Welcome to my blog! Over the next 6-7 weeks I will be learning basic woodworking
techniques. This is for a school project, but I am looking forward to it. I
have chosen woodworking because it is a valuable skill to have later in life,
and makes for a very enjoyable hobby. Having a basic knowledge of woodworking
is also a great way to save money, with only a small investment in time.
Woodworking can be used to make both things of great beauty and function.
Woodworking was not the first thing that came to mind to devote these six weeks
to. My first thought was something involving computers, but am either learning
or already have learned everything that interest me. My next idea was
photography. Photography is something I would still like to be good at some
day, but was not something easily tailored to the needs of this project. Then I
came up with woodworking. It is something my dad has always enjoyed, and is a
very important hobby of his. He would be able to help and advise me throughout,
and all the necessary tools are already available. I plan to spend my first week or two learning about basic techniques, and researching a good design, or designs, to build to help me learn about many valuable woodworking skills. The next four weeks I will spend obtaining supplies, which consists mainly of raw lumber, and the necessary tools to manipulate this raw resource, and then building final project. At the moment I am thinking of building a simple chair, and if I have the time, making something small, such as a small box. I look forward to
starting.
I think that you picked a really good topic, and it seems apparent to me that you put a lot of time into finding something that is both feasible and interests you. We are both going to be learning about design and how to successfully combine beauty and function (I am learning about organic architecture) and I would be intrigued to see if you find any sources that provide a good overview about balancing form and function. You have found a creative application for your project (on the Moodle you mentioned that you would be making a chair) and I believe that with a wealth of knowledge about woodworking, your final product will turn out great. Having said that, I think that you should consider how much time you will consult your dad, and how much time you will use other sources. Maybe you could read about a specific technique, and have him clarify it or delve deeper into explaining it. Overall though, I think that you picked a very interesting topic to research.
ReplyDeleteSo far Will your topics seems very interesting and it is quite an unique idea. Knowing you, I would never think that you would pick wood working as your topic to study. But as you mentioned above, you wanted to branch out of your comfort zone. Because you have the resources available and the mentorship of your dad, it seems like this will be a great topic to learn. As you mentioned on the moodle, you are going to make a chair as your final goal. If you didn't have you dad to help you and the tools to aid you in the construction of the chair, you would have a difficult time. Because you have these resources available, your project will hopefully come together well and you will have a cool final product to give a TED talk on. I wish you luck in your studies of wood working and the construction of the chair.
ReplyDeleteI think that you have a great concept and that woodworking is a great idea. I think that you definitely need to outline what exactly you want to make, and how you plan to progress, like a timeline or something. I think that this will help to keep you on track and you can make sure everything is going as planned. From my own experiences, I know how hard woodworking can be. My dad made a duck out of wood in 8th grade, and lets just say he isn't flaunting it around. I wish you look on your journey and I look forward to seeing this chair once it is finished. Overall, a great idea that will certainly show off your skills!
ReplyDeleteI think that you chose a topic that I would never have guessed you would have come up with. Still, I think it is a good idea. I am not sure how good you are at wood working, but I think that a box or chair would take to long, and you would not be able to finish the project in time. Also, have you ever made anything out of wood, or is it a completely new experience for you. Overall I think that the idea is interesting and would be a lot of fun to do.
ReplyDelete--Chris
I think this is great Will! I love that your taking up something that will be able to help you in the future. I don't know much about woodworking but I do know that it can get complicated. When it comes to reading something and then executing it, it can be confusing. I think having your dad there to help you out will make it a much smother process and knowing him, he will be an awesome resource!
ReplyDeleteI also think this is a great project for what our teachers are looking for. You seem to have a passion for learning about woodworking, a very tangible product, and a way to read for 20% of your project so you should be really set!
Also, your TED talk seems like it will be awesome! I would love to know the problems you have when learning how to construct and even if you and your dad became closer through the experience! I wish you good luck and hope everything goes well!!!
This seems really cool Will! I like how your end results are going to be completely tangible, and perhaps better yet, produce something that you can really use. I feel like something really cool about this project is the fact that it's directing you through a whole set of skills and abilities that really are described as things to be mastered only by "craftsmanship". Also, the fact that you have your dad to help you out is really cool, both in the respect that he'll be an invaluable resource, and that this project will be a good way to spend some quality time with a family member!
ReplyDeleteGood luck, and hope you have fun!