Tag: green

Art Car, Classroom Project, Community Watch, Education, This Week In the Classroom1 Comment

This Week in the Classroom: Art Car

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For the past three spring semesters (way back to my work at Citizen Schools) I have led a team of students in the design and construction of an Art Car.  An Art Car, if you don’t know, is an embellished vehicle of some sort.  Last year, I ran a sharkcar, the year before, a gatortruck.  This year, I received permission to use the school bus.  We run our car in The Houston Art Car Parade every second Saturday in May. Of course, whatever I did had to be removable.  Nothing like a challenge. Over two months my students designed, cut out, painted … Continue reading This Week in the Classroom: Art Car

Classroom Project, Education, Furniture, Outdoor & Environmental, This Week In the Classroom1 Comment

This Week In the Classroom: The Simple Bench

woodshopcowboy

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve let y’all into the woodshop at work.  We’ve been building the “simple bench”.  If you’ve been reading this blog long, you know I love building benches – butterfly benches, green benches, small benches and long benches.  My boys have been working off this pattern: And I give them lots of flexibility in said pattern.  We started with three 3 foot lengths of 1×12 stock.  The students then cut their bench seats to any length as I rip the rest of the stock into 3 1/2″ strips for the aprons and 5 1/2″ strips … Continue reading This Week In the Classroom: The Simple Bench

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Teacher Tip: Use Two Bench Hooks

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Dadoes are much easier to cut when you use two bench hooks…. You can even chisel out the waste right there.  My students are having such success using bench hooks, knee height workbenches and the tool chest I’m reconsidering my thoughts on bigger workbenches.  I’d like a better assembly table, but it ain’t nothing if I don’t have it. The kids are killing the simple bench project – in-progress pics coming soon. Continue reading Teacher Tip: Use Two Bench Hooks

Classroom Project, Education1 Comment

Putting a Roof on the Bike Barn

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We recently got half a roof put on the bike barn.  The students fixed up fifteen bikes and laid out a roof in three long hours.  Excellent work ethic, if not visuals.  I’ll be getting out and fixing up the barn throughout the spring semester.  I hope to add a waterproof holding bin & tool rack to it in the next service day. Continue reading Putting a Roof on the Bike Barn

Classroom Project, This Week In the Shop2 Comments

Quick Pic: Cutting Boards

woodshopcowboy

Somehow, several large planks of long-grain butcher-block style planks have come my way.  Nothing better to do than prep some cutting boards and let the kids turn them into something special. The boards are finished with food-safe mineral oil, specifically Wisconsin Hardwoods’ Wood Oil.  Always make sure you use a food-safe finishes (which limits you to beeswax, food-safe mineral oil and “salad-bowl” finish) when you create spoons, cutting-boards, etc.  I also use food-safe (or a water-based acrylic) for the stuff my little ones will chew on.  Such as blocks and cars. Update:  As Scott Turner posts below, most finishes are … Continue reading Quick Pic: Cutting Boards

This Week In the Shop1 Comment

The Art Crate Lockers

woodshopcowboy

Over the past month my mind (and workshop) has fissured into a melting pot of tools, projects, class planning and plan ol’ creative fury.  I have nothing to show for my troubles right now.  I have recently completed a “house” style table – craftsman lines with painted accents – and I failed to take pictures of the build process.  At work, students have created walnut-maple boxes, shipping crates, catapults, computer animations, floorplans and straight-edges from yard sticks. Few, if any, pictures. New planer, new jointer in the shop.  You know the drill. I do have pictures of my most recent … Continue reading The Art Crate Lockers