I Need Tips for my Talk to a School Shop Class

[Andrew Joiner]

I got invited to share my experiences as a professional woodworker with my grandson's shop class. I took a tour of the shop and was impressed by all the beautiful classic machinery. The students and the teacher need inspiration. Of course the fact is there isn't a lot of good woodworking jobs. I believe woodshop can be much more than just career training.

The first thing I want to say is:
Woodshop is like an Art class on steroids. You can learn to make beautiful objects that are useful . You can create things that could be treasured for many lifetimes. Ask yourself this question "where are the designers and makers of the transistor, boom box or the cassette tape player now?'' Many of the things we marvel at today get outdated fast. Fine furniture can be timeless.

I need more ideas. What can you add? Can you finish this sentence in a creative way?
Shop class experience may not get you a good job but :

[Jamie Buxton]

Very few classes in high school lead directly to jobs, so don't get too distracted by that issue.

[Andrew Joiner]

Good point Jamie.
How about-
Shop class experience can:

[Bill White]

If you are dealing with the basics, I would suggest a discussion on measuring as a first lesson. It astounds me that there are many who don't know how to read a ruler.
My first project would be building a square box. Sounds simple to those who have done such but, for beginner students, it can be a challenge.
Don't overwhelm the class with excess details. KISS.
then there is the safety issue.
Make them aware that wood is an organic medium. It moves, twists, etc. They are not dealing with an object that is forever stable.
Keep us posted as the class progresses.
Bill

[glenn bradley]

Shop class experience can:
- teach you independence; you learn to handle something on your own, start to finish.
- allow you a creative outlet; if you can think it, you can probably build it if you acquire the skills.
- help you build hands-on skills that can transfer to other areas of your life.
- get you dates; chicks dig scars. . . wait, scratch that one

[Erik Loza]

I would ask the kids what they like to do for fun and then connect that to woodworking....

"Oh, you skateboard? What if I told you that you could build the baddest skateboard in town?"
"You like video games? What if you could build a controller/console/whatever that is totally custom for your game setup?"

Stuff like that. I always admired the guys in shop class who were making stuff like speaker boxes for their cars and so on.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Matt Day]

It helps build skills such as problem solving, design (3D cad or by hand), scheduling (this has to happen before that).

Linking it to other classes that might involve drafting or cad might be a good idea, if they're offered.

For you as a pro, you could talk about the people skills you need to win jobs. That's as important as the work itself right? Marketing, running a small business, etc.

[Todd Burch]

I have saved thousands of $$$ over the years being able to do my own renovations and improvements. It all started in shop class in 10th grade.

(BTW, I just updated my signature… I thought of it while typing this reply.)

[Peter Quinn]

Even if making objects from wood does not become a vocation for the students, the process of designing and building objects will help develop a skill set that is transferable to a great many professions. Some where they might actually be able to earn a living! Engineering of all sorts, product design, art, manufacturing, and teaching for example. They learn to start with nothing and develop a useful or beautiful object through a process, along the way they learn time management, possibly team work on larger projects. Its not IIR really a vocational training program in most schools. You could bring in a few objects for show and tell, or assemble a slide show on a tablet of beautiful objects made of wood.

[Bradley Gray]

I suggest doing a demo since you will be in the wood shop. I usually make dovetails by hand and talk about all the steps. Your show of skill will give you cred with the students and hold their attention while you slip in your words of wisdom.

[Grant Wilkinson]

Shop class experience can and will improve your math skills.

My friend's pro shop hires students out of community college. It is amazing and disappointing how many of them cannot do the basic math used routinely in woodworking. They are not stupid young people, though, and they learn quickly.

[Mel Fulks]

Let each use a sharp plane or knife for a moment. And in the best tradition of salesmanship ...make it even grained white
pine. Pleasure is sold easier than morals and utility.

[David Masters]

Where to begin? As someone who makes his living in the business world, I see a number of linkages to the skills learned in woodworking. The most obvious is creativity. When I started this hobby, I found I needed to recall basic skills in math, science, and engineering. Other skills were problem solving, focus and attention to detail, organization and project management. These are professional skills that are prized in the business world and which many new entrants appear to lack.

[Dan Schocke]

I have yet to sell this one to my boss, but Facebook provides a woodshop for employees in order to get their creativity flowing:

http://www.techhive.com/article/2047...table-saw.html

Microsoft does something similar, though it's not focused on woodworking -- it's a general shop with woodworking, metal working, etc.

I guess the bottom line is that woodshop isn't limited to just vocational pursuits... being able to solve problem in 3 dimensions applies to just about every engineering field.

--Dan

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Where to begin? Safety first. Everthing else you do, depends on the first. Personally, I never got tired of Norm and his safety first message.

Just my $0.02.