PalencikSorenHawkenProjects2021

  After three weeks of working on our picnic table project I feel as though it was a success and that I learned essentially what I wanted to learn from the beginning. I chose this project because I wanted the opportunity to get out of a classroom environment and learn a skill with real life applicability all while having some fun with my closest friends throughout high school. Before I started, I had barely ever even used power tools let alone made entire tables but now I have a basic understanding of how to use tools, math, ingenuity, and teamwork to accomplish practically any woodworking project with whomever I may need to make it with. Looking back, there is little I would change other than building our swing bench with stronger arm rests because it seemed like every day I was able to either learn something new or apply something I just learned. One week we were experimenting with using a jig saw to make curved pieces for a tool box, the next we were using it on our own to add a...

  Today was our first day away from the apprenticeship center and at Krishna’s house where we will spend the rest of the time during our project. On Friday, we disassembled the table and brought it to Krishna’s house using Jacob’s van and today we wanted to assemble it, position it in Krishna’s yard, and then brainstorm what we should build next. When we took it apart we left the batons and supports together as well as both sides, but all of the boards on the top and seats had to come off. I had assumed that this part would have been very simple but as it turns out its incredibly difficult to make everything line up just as it was before so we had to get creative at times. To start we just put the seats on which worked out without much controversy, putting the support beams in was fairly difficult but manageable, but it got very hard with the top of the table. I presume this happened because all of the other screw holes had been ever so slightly off and those combined to make each ...

  We spent today working at the apprenticeship program to finish off our picnic table with only a few days remaining there. To start we finished putting in supports, which had been a major problem for our construction but one I believe we solved efficiently. The beams that come across the table had been separated such that there was too much space with just a single baton, we needed about 1.5 times as much wood to cover meaning that there was no way to just accept a little creakiness. Instead, we decided to add another baton and to cut one of the support beams shorter. However, in order to get screws in we had to screw one of the batons in first and then take the other and attach it to the support beam before bolting the two batons together and then screwing the second beam to the side of the table. I’m sure all of that must sound quite confusing but long story short we messed up on an angle, ran out of wood, and had to improvise but it all worked out because of our ingenuity and t...