This Week in the Classroom I’m going to explore a variety of design challenges that I use in my classroom. I designed each of these projects to prompt students to explore the engineering design process, learn basic scientific concepts, such as forces and loads on structures, learn executive functioning and soft skills, and develop presentationContinue reading “This Week in the Classroom: Top Ten Middle School #MakerEd Challenges (Plus Two!)”
Tag Archives: CAD
This Week in the Classroom: Top Maker Tools in the Middle School Classroom
My semi-regular column This Week in the Classroom is back! I have accepted a position in a small, mostly rural school district just outside of Northern Virginia. It’s great to be in the classroom again, bringing project-based learning to new audiences. I am teaching middle schoolers, all levels. Middle school is a great age toContinue reading “This Week in the Classroom: Top Maker Tools in the Middle School Classroom”
#MakerED Book Review: 3D CAD with Autodesk 123D #makerspace
Update: On Dec. 16th, Autodesk announced they would be shutting down the 123D App family in “early 2017”. Most apps will become incorporated into their 3 powerhouse apps: Tinkercad, Fusion 360, and ReMake. As I detailed in my most recent post, 123D is a free suite of CAD tools for the creative maker/designer. It actsContinue reading “#MakerED Book Review: 3D CAD with Autodesk 123D #makerspace”
The Home Makerspace: The Autodesk 123D Suite
Update: On Dec. 16th, Autodesk announced they would be shutting down the 123D App family in “early 2017”. Most apps will become incorporated into their 3 powerhouse apps: Tinkercad, Fusion 360, and ReMake. This week I took some time to explore Autodesk’s 123D family of CAD/surface modeler/maker-magic software. 123D uses cloud-based social community and project storageContinue reading “The Home Makerspace: The Autodesk 123D Suite”
This Week In the Shop: Queen-Sized Bed
It has been a while since I’ve shared a completed project from my bench. I haven’t been particularly inactive, just an inactive blogger. Recently, I completed a queen-sized platform bed for my wife and I. I completed the footboard over last winter break, and this summer I took on the headboard. The headboard and rails areContinue reading “This Week In the Shop: Queen-Sized Bed”
This Week in the Shop: Ceramic 3-D Printing via Shapeways.com
In the late 1800’s and into the early 1900’s, a number of furniture makers, craftsman and artisans reacted against the massive mechanization and industrialization of (their) modern world to create a type of furniture called Arts & Crafts, Craftsman or Mission style furniture. Gustav Stickley in New York, the Roycroft community and others created furniture,Continue reading “This Week in the Shop: Ceramic 3-D Printing via Shapeways.com”
Community Watch: Build a Bench this Memorial Day Weekend!
Are you in the Houston area? Ever wanted to get started woodworking? Maybe you just enjoy benches as much as I do? Join me for the Wood Workshop at TX/RX Labs on Sat. & Sun. May 25th & 26th (5/25 & 5/26) from 9am-5pm. The Finished Bench I will be walking you through how to buildContinue reading “Community Watch: Build a Bench this Memorial Day Weekend!”
This Week in the Woodshop: Footboard, Pt. 2
Last week, I showed everyone the biggest project sitting on my workbench. This week I completed the footboard just in time for Valentine’s Day. I celebrated its completion by buying my wife a dozen roses, and taking her on not one, but two, dates in one weekend. But I’m back in the doghouse, I mean,Continue reading “This Week in the Woodshop: Footboard, Pt. 2”
Classroom Project: Try Squares
In my Applied Mathematics class, woodshop has put the shop in applied. During a unit on fractions, I asked students to build a number of these try squares, all different shapes and sizes. In order to assess my students ability to read a ruler and calculate fractions, I made all the dimensions wonky. No 8″Continue reading “Classroom Project: Try Squares”
This Week In the Shop: In-Progress Bed Design and Build
You may have noticed a distinct drop off in the frequency of posts here on WoodshopCowboy since the beginning of the year. In that great crucible of life, demands of life has reduced my shop time. Mostly, though, a majority of woodworking time has been caught up in a commission from my wife: a bed.Continue reading “This Week In the Shop: In-Progress Bed Design and Build”
WSC Designs 