Shop, Tuesday, period 3

[vdistinctive]

"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:

Comments

Construction time

[vdistinctive]

Four walls, a floor, and a roof, with a hole to go in and out of and a perch. Bonus points for thinking about how to hang the damn thing once you get it out of the shop. Also for making it pretty.

Re: Construction time

[vrajna_kralis]

It took Hyacinthe longer than he liked to admit to get the hang of using the saws. He stubbornly refused to use any but the smallest one and did the sanding all by hand. He also used dove-joints because the glue just looked like messy beeswax and who wanted to spend money on nails for a birdhouse? That just didn't make sense! Iron was expensive!

The whole experience was vaguely unsatisfactory until he discovered the wood-burner. It was close enough to heating a knife and using the edge that Hya was able to quickly adapt to the modern version and from there he was able to start merrily decorating his birdhouse.

What. Was he supposed to leave his birdhouse undecorated? Perish the thought. After all, he was (half-) D'Angeline.

Re: Construction time

[boneyard_girl]

"How're you doin' that?" Ada asked, staying out of the way but leaning in a little bit to watch.

Re: Construction time

[vrajna_kralis]

"What do you mean?" Hyacinthe asked, making another loop for a petal. "This tool? Tis heated. I'm burning designs into the wood itself. Usually I use a heated knife, but I misdoubt Messire Spencer would approve."

He glanced up at her and gave a smile. "Morning, rinkeni."

Re: Construction time

[boneyard_girl]

"That, an' thinkin' up how th' pictures should go," she said, patting the birdhouse in her lap. "I'll probably paint mine later, 'cause I hate leavin' stuff undone, but I wouldn't a thought t' do pretty flowers or nothing."

Re: Construction time

[vrajna_kralis]

Hyacinthe looked down at his birdhouse, a little at a loss to answer her question. "'Tis just random designs," he said. "A flower and some leaves, because t'would be unfinished else. There is very little in Terre D'Ange that is not somehow decorated, even in the poorest locations. I've no great artistic talent, though, so I stayed with something simple."

Re: Construction time

[boneyard_girl]

Four walls, a perch, a hole, a slanted roof for water to run off and hang slightly over the hold to prevent water from getting in... and making the roof useful, too. Ada had carefully drilled two small holes for water drainage at the ends, and one in the bottom of the birdhouse, too.

She could put rosemary or thyme or something in the roof, and it would be functional as well as pretty.

Re: Construction time

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Have you done this before?" Ringo asked, glancing over at Ada's work curiously. Her own birdhouse was, well, basically a cube with a hole in it. And not all that cube-ish of a cube, either.

Someone wasn't good with birdhouses or or woodworking.

Re: Construction time

[boneyard_girl]

"One of m' cousins keeps doves, another got racin' pigeons, an' more'n a few got chickens," Ada said, grinning. "One way t' keep littles out of trouble? Put 'em in charge of makin' new houses for th' birds."

"Th' chickens got coops both at th' ranch an' on th' road, but the doves an' pigeons get houses mounted on the trailers."

Re: Construction time

[soniaroadsqueen]

"And does that work?" Ringo was giving Ada an amused look. "Keeping you out of trouble?" Because she had a hard time imagining that.

Re: Construction time

[boneyard_girl]

Ada gave Ringo her most angelic, innocent Look. "Now, what makes you think I'd ever be in trouble?"

Re: Construction time

[soniaroadsqueen]

"You? In trouble?" Ringo batted her eyelashes in an innocent look of her own.

It wasn't as convincing as Ada's.

"I'm sure I never suggested anything of the sort."