Wood Turning Education

Got the one from Gutenberg a while back. Good source.

As to teaching, I think I taught as many kids fractions, Physics, and Botany in the shop as their classroom teachers did. Used to end up helping with other homework when I had an "open shop" for a couple hours after school for kids who wanted to work on projects, too. Sometimes all it takes is that one different analogy or that one visualization to turn the "off" switch to "on."

When it happens, two lives are brightened.

Hi Darrel, A good post and a worthy addition to your fine web site. I noticed you wrote 'trades' instead of 'crafts'. I've never heard a competent carpenter or plumber or any other tradesman refer to himself as a craftsman. As with the arts and professions, some tradesmen assume the mantle of 'Master Craftsman' for status or to advance their business. The ultimate was one of my professors who on being asked why he wasn't 'board certified' answered "who could test me?" Anyway, tradesmen are much in demand here and the good ones are treated with a respect that approaches deference.

Probably most schools could afford to budget for shop space, tools and teachers, but not to budget for out of control liability risks.

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

Thanks George. When I taught math, half the class sounded like carpentry

101. Measurement, angle, geometry, line, rise, run... all the basics. Makes you wonder why we do not have a place in school to apply so the stuff stays.

Arch My nephew is a smart lad who did not like high school. When he graduated (just) he decided to try a welding course. Not only did he find a hidden talent but he also started to enjoy the academic subjects at the same time. Having finished his first year he was been hired by a company at $26.00 an hour plus all the over time he wants. Their stipulations are he has to complete the second year of the course, which they will pay for, and then committ to a 2 year further term with them, at a raise. When he finishes the course he is getting married and then the company is moving him and his bride to Alberta to work. Sounds like high regard to me. Why do degrees sound so much better to folks who should know better?

Another fine contribution to everyone. The PG site was new to me - thanks.

TomNie

Well, time was a degree was an indication of an education. Now, of course, many college programs are closer to trade training. Trades help you do, education helps you understand what you're doing, and perhaps even why it works.

"George" wrote in news:uPToh.944$ snipped-for-privacy@newsreading01.news.tds.net:

First to Darrell: Well said. I agree wholeheartedly.

Second, I may be part of a very small community that: 1. Completed my apprentiship as a carpenter and worked in the craft for many years. 2. At night completed my baccalaureate degree before my kids, ( A personal goal) 3. Liked going to school so much that I competed my Master's about three years later.

I have all three sheepskins hanging on my office wall and all are equally important to me personally and professionally.

There was a time, when I was a young journeyman, that my paycheck took care of my family. When I got to be a foreman, life was good and we could afford some of the "extras". Today, as I sit in an office and look out at the youngsters working their tails off for a wage that barely covers the essentials and forces many of the married folks to have their partners work just to keep their heads above water, I am amazed that there isn't a revolution in the making. There are of course many reasons, weak or non existent unions, illegal immigration depressing wages, folks willing to do the job for a lesser wage or benefit package, just to name few. This is consistent with the American war on the middle class, and the push to make the workers put out more product for less wages so the CEO's and bureaucrats can get their goodies.

Just today, I had a meeting with a sales person trying to sell me kitchen caabinets for a condo project that are made in China and shipped to the US. The sales person guaranteed that he could beat the American price by

40%. Huuurmmph. I'll be damned if I am going to contribute to my neighbors and fellow workers by taking a cheaper price now and pay for it years later when society is split between the very rich and the poor working class and the middle class be hanged.

Sorry for venting, but the day of the tradesman is being supplented by the importer and broker. Damn it all.

My pleasure.

Well said. Very well said indeed.

tt

Darrell, a very worthy effort, indeed.

Bill

Probably because they are too scared of working ?

On the radio or idiot box, nobody refers to going to the workshop, factory or shop == always going to the office snobbery ?? I am better than you attitude ? lack of intelligence ( most likely ) ?

My "office" was a corner of my laboratory with a desk where I did the paperwork, the real work was the AAS and other test equipment where the product was analysed for quality. That was 11 years ago, since retiring I have passed my amateur radio licence, improved my woodturning, metalwork & cabinetmaking skills and completely built the interior of my last house and now have lots to do on this one. Priority - remake kitchen, extend woodwork shed, enclose patio and make timber deck instead of concrete slabs, after ground is prepared and seatainer delivered convert it to a metalworking shop Alan, in Gosnells, Western Oz. VK6 YAB VKS 737 - W 6174

because there is a lot to learn here. Over the next year of so I need to

Notice the spindle turning tools are much shorter than the ones we use today.

Thanks for putting this in an easy to read format.

Not in Palm Beach County. It seems like they want to cut every class that is not considered `academic'; when my daughter was in middle school, the parents and kids had to protest to get the school to keep offering the Band class. I think (not sure) that the only high schools offering any kind of `Shop' class are Charter schools.

When I was in high school O' So Many Ages Past (1975), I was planning to be an engineer and most of my classes were the ones to help me get ready for college - the only non-academic classes I took were Band and Electronics. I didn't even think about taking a `Shop' class - they were just for the kids who were not going on to college (because they couldn't get high enough grades for college). Burned my self out in college, dropped out, worked retail for 12 years, went to a Tech school for my A.A. and became a CAD Tech for an engineering company. Did some woodworking over the years, with what I picked up from my Dad (who was a farmer, who told me to never become a farmer) and stumbled into Woodturning a couple of years ago thru a class at WoodCraft.

Being smarter now (I hope) than I was back then, I REGRET that I never took Wood Shop. To have been taught the proper way to use all the tools would have been great - there are so many things I don't know about woodworking. And the kids who took those courses weren't dumb, they were just looking for something different than college. So please consider this my apology to all the `Shop' kids I might have looked down on back then. And I hope the school systems will come to their senses and go back to offering all of those classes - we (society) need them.

Tom S.

There's a political objection to shop classes you know. One of the principles of educational theory (as explained to me by someone with a PhD in education) is that any teacher can teach any subject--it's knowing the techniques of teaching that count, not knowing the subject.

When they take someone who has no knowledge of working with tools and attempt to put this theory into practice in a shop class, somebody gets hurt. Hence the shop teacher has to have some expertise, and that shows that the educational emperor wears no clothes, so we can't have that.

--

--John to email, dial "usenet" and validate (was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

So what are we supposed to do when the roof leaks if we can not repair it ourselves? Get a computer tech or a business manager to fix it? When someone has to work on my plumbing or electrical or for that matter my car brakes, I want them trained and trained well, not to mention smart.