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Joined: Friday, November 17, 2006
Last Visit: Sunday, March 10, 2024 4:02:51 PM
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Topic: New Project Ideas
Posted: Sunday, March 10, 2024 12:18:36 PM

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This project was made for the Arizona Wranglers!

We were asked to make a corn hole game for the Northern Arizona Wranglers. This view shows that they are now painted and their logo is laser engraved. It was a trick to sidestep the safety so something 2 feet by 4 feet could fit by hanging out the front of the machine. This was done with no students present. It was fully blocked off too so no energy could escape as another precaution.


Eddie (grade 8) has taken on the project and we start by cutting lengths of 2"x4"'s and begin drilling to attach the corners of the 2'X4' frame.



The corners go together with long screws so it can hold up for years without coming loose.



Drilling and assembling the fold up legs.



The fold up let is rounded to allow movement and a thumb screw to hold it tight during storage and play.



They went out of here so fast I couldn't get a picture of the completed project. It's spring break here.

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Topic: New Project Ideas
Posted: Sunday, January 7, 2024 9:22:55 AM

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This project took an 8th grader all of last semester!

It's what she wanted to do in a chair format. I had to look up tensegrity since I had never heard the term before. Here is what I found...

Tensegrity, tensional integrity or floating compression is a structural principle based on a system of isolated components under compression inside a network of continuous tension, and arranged in such a way that the compressed members (usually bars or struts) do not touch each other while the prestressed tensioned members (usually cables or chains) delineate the system spatially.

I had never thought about this before, but what the heck, lets try making it. How do you go about doing this with wood instead of welded metal?

Update... I later found Shaelyn's plan after she switched semester classes and on the very day she won the school spelling bee for the 2nd year in a row. Last year she went on to also win the Yavapai County spelling bee. Let's hope she can do that again too. Here is her idea that I scanned and condensed to save space. It only has a starter list of hardware and as the project went on, other hardware was also purchased.


We began by cutting 2" x 2" wood, and I brought in some scraps of metal which we started cutting up for strong connections. Shaelyn has to take dad to home depot to start buying bolts. Thankfully being her first time cutting metal, the sparks didn't deter her too much. Still, we took turns cutting pieces. She came up with the lengths as we went.


Once we had some of the parts cut to length, Shaelyn began bolting together pieces. I helped figure out some of the steep angles, and cut the 2"x 2"'s, but she did most of the work of drilling and assembling.


As the parts come together the project becomes more exciting. Will it work? When are you getting the chain? Soon I hope.


Shaelyn has to figure out how to get everything to work together as she progresses. I was trimming off the bolts for her so they can get closer together at corners. She tried that only once and wanted me to take back that scary job. It's beginning to look like something.


Since I'm not always available to snap photos, some of the steps here will be skipped as the chain is cut and installed. One of her friends jumps in to help. It is the first time they ever used a bolt cutter. It's getting close to Christmas break and we also have to get the seat figured out and installed. Shealyn pretty much does that by herself after I cut slats that she wanted. It looks like it worked. How much weight do you think it can hold?


Even with all the chains tightened up, it still moves a little as you sit in it giving that floating feeling. Hey... I tried it, and it held me. Then it held her with several friends piled on. Good Job! I think it will hold jolly old St. Nick when he comes to visit her house.

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Topic: New Project Ideas
Posted: Friday, December 15, 2023 8:52:16 AM

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Ms. Post is Awesome

Oh, I didn't know you made these too. I want one for my son.

OK, Elana can do that for you.


This is in fact Elana's 2nd one. She has completed three of them. Each one gets better.



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Topic: New Project Ideas
Posted: Friday, November 10, 2023 10:59:09 AM

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Before I begin, I know that you are probably wondering where I disappeared to. I have to apologize for not posting sooner. I do have a few new projects in the works, but progress is slow. Mostly the students are relying on the current choices. Some students are excelling and some are managing to keep up, but some are also not fairing as well, so...

It's time for a challenge!.

I mean this in more ways than one. I have one of the more challenging classes as of late and I'm trying to challenge back by enticing them to do something completely different. I think that simply cutting shapes everyday is not fun and not funny and is not challenging them enough. Oh these poor post COVID students. That's exactly what some of them want to do every single day! Well that, and mess around far too much. OK, so at that age I did the same thing. What can I expect. So I made this as an interesting challenge...

The Guitar Prototype

This is the original prototype which has gone through a few changes as we got into making them. For example, I later added a fretboard. Also, rather than leave the knots at the bridge showing, I now drill at the edge of the bridge and insert them into the body, pull it out through the sound hole, tie the knot and pull it back tight before going over the bridge. I also made a cover that fits over those holes to hide them. As you can tell, that is not seen in this example.
These art pieces are about 12" long. I say art pieces because they really aren't toys and can't really be played. I found a guitar silhouette by searching google. I used CorelDraw to do a quick trace and proceeded to eliminated extra unnecessary nodes. I ended up with a single line silhouette with changeable size capabilities. I imported it into a 13" X 5" laser project and set the lines on hairline. For those who understand the Epilog laser engraver, you know exactly what I'm referring to here.

The Layout On CorelDraw


The size can be changed larger or even smaller as needed without losing proportion by copy paste into a new project. That's the power of vector images. The laser's limit is 24" x 12".

It gets sent to the laser engraver and properly focused on a plain 13" X 5" piece of 1/4" MDF. The sizes are set and the print is set for vector only, 50% Speed and 50% Power, with air assist. That way we only get a thin line without smoke marks. We ran the pieces and I saved it as a template so any student can bring it up as needed.

Setting up for Vector On CorelDraw


The Laser Traces The Image


It comes out quickly when set in vector mode and students can get it onto the scroll saw in a matter of minutes.

Cutting On The Scroll Saw


It's not a race as I remind them that their main goal is to cut just on the outside edge of the laser marks. A 2" hole saw is used for cutting out the sound hole (center marked by the 1/4" circle). Sanding can be accomplished in a variety of ways they are already familiar with.

The Guitar Templates


There is a neck reinforcement made from solid wood as well as the curved sides that are an inch deep. (I had to add reinforcement after the fact as the strings put enough pressure to start lifting the front.) There is a separate 1/4" back made by tracing around the cut out top. Each have templates as shown in the example.

Dry Fitting The Neck

Space for the neck now gets cut into the proper end of the sides before everything gets glued together. This sandwiched effect really gives the neck strength which helps for later adding the strings. Then parts are glued and the exterior is sanded.

Time to Glue

Ms. Post (computers & keyboarding) has asked a couple of these participating students to make two of them for her. I reminded her not to pay them anything unless they are well done to her satisfaction. Money seems to be a great way for them to learn quality.

It's a good idea to make sure everything is lined up straight during clamping. It is harder to fix if it is not done correctly.



No need to tighten up the clamps too much. This allows for making changes before the glue begins to set and keeps the sides from collapsing inward. Once the top and bottom are placed and glued, it is very strong and not going to later come apart.



Adding Strings

This student is using fishing line for the strings by drilling holes at the tuning pegs on the headstock and at the bridge with a small brad. Insert the fishing line into the bridge end first. Pull it up through the sound hole and tie a knot. Pull up on the string so the knot gets to the brad hole at the bridge end. The bridge is made from walnut in this case, that has 6 evenly spaced scroll saw kerfs cut into them. Pull the string tight after inserting it through each pre-drilled tuning peg hole. While holding it tight, fill each of the extra hole spaces with a (hammered in) piece of sharpened bamboo skewer at each of the headstock's tuning pegs. Use care not to crush or break the skewer.


Afterward, trim off excess skewer leaving a little showing. It looks better if there is a little left, so don't cut them too short. I also sanded the backside of the tuning end to remove the skewer points and excess fishing line. The idea is for simplicity so anyone who tries will be able to make one and so far it's going very well. They are not only accepting the challenge, but working hard to do a good job.

My Updated Version

The Violin

One of the students asked me if he could instead, make a violin. It is a bit more challenging, and here is what I came up with. While made in the same way, it requires a few additions. I'll try to add photos later as he progresses. The back is solid wood for extra strength for adding the the strings.

It is an ambitious goal that he so far seems to want to continue forward. I have not yet completed the additional templates. Since it is probably going to be the only one, I'll have him work with me to create the templates as we go.

The Violin Face Side Up


The Violin Templates

Here are the many detailed templates that help make it look great. One of the girls (Montana) has joined us in making the violin. I have to thank Montana for working on the template while the boy has been absent for several days.

Montana was the first to complete this project. The one she did was smaller than mine and it turned out great!



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Topic: New Project Ideas
Posted: Wednesday, August 9, 2023 3:43:16 PM

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I'm still here alive and kicking.

I'm starting another school year. While times have been somewhat challenging, I plan to try to keep going a few more years. Right now we are in our 5th day of school and in the middle of our safety unit. It's good to be staying busy and with another birthday only a few days away.

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Topic: New Project Ideas
Posted: Saturday, February 18, 2023 10:14:21 AM

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This "Grateful Dead" bear was made and later given to me by an old friend. I thought it might look good hanging in the wood shop. Many students have wanted to replicate it but I never got around to making templates. This year a 6th grader really wanted to take it on and it's a small class, so I told him we could work on a set of templates and he can make a project from that. When you break it down, it is fairly simple.


Once the template was finished, Chevy cuts his pieces.


We add the pins made from a bamboo skewer.


We drilled the arms & legs and put on the dental floss. The right arm is upside down and has to be switched.


We check it to see if it works.


Chevy still needs to complete the front, add a spacer and assemble. I will keep you posted with updates.

***UPDATE*** 2-27-23, The spacer is glued into place.



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Topic: New Project Ideas
Posted: Wednesday, December 28, 2022 9:01:41 AM

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"The Oneida Dust Collector"

For the past few months we have not had our dust collector. It seems that early on ( almost four years ago) something happened to it and it wouldn't stay running, so we changed the switch ourselves. I was getting my information from an electrical engineer (part of the Prescott Area Woodturner's) and he was convinced it was the switch. We were wrong but without knowing that, we proceeded. It seems the Oneida system follows a specific set of rules when it comes to the design, the switch and the motor. For example, the motor should not be run off the system as the surrounding metal structure is part of it's cooling system. At least this is what it says in the literature. That is only one example of the different rules, but thinking the problem was in the switch started us down a different path without realizing that it ultimately might hurt the motor in the long run. This of course is all in hindsight. If we had contacted the company back then, they may have asked us to replace the original switch with another original. Woulda shoulda coulda doesn't get you there, and we didn't even ask. I shouldn't have listened to the wood turners.

Our eventual contact at Oneida has been very patient and walked us through a variety of tests to see if the now four year old motor was salvageable or if it had been slowly cooking itself to death. Obviously now past it's warranty, overheating became our main problem and it seems our maintenance at the time put in a substandard infrastructure that wasn't giving the motor the proper amount of voltage it should have had. This caused the amperage to go up and that made the motor run hot. At least this is my understanding after talking to their engineer. It just seems so weird since it was working fine up until we had the new grant and were able to put in the new machines. That had to have been a whole year.

Anyway, Oneida gave us all we needed to get it corrected and we had the system rewired which still doesn't make sense to me since the original switch came with their wire. (It had to have been the original switch that should have been replaced.) Then came the new motor. I was tasked with taking the system apart once again, but this time also removing the impeller so it could be transferred to the new motor. I had difficulty finding all of the original equipment we had used to proceed. Our little school has had change in maintenance about every year I have been here and each time their shop space it a disorganized mess left by the last guy. That means finding this stuff is quite the trick. This time I hung all the items behind the dust collector so if it is needed in the future, it won't be so hard to gather it up. Being at least the fourth time I've had to do this, you'd think I would have been smarter and thought of this sooner. Ha.

Anyway, with the help of Mr. Rohrbough, it took most of a day to get that motor changed over and another week to get the electrician back to complete getting it hooked up correctly. In the mean time he and I caught some kind of bug that has stuck with me going into my fourth week. His was different and didn't last nearly as long. I'm almost better and school is on winter break, so we went over to clean up the dusty shop so we can start the new semester in a cleaner environment. I actually worked on this all that final week and we both worked on it during the winter dance, but yesterday we got most of it completed. There are a few areas that I can hit the first week back.

I have to thank Mr. Rohrbough for his help, but also Adam at Oneida for helping us do the troubleshooting and getting it all straightened out with a discount on the new motor. I also think the electrician was very friendly and helpful even if it were for profit. A stand up guy that put in the extra time to get it right.

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Topic: New Project Ideas
Posted: Friday, December 16, 2022 2:54:31 PM

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"Andy's Beautiful Box"

I went to Andy's appliance to see if I could troubleshoot one of the igniters on our gas stove. When I walked in I didn't see Andy, but instead a few other people I didn't recognize. I found out that Andy had passed away earlier in the week. Not many people knew about this. Andy was the father of one of my former students. I had kept up with the family mostly as a customer and if you went into the shop, Andy would tell you great local stories from way back. It usually meant chit chat for a good hour, but it was always good fun and very interesting.

Later, his son's wife recognized me when I returned about the igniter switch, and she said they had been wanting to contact me about making a container for Andy's ashes. She is the one who came up with the title of this post. I was very honored to do this for them. It was custom sized to fit around the cardboard box and was further tailored to the families wishes. My biggest issue was getting really sick during this time that it had to get done. I was so sick I had even taken a few days off from school which is unusual for me.

I struggled getting materials together as I looked through the cabinet shop scraps. This project ended up being mostly solid alder with finger jointed corners whose previous life was a discarded cabinet door. I planned it off to 1/4" thickness and worked on the corners. If you have ever had cut these joints, you know how difficult it can be to fit them together, especially when you aren't feeling 100%. I had to put it aside for a few days before continuing. I soon delivered the box without a finish so they could choose what to put on it. Maybe a clear polyurethane spray so the engraving shows up better. Stain might hide the engraving.

These photos were provided by the family and were taken for their Facebook posts.

The most important part was not just the plainness of the box, but mostly the message the family wanted engraved on to it. The project could have been something fancy, perhaps exotic hardwoods and turned on a lathe, but that wouldn't describe the person or the family. This is a self-made man who started and ran a successful family business. The front of the box is a recreation of his business advertisement with a few adjustments to fit the situation. This is the top. The top was made from an unfinished cutting board one of the students left behind last year.


His son who is continuing the business, was showing me old photos of Andy and came across this one which he sent to me with the back ground already removed. He suggested that the sample engraving we worked on would also look good as a memorial in their showroom. What happened next was something I didn't expect.

When I turned the image black and white and turned up the brightness and contrast so it could be engraved, I picked a random piece of Melamine to run a sample. When it came out, it took on a sepia tone. I was amazed and went ahead and made the store plaque with another piece. There was very little of that particular Melamine left, so I gave it to him just in case he wanted to make other photos. We will all miss Andy's stories.



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Topic: New Project Ideas
Posted: Friday, November 11, 2022 9:07:38 AM

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Ever since Covid

I talk to other teachers and we are all noticing the same thing. Some students haven't bounced back very well from the shut downs we all experienced. Most of my youngest students (5th & 6th grade) seem to be fine. In fact, they are some of my favorites to have during the day. Here is how one student named Quincy puts it in a note to one of the staff she frequently interacts with during the week. It was shared by that staff member and I'm assuming she was asked to write about her favorite class. Anyway, I had her older sister years ago in the job program. It is written neatly in cursive with no title, only her name and the date 11/10/22, but everything is spelled correctly and I have not changed a single word.

"I like wood shop because the teachers and because it's very fun. All the people are nice. He always has a good attitude. He has a good and a big heart because he smiles a lot."

What she is describing is the normal day and routine in my class. The school decided to hire someone to come in and keep wood shop open on Friday's. Mr. Rohbaugh does things a lot like I do. He just retired from his UPS job and his wife teaches the home economics. She convinced him to come try this and it seems to be working out. At first he didn't think he would want to do wood shop for the long term, but has since seen how pleasant it can be and how nice the students can be and has changed his mind. He is more interested each day and even comes in other days to learn how to use the laser for example.

That change of heart means I can look forward to maybe working only one more year and then retire for a 2nd time. My heart health deserves a slow down which already seems to be happening. I'm not quite as rambunctious as I used to be and it is beginning to show. In fact, I surprised everyone by pulling through once again and coming back this year after having missed another few weeks at the end of school. I wasn't sure I would live through that experience, and the school started advertising for my open job.

I have previously tried to get someone at school to come shadow during one of there preps, but it never seemed to work out. I was getting worried that if I left without getting someone at least a little prepared, that everything I had worked for here would fall apart. Already we are having issues with older equipment wearing out. The school can't afford higher end stuff without grants, so we sometimes have to just go without.

For example, our small 1" belt sander that I've been limping along on and has been here long before my 10 years started, didn't start running when one of the 6th graders in my larger classes turn on the switch. Instead of turning it back off and asking for help, they walked away and left it to start smoking. Of course it's not really their fault and it has been making noise on and off for the past year. It may have been able to be saved, but not after that happened. Needless to say, I don't expect the Harbor Freight replacement that is coming will hold up nearly as long.

When our then maintenance man helped wire in the exhaust unit, they didn't use large enough gauge wire so the motor is starved for volts which ramps up amperage and eventually shuts down the motor from overheating. Each time that internal breaker quits, it gets weaker. We haven't used the dust collector for almost two months while we have a certified electrician redoing the wiring and putting in a proper switch. It shouldn't be too much longer before that gets ironed out. *** UPDATE*** But it may still need a new motor after that. It's possible that this one has taken too much heat for too long since the wiring didn't seem to bring down the amperage. Thankfully Mr. Rohbaugh likes keeping the place nice and clean every Friday.

It's almost a comedy that as I wear out, so does the equipment, but we keep moving forward and will soon have it all back up and running again. When the weather warms up, I'm going to have to open everything up and use a leaf blower to get the dust out of the space.

I have to add as I close this, I never expected to make such a splash on this site. My earlier attempts had to all be removed as I attracted a relentless stalker who tried to criticize and minimize everything I said and did. I think it had something to do with being featured in both WOOD and American Woodworker magazines. This is the down side of social media but I found a great way to remove my own material without being noticed. This site allows you to edit. If you take everything out of the post and save it again, it effectively erases it forever.

At least I am also relentless for "good" and disappeared for a while by using a different user name. Once he was no longer around, I started over and this is how it has turned out. I keep giving out curriculum flash drives that keep growing in size and I'm glad to keep sharing for as long as wood shop teachers need the help.

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Topic: New Project Ideas
Posted: Tuesday, August 23, 2022 11:23:38 PM

A big thank you goes out to Woodcraft for hosting this site.


Jumbo Clothespins

I've always wanted to try this project but have never wanted to purchase kits. I prefer to figure out how to do the job with practically nothing. It's a great skill to teach kids so that they can make almost anything.

I ran across this dark colored clothespin in our local 2nd hand store and knew right away it was .60¢ cents well spent. I immediately began searching for springs and almost gave up until I ran across these for $1.15 each when purchased by the 100. The lighter clothespin shown below is the first prototype, before I had everything properly dialed in. Not a bad start.

The template

The school liked the idea and made the purchase but as you can see above, I found the springs were a bit smaller than the dark example. I managed to scale it down to fit and made this template which was used for that prototype. I believe the scaled down version actually looks more in proportion to a real clothes pin... and it better fits the scrap wood we are able to get for free. With a little adjustment to the outside notch, the spring eventually went into place better on the 2nd try.

The clothespin drilling jig.

Students trace the pattern in mirror image but it doesn't get cut to shape until after it goes through this drilling jig where two different sizes of Forstner bits cut the front and middle arched notches. I later added a couple of springs to the ends of the filler piece so different length could be held securely. Sorry they aren't in this photo, but it really made it easier for students who may have cut their blanks a fraction short.

The traced pieces slide in from the right and the spacer keeps them in place while the end is closed. The top hole guides are made from MDF and are easily replaceable if they get abused. The other parts of the jig are made with solid maple and hickory scraps from MCK woodworking, a local cabinet shop run by a former student of mine.

The clothes pin parts are being securely held slightly apart from one another at the front end but together at the back forming a slight V shape. Drilling through the guides makes holes and completes the arched notch operation.

Kade is the first student to try out the project. This will be a great test to see how well everything works in real production by a student.


The Bandsaw

That will be followed by doing some cutting slightly outside the traced lines giving each half it's tapered shape and leaving room to sand away the saw marks.


After a little bit of sanding with the belt-disc sander, the spring is added, being installed in the same way as it's done on it's little cousins out on the clothes line.

We noticed that tweaking the spring a little bit helps the pieces to lay down flat when they come together. We started out doing this by hand with a couple of wrenches. This method is easier, works better, and doesn't scratch the gold finish.

The spring's coil fits down into the mortise. There is a groove on the back of this maple piece that give leverage to tweak the spring just enough to make it install better and hold the pieces flatter. The spring must be taken past the line and then allowed to come back until it lines up with the mark. If it's not far enough, we keep trying until it is because it does matter.


Here is a close up of the final shape after tweaking. It's only a small amount but it really makes a big difference in the final appearance.



This next photo demonstrates the easiest way to install the clothespin's spring. Place a screwdriver through the coil and start the spring from the tapered end. As the spring gets pressed downward, it works it's way down until it snaps into place. Easy does it.


And as expected... the students are all lining up to give it a try. I love when a plan comes together. My students are the best and deserve the best I can give them. I love figuring out how to help them to figure things out.

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