SKE Course Day Six

Day six introduced us to Resistant Materials with two simple projects that could be taught in schools.

The group was split into two, with my half of the group making a wooden back scratcher, and the other group making a prototype photo frame from MDF, before progressing onto a final model in Ash.

The back scratchers were made from a block of Jelutong, a light and cheap form of wood ideal for a first go in resistant materials.

We marked out the template on the wood, before using a pillar drill to drill some holes to make it easier to cut. Then, we used a band saw to cut out the back scratcher. We were then introduced to a variety of sanders (industry size belt, disk and bobbin), to give our product a smooth finish. I came to this session familiar with the techniques used, and felt confident in my production, however sadly due to the speed and size of the belt sander, the top part of my back scratcher broke. Luckily, it does make a rather good salad fork!

Template for the back scratcher and example

My back scratcher before sanding

My back scratched before sanding

Before sanding

Before sanding

The Pillar Drill

Bobbin sander

Bobbin sander

Bobbin sander

After breaking

The photo frame task began by using a router to cut a groove in some MDF, before cutting it to size and creating halved joints. 

By using MDF we could practice using the tools available and develop our skills before moving onto create the final product in ash (to be completed in the next session). 

Ash and MDF

The router

Picture frame example

Example of the halving joint

Again, the group were split in two. Those of us who created the back scratcher first went to turn some metal to create the legs of the photo frame, and to tap a screw into the bar. To do this we used a laithe. Working in pairs, we smoothed the ends of the metal bar, before tapping the screw in each end and cutting the bar in half. I am unsure as to whether this particular machining process would be something that the students would be allowed to do, owing to the laithe being a large and dangerous piece of kit, however it was useful to learn the skills to allow us to apply this knowledge in future. 

The laithe

My picture frame bars