First the design, then the making
24 Nov 2020
Footstools, side tables, a condiment holder, shelving units, a letterbox, ski racks and outdoor braziers – some fabulous Christmas presents are receiving their finishing touches courtesy of the Year 10 Material Technologies classes.
Open workshop sessions where boys shared both the engineering and wood workshops, with individual help at hand, have resulted in the students moving between the spaces as needed, say staff Sam Leary and Carey Prebble.
“Everyone is making something different. And the pressure now is to complete their projects before the end of term. Most of the work and a lot of time was spent on the design process; it is rewarding to see the student’s ideas come to fruition,” says Carey.
“It’s all about problem solving,” says Sam.
“Their designs involved a lot of paperwork and drawings. They’ve learnt a lot before they even began the actual construction.”
Tom Chaffey, about to weld the legs on his metal outdoor brazier, says he looked at drawings and ideas by others before deciding on his design.
“Making it was actually easier than doing the design. It takes a lot of thinking.”
For George Howard, intent on finishing a weights rack, he saw designs on the internet, gained inspiration, made his own modifications and went to work.
“Some parts have been hard, and some were a lot easier than I thought they’d be.”
Oscar Wells-Swann was completing a wooden brief case.
“I glued it together, and now I’m putting on hinges and the lid, and then I’ll put two clips on the front.”
Oliver March was wrestling with his condiment set; Charlie Dalling was working on a stylish barbecue; George Austin was making a firewood holder.
With jigs and welders, planes and saws, drills and hammers all in overdrive, Christmas 2020 is going to be a very pleasant one for the recipients of the students’ work. Most of them were making something for their homes or their families.
