Blog #6

 

For the past few days, we have started to work on our new project, which is a bench swing. Our first step for this new project was buying wood. In doing so at Home Depot, we used some skills that we had learned at the carpentry facility. For example, we were taught to avoid knots and bows, which are forms of imperfections, in buying lumber, which we applied. Additionally, we closely followed a plan in buying the wood and in the first few steps of construction, again applying literacy skills we picked up during our time at the facility.

For the handles and back pieces of the bench swing, we needed to learn a few new cuts and techniques. For these pieces to fit together according to the plans we were using, we needed to cut only part of the way into the wooden pieces. Therefore, we could not use the miter saw we had traditionally been using to make the cuts. Instead, we used a jigsaw in conjunction with a hand saw to achieve a cut that was both slanted and only part of the way in. Moreover, I used a jigsaw to cut a curved shape at the ends of the pieces, which was again a new process. We sanded these curved edges out using a belt sander, shown in the picture attached.

I have grown immensely from the beginning of the project in that I finally have some independence when it comes to carpentry. Just two weeks ago, I had no idea what to do when it came to woodworking. Now, I have some intuition when it comes to what cuts to make and how to be safe when using new tools. This new intuition has served me well in making the bench swing, especially considering the new techniques I had to learn with my group members outside of the facility.