week 2 unitec carpentry 16-18 march 2011

rear view of thicknesser

thicknesser

radial arm saw

week 2. introduction to woodworking machines in the workshop.
first safety. stress on safety. correct stance. clearance for movement. ensure safety guards are in place. keeping fingers away from danger zones. make sure we have personal protective equipment on: earmuffs, safety glasses and safety boots.
do not use machinery without tutor supervision.
do not rush. no throwing of objects across workshop.
be alert.
be sure to switch on lights, extract fans and mains for whole workshop. then individual power switches for each machine. take note of emergency cut off switches, usually red buttons.
radial saw. thicknesser. planer.

week 1 unitec carpentry 9-11 march 2011

photograph of my handtools and first exercise

photograph of the exercise unassembled

photographs of my handtools

photograph of my first exercise

week 1 carpentry. introduction to the course by tutors joey pitovao and craig rutledge. walkround facilities at unitec including the workshops, classrooms, student hub, library etc. rules for use of workshop. work only under supervision of tutor. safety first.
introduction to tools by toolshed rep. bought the toolbag. warm up exercise with hammer, chisel, measuring tape, bevel gauge, folding rule, crosscut saw etc.
this was the first exercise with our new tools. practice on joints: mortise & tenon, housed, bevelled. preparations for the sawhorse project. getting used to the saw, bevel gauge, chisels, hammer, measuring tape, setsquare etc. good thing it was not marked! result was crude but good practice.
introduction to e-learning through unitec website moodle. worked through google, blogging and picasa.

week 3 unitec carpentry 23-25 march 2011

photographs of my saw stool

week 3. our first handtools assignment - a saw horse. this is the completed saw horse (or stool). it will come in handy. we were given dressed clear pine wood. learnt how to use most of my handtools, including sharpening my chisels withe the oilstone. the bevel gauge was a little tricky. hard to be accurate in setting out the inclination of the four legs when measuring angles on the edge of the seat. decided to make the bottom brace from a single piece of timber rather than two for additional rigidity. got a B from tutor mr craig rutledge for my effort so i am pleased. brought my saw horse home.