Not a bit of woodworking accomplished today. I'm kind of thinking about a Valentines Day project. I did see the most awesome wood shop today, though. And it is completely unused. See video below.
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I want to apologize for the random pre-roll ads YouTube is now running on my videos. Apparently, this is something new the YouTube is testing. They call them "skippable" ads: after a few seconds you can click the ad off. I suppose it's similar to the little overlay ads that we had to click off before, only more annoying. They don't seem to run each time on every video, only randomly.
I don't make an enormous income off the video ads that I have always had, but it's enough to help defray a lot of my expenses. So it appears I have no choice but to either accept the "skippable" pre-rolls or opt out of monetizing my videos. I'll keep an eye on this and see what develops. I hope you will bear with a few seconds of these ads. At least they are skippable.
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Mere Minutes
Welcome to Woodworking for Mere Mortals.
I totally agree with your comments about education in the trades. Of course, we don't really care about any kind of education much. What's the first budget states start cutting? We do still have our football programs though. For whatever that's worth.
ReplyDeleteSame thing at the school where I teach but the shop is not going completely unused. I use it and every now and then I drag some kids inside and let them build something. Scary what these poor uneducated kids try to do with handsaws. Recently our headmaster started giving away things to whoever wanted them, for example workbenches, tool sets .... It's driving me nuts. I will now make him pay me for extra work and computer parts I give to the school in tools. Next thing on my list is one of the four drill presses. I can't just watch him throwing out the stuff to people who know someone who might know someone who ...
ReplyDeleteJust an idea, but, what if you were able to volunteer to teach woodwork once in a while using the facilities at the school...? Seems like you got a lot out of helping with the platforms - take it a step further. Who knows, you could team up with other experienced woodies to create a regular class. Certainly doing your bit to get folks woodworking again!
ReplyDeleteI like the giving a class idea it would give you access to the shop and all those tools . and a few kids could reap the benifits of you'r knowledge You might give that some thought.........Dr.rock
ReplyDeleteYou should re-release the Heart in a Heart picture frame for Valentines Day.
ReplyDeleteHow schools can dump tens of thousands into silly sports but drop things like woodworking is a mystery to me. What a shame.
ReplyDeleteI must say I wish the schools would not only teach woodworking classes to the children, but also to the adults at night. What ever happened to the night classes where a teacher would pick up a few extra dollars for instruction.
ReplyDeleteWithout being too blunt... the legal system has failed us (as many areas have). We need to have judges with some sense, but what can you expect from others when we can't elect good politicians?
Exactly the same here in the Uk!!
DeleteI'm sure the schools save on liability insurance if they do not teach shop classes. Good to be around when they discard the unneeded equipment too. Still makes me wonder what the future of my country is going to be when no one is being trained with manual skills. If I was a conspiracy nut I might think it was a plot to weaken my country for some nefarious purpose or something ...
ReplyDeleteI'm very pleased to say our local high school still runs woodworking, auto mechanics, machine shop and mechanical drafting. We even have a woodworking night school class with an excellent teacher. I've taken the same class for 8 years now ..... mmm slow learner :). Actually it's just so I can access the 12" jointer and 24 inch planer. I do help out on occasion with a Sketchup tutorial and specialty lessons like machine cut dovetails. The people are great and actually want to be there ... nice change. Steve do try and get something started at the abandoned class room. Bruce
ReplyDeleteIt is sad to see them just sit there a do nothing with the tools. I have triplets boys and they loved doing woodworking at school but they shut it down. They were doing alot of nice projects there and getting a skill for when they move on with there life and get there own place.
ReplyDeleteIn regard to safety in the woodshop the schools could definitely reduce there liability by having the following: a sawstop saw, a majority of handtools, or even premilled lumber so its mostly joinery. Second year woodshop students would have access to more power tools etc. I didn't even know about woodworking in high school (grad 2002). I would have loved it.
ReplyDeleteSteve,
ReplyDeleteI took shop at Folsom High back in the sixtys. I now live in New Jersey, the next town over still has shop at the 7th and 8th grade level. The Highs four of them dont teach shop of any kind. I just go force into retirement, so I am putting a together shop, I built the folding stool from you site. Keep up the good work. Maybe should see if you could teach wood shop at your son school.
jim Skaggs
I took woodshop in Junior high (7, 8 & 9th grade). Made some very nice stuff for me and the family. One of which was a Cherry coffee table. That took all year, one period at a time for 9 months. I did learn a lot. Not enough to make it a trade, but enough to get me started. I didn't start woodworking again until I was in my early 30's and then only as a hobby. It's still a hobby and I'm still not very good at it, but I'm gettin' better. It's a crying shame that Junior High and High schools dump so much money in the football programs and nothing into a tradesman class. I guess it's to get them ready for pro football (they can make a lot more money in a short period of time). The local high school here (southeast Georgia) does have a construction type of woodworking class, where they teach how to build houses etc., but not a woodworking class like I knew it. Just my $.02 worth.
ReplyDeleteHow sad. I loved wood and metal shop. My family has been in trades since they came over to this country. Shipbuilding - welding, woodworking, plumbing... Are we as a country going to end up outsourcing until we have nothing left? I made sure my kids all can DO things. Not just crunch numbers and memorize facts. Man oh man.
ReplyDeleteSteve,My wife and I just purchases our first house,and our garage was built by the high school students in 1991 I found the blueprints in one of the cabinets,this place is a woodworkers paradise I have AC and Heat a skylight exhaust fan fully insulated and two stories.Its also wired 110 and 220.But thanks to our scwrool board well you know.A friend of mine that is a Union metal worker says that Plumbers,Electricians,and Carpenter halls are bleeding for the new tradesmen.The USA was built with idea with real immigrants building a new country and passing that trade or business off to their children and so on.Now all we have is kids who sit on their asses and pushing buttons to have fun,and thats what happens when our scrwool takes our kids BASIC EDUCATION away.
ReplyDeleteSteve, As a graduate of a vocational school (now retitled technical school, but we won't go there) I find it an absolute shame that those shops exist. Honestly I stopped by my own shop a few years ago to find it on moth balls and that was an industrial electric shop with robots and motor controls. I will praise any school district that still teaches some type of trades.
ReplyDeleteSince your son is going to a theater school is there anyway to have them use the shop as part of the curriculm? Scenery shop perhaps, there is much more to theater then just acting.
Chris L
clieb91
My wood shop is a High School Wood shop. Adults have class there every Tuesday night from 5pm to 10pm. Works well.
ReplyDeleteI always look at the govdeals website... the school districts are auctioning off these tools all the time. There are a pair of powermatic lathes and a planer going for $700 right now in VA, very tempting! Its a shame they're being sold, but a great way to equip your shop
ReplyDeleteYes, you should teach there! Maybe just a few seminars or something. Sad that its going unused.
ReplyDeleteThis is truly hart breaking to see what our schools has become, a skill trade is something that is becoming a candidate for extinction.
ReplyDeleteThe ads don't bother me one bit. That is sad --we no longer teach useful skills.
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