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Middle School or High School Wood Shop Teachers

Started by JimBuis, June 08, 2005, 04:25:04 AM

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JimBuis

I am going to be teaching Middle School and High School Wood Shop next year for the first time. :)  I know there are at least a couple of you guys here on the forum who are or were shop teachers.  Do you guys have a list of assigned projects from which your lower skill level students must pick and plans to go with them? ???  I have quite a lot of lesson plan and curriculum information pulled together, but have not been able to find any suggested projects and/or plans. :P

I have a lot of kids here who have never touched a tool in their lives, so they are the lowest skill level that can be imagined.  This is a private Christian school, so there are no disciplinary issues as are typical of most public schools.  However, there has never been an established wood shop curriculum here.  Each guy who comes into the job just wings it.  I am hoping to break that cycle.

Thanks for sharing,

Jim Buis
Christian Academy in Japan
Jim Buis                             Peterson 10" WPF swingmill

thedeeredude

I can't speak as a teacher, but as a student.   I would say, if most of these kids never touched a tool in their life, spend a good week or two teaching them proper, safe use of power tools.  In my first shop class, many of us were scared to death of the tablesaw, mostly because we didn't know how to use it right.  Teach them maintenence of the tools, too.  And throughout their time in shop, give them a bit of experience in everything, turning, joinery, etc.  As for projects, start out with a small box or something like that.  Use cut nails to put it together, or a brad nailer and then fill the holes.  For progressing projects, try a candle lantern, maybe a turned candlestand, or a dovetail chest.   Good luck, and have fun.

JimBuis

I am looking at having the 6th graders start with their choice of jigsaw puzzle.  I am not sure yet about 7th or 8th graders.  Likewise, I haven't settled on how to handle the high schoolers' projects yet.

Thanks,
Jim
Jim Buis                             Peterson 10" WPF swingmill

Vermonter

Keep it simple, keep it small.  I've had good luck with games and puzzles, including "skip" games with golf tees.  I use the drill press a lot, and I do all the tablesaw work myself.  I set up fixtures to do the drilling, and line the kids up.  I don't have a link or a pic, but a 6" square makes a great tic-tac-toe game.  I set up a fixture on the drill press to drill the holes, using a countersink bit deep enough to hold marbles.  I only have to set the fixture 3 times, once for the corners, once for the middle, and once for the other holes.  A lot of the old timers around here used a product called Deft to finish them, it dries superfast because of the lacquer.  I don't like the fumes at all.  Lots of the old timers also have Parkinson's disease, I can't say if it's related, but I just use mineral oil now.  Works great.  Good luck, it's lots of fun if you keep the kids busy and not  in the books.
New homestead

Ironwood

GOOD FOR YOU!!! Don't forget about the most accessable woodworking of all. Natural form with branches and limbs and slabs. Cost can be minimzed and then the kids can make a direct link to were it comes from. Most sawmills swould donate slabs, and you can collect limbs from wherever. It can also be a lesson in utilizing untapped resources that would otherwise be trashed or burned. See Lee Valley Tools for quality cheap cutterheads for makng such stuff. ;)

                                  REID
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

katie-did

You might check with your local 4-h office for some project ideas. I know that they start out with kids as young as 10 years old and in the books it gives you ref. for other projects from books and mag. for that skill level. And around here most of the books are at the public Library so you could check them out before you invest in them.



Sorry, Did not catch that you was in Japan just saw the IL.
Part Timer's Boss & CFO smiley_angel01_halo

JimBuis

Thank you guys for all of the input. ;)  The more suggestions I can get, the more I can think of how to put it all together. :P  Since I am in Tokyo, some of the materials that would normally be available are expensive rather than reasonable or free.  For example, I have seen slabs with the bark still on selling for about $1,000 US currency. :o

By the way, if anybody is considering a trip to Tokyo, I'd be happy to give you a tour of our school.  No charge, especially for forum members. ;D

Jim
Christian Academy in Japan
Tokyo

P.S.  I'll be heading for Gresham, OR on June 30th to visit our son and his family, then on to Jerseyville, IL [St. Louis area] on July 11th where we'll visit our daughter and the rest of our relatives until August 15th.  I am hoping I can hook up with some of you guys along the way, so I can see your mills.
Jim Buis                             Peterson 10" WPF swingmill

beenthere

I wouldn't forget the hand tool lessons, such as hand saws (coping, cross cut), hand drill, hammer, nail, screw driver, screw, sand paper by grit, and joints.  
The bigger tools such as drill presses, table saws, jig saws, lathes, etc. will mean more when the time comes, if the basic tools have been used at least a little bit.
Remembering the Japan woodworkers tools here would also seem to be good, along with a useful project to 'take home'.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

etat

I wouldn't dare try to give you any better advice than has been already given other than saying to make it fun and keep it simple and safe.  I do like the idea of starting with hand tools and let no one turn on anything electrical unless you are personally watching and supervising.  That was Mr. Ellis's number one rule until and unless he was absolutely sure that you could do it safely.  He never let us turn on anything, or build anything until we had went through a couple of weeks of safety training.  And even then he was very very careful.  Everyone that took his class had his respect, and respected him and his rules.  He made sure of that.  He was very very strict but in a nice way and would demand the best of his students in a way that would make us want to give him our best and try to impress both him, and ourselves.  Now from what I just said you might not think so, but in between this we did and made a LOT of fun things.  Of all the teachers I ever had he's the one that left the bigggest impression on me.  I will never ever forget that, or him.   

And I want to say good for you!  :)
Old Age and Treachery will outperform Youth and Inexperence. The thing is, getting older is starting to be painful.

Dan_Shade

in my shop classes, we spent 2 months learning to read a ruler *groan*, then 2 months learning safety, and 1 month making a bookend...

not that bad, but sometimes it seemed it.  Make sure you keep safety a number one priority, even good kids are sometimes lamebrained :)

good luck, and have fun.  the best woodshop instruction book I think a kid could get would be the Tage Frid books.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

shopteacher

It take me 5 to 7 weeks to cover the lessons on machine safety and operation.  Each student is tested and the 1st grade go in the book. They have to pass each and every test with a 75% or better and can't use any equipment till they have passed all of the test.  I test on jointer, planer, bandsaw, drill press, tablesaw, sanding group ( includes edge sander, spindle sander, wide belt sander, disc sander, vertical sander and the flap and pneumatic drum sander).  The older group also gets the lathe, shaper and CNC router.  Course we don't make nuthing, no time!  Nah, just kidding. Our 1st year project consist of a folding camper stool and a CNC cut sign or clock face.  The second year student build a project for charity, and a folding table and miniature chest for themselves. The third year class build a display cabinet using 11 raised panels and rail and stile construction with a 1/4" thick glass top with a shadow box under it.  The kids that take a 4th year get no credits toward graduation and make a project of their choosing.  The no credit thing is from the fact there is no 4th year class and they take it for their own enjoyment. They're actually in with the 3rd year students. 
    I think you need to look at a lot of things that could be made or adapted, ask the kids what they'd like to make (for future years) and experiment a little.  See what works and what don't, keep the good, discard the bad.
   Best of luck in your teaching endeavors.
Glenn
Proud owner of a LT40HDSE25, Corley Circle mill, JD 450C, JD 8875, MF 1240E
Tilt Bed Truck  and well equipted wood shop.

JimBuis

Thank you for sharing this information.  I am assuming you are describing high school is that right?  Most of our equipment is rather old, most about 15 to 20 years.  We don't know how to spell CNC here. ;D

I am also trying to figure out how to deal with mixed skill levels in one class.  We are a small school, about 450 in K-12.  We are not allowed to have prerequisites for taking wood shop.  The high schoolers are all in one class together, so you end up with the kid who can really make the wood lathe sing working along side the kid who has never used a palm sander before. :P

Thank you for everyone who has taken the time to answer my post.  It is appreciated. :)
Jim Buis                             Peterson 10" WPF swingmill

Don_Papenburg

You have to find out if they can read a ruler , Know what the lines mean. Then how to use hand tools . This is more important then any thing that they will learn. Then safty with power tools . Maybe you can run your class like the old one room school   The advanced students could be doing shop prep work and the beginers book learning.  Any advice that you recieve from me is worth every penny that you paid.
Frick saw mill  '58   820 John Deere power. Diamond T trucks

Coot

in grade 9 wood shop we made a wodden tool box , grade 10 made a littile table , and in my construction class we did a renovation for a friend of the shop teacher , grade 11 sided and shingled a small shed and in grade 12 we did a 18 by 20 addition for our vp

Rockn H

As best I can remember, we started in the 7th grade.  We started with a coping saw and a dust apron.  Our first project was a door stop shaped like a dog. 2nd was a key hanger? with holes drilled at an angle and dowel pins glued in place.  We finished with a wooden cross bow kit.  Cut with the coping saw and shaped with a rasp.  The holes for the trigger was drilled under a very watchful eye of the teacher.  A cross bow is probably not a good idea for Japan, but maybe a good example of what can be made with almost no power tools for beginners. ???  By 9th grade we were laminating blocks to be turned on the lath for bowls and lamps.  If big slabs are expensive laminating your scrap pieces for some projects may kill two birds or something like that.

hiya

I taught shop at a christian school in Pa. part time. All boys had to use hand tools the first year ;D. At work now if I get a hand saw out I get looked at like I'm out of my head. Most people don't know how to use a hand saw. Receptating (sp)saw is all they know, not how to really use it, just make the board shorter.
Richard
RichardinMd.

Dan_Shade

reciprocating saw?  i tend to use the chainsaw for those types of jobs :)

you're right, though, most people refuse to use a hand saw.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

JimBuis

Do any of you wood shop guys have suggestions on sources for detailed plans for kids' wood projects I can use in my wood shop classes next year?  ???  Free is better. :)

Thanks,
Jim
Jim Buis                             Peterson 10" WPF swingmill

beenthere

There is a National 4-H Wood Council (7100 Connecticut Ave, Chevy Chase, MD 20815) that used to publish the National 4-H Wood Science Series that told a lot about wood and had projects to build.

There also is (was) a set of books (Woodworking I, II, III, and IV) put out by the Univ. of Wisconsin-Extension, Coop Ext. Service.

Also, contact the SWST (Society of Wood Science and Technology) through their site at
http://www.swst.org/

south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

SwampDonkey

Check the local library for old issues of 'Boys Life' magazine. They have a number of wood projects you may find useful. Here's a puzzle posted to the forum from 'Boys Life Magazine'.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=8887.0

This page of the Magazine has some wood projects in PDF format

cheers
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Ernie

When I was doing my practice teaching in Canada back in the dark ages, one teacher's policy for his senior students was "you design and draw it and you can build it"  The kids made things like a pulse jet engine, the standard brass cannon, a pool table etc.

He was a very skilled, patient and knowlegable guy.
A very wise man once told me . Grand children are great, we should have had them first

Kirk_Allen

If you go online you can sign up for the Woodworkers Journal Ezine and they send free plans out regulary. 
"Woodworker's Journal eZine"
http://www.freeplans.com/
I bet I have close to 200 plans they have sent out over the years.  Some easy stuff, some tuff. 

JimBuis

Thanks Kirk, I signed up.  Free sounds good to me. 8)  I have found one wood site that has been ALMOST as helpful as the Forestry Forum in coming up with stuff to help me out with teaching wood shop that is Woodworker's Central.  You guys have been very helpful.

I am still hoping that I can catch up with some of you guys over the summer to see your mills.  About two weeks and we leave Tokyo for Portland, OR then St. Louis around July 12th or so.  I'll post on the forum when I have transportation and the time in my schedule.

Thanks,
Jim
Jim Buis                             Peterson 10" WPF swingmill

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