PalencikSorenHawkenProjects2021

 Today we returned to our woodworking apprenticeship to finish our toolboxes which will help prepare the skills necessary to build a picnic table. We began by measuring out nail holes and then drilling starters before hammering and sinking the nails. We nailed both side pieces to plywood coverings and then lowered in a base and nailed the base to both the plywood and the side pieces. Afterward, we sanded the entire project by hand to get rid of any pencil markings and I was able to work down the slightly uneven sideboard that had been giving me trouble before. The main lesson learned today had less to do with machinery and more to do with measurement and precision. I learned how to use a speed square and tape measurer to their absolute maximum efficacy and how best to go about marking and measuring wood when nailing and cobbling something together.  Additionally, I learned the importance of making a few light pencil markings because it takes a very long time to sand them all o...

 Today was the first day of our woodworking apprenticeship and it involved a split between learning about wood in a classroom environment and working in a woodshop for the second half of the day. In the classroom, we learned about the difference between milled and unmilled wood as well as the various imperfections that exist within storebought planks, and how best to combat them. For example, a bowing 2x4 should never be used as siding, but as the bottom of a box with the rings facing down it is perfect. In the woodshop, we began our own toolboxes but cutting a large cedar plank with a miter saw and then cutting out sides using a table saw and jigsaw. After sanding all of our pieces we began to nail them together however it will take another day or so to finish the project. While our toolboxes will likely not serve much of a practical purpose, they do help us learn the basics of carpentry. Before today I had no idea how to use any of the power tools outside of the miter saw and dri...

 I chose to do a woodworking apprenticeship with the ultimate goal of creating a picnic table because I've always enjoyed working with my hands and exploring my creativity rather than sitting in a classroom while at Hawken and outside of it but I have almost zero experience around wood. The opportunity to learn from trained carpenters in an apprenticeship environment is an ideal project for me because it enables me to learn a craft that has a real application, takes me out of the classroom environment, and best of all, I get to make something physical at the end. While at the current moment we are still wondering where exactly our picnic table(s) will go, I do hope that we can donate them somewhere, whether it be a public park or private facility so that our contributions will go toward the building of a better community. We are currently in conversation with various groups including the Metroparks to try to get this done. Additionally, I am excited about the openness and collabora...