Shop, Tuesday, period 3
"Welcome back," Eliot said at the top of class, which met once again in the warehouse simulation in the danger shop they'd been in last week. "Today we're going to use some power tools, so everyone make sure you've got protective eyewear and any hair or loose clothing is secured. We're starting nice and simple with an earth shop class staple: birdhouses. But first, let me show you the tools you're gonna be using."
He grabbed some pieces of wood, adjusted his goggles, and led the class over to demonstrate the bandsaw, the belt sander, the drill press, and the miter saw. "Those are all for shaping and finishing your wood," he said. "For piecing it together, you're gonna go a little more old school, using either wood glue, or hammer and nails." He demonstrated both these methods, including how to clamp the wood to hold it in place while working with it. "The wood glue's gonna get you a nicer finish in the end if you use it right, but I ain't gonna blame anyone who wants to hammer out some frustrations as well as the nails. Now, let's get to the project."
Eliot tapped the bulletin board behind him, and a diagram of various birds appeared on it. "Just in case anyone ain't familiar with what birds are, or the various sizes they come in. They fly, some folks like to watch them, and you can make houses for them to live in." He tapped the board and a basic bird house plan appeared. "Here's a simple plan. It's basically a box with a hole in one side for the bird to go in and out of, and a perch for it to hang out on when it's feelin' neighborly." That was a joke, though Eliot couldn't guarantee the birds in Fandom didn't have their own stoop culture. "Basic construction will get you a basic grade. I encourage you all to think outside the box, as it were, and get creative; paint it, shape it a little different, size it up or down. Show me what you can come up with, and have fun with it. Even if a bird doesn't end up likin' it, you want to end up with somethin' you can be proud of."
He grabbed some pieces of wood, adjusted his goggles, and led the class over to demonstrate the bandsaw, the belt sander, the drill press, and the miter saw. "Those are all for shaping and finishing your wood," he said. "For piecing it together, you're gonna go a little more old school, using either wood glue, or hammer and nails." He demonstrated both these methods, including how to clamp the wood to hold it in place while working with it. "The wood glue's gonna get you a nicer finish in the end if you use it right, but I ain't gonna blame anyone who wants to hammer out some frustrations as well as the nails. Now, let's get to the project."
Eliot tapped the bulletin board behind him, and a diagram of various birds appeared on it. "Just in case anyone ain't familiar with what birds are, or the various sizes they come in. They fly, some folks like to watch them, and you can make houses for them to live in." He tapped the board and a basic bird house plan appeared. "Here's a simple plan. It's basically a box with a hole in one side for the bird to go in and out of, and a perch for it to hang out on when it's feelin' neighborly." That was a joke, though Eliot couldn't guarantee the birds in Fandom didn't have their own stoop culture. "Basic construction will get you a basic grade. I encourage you all to think outside the box, as it were, and get creative; paint it, shape it a little different, size it up or down. Show me what you can come up with, and have fun with it. Even if a bird doesn't end up likin' it, you want to end up with somethin' you can be proud of."
