shapes - owl, pig, hippo, duck,etc

JD

Rabbet,
Seen that before and all the teachers that I have been involved with adhere to that or have personal practices that better it. I do agreee that it can be a dangerous piece of machinery, IF, the operator does not know what they are doing. I am very meticulous in my teaching and instruction in regards to ANY machine be it static or portable and never let a student use a machine until I am completely satisfied with their level of competence.