Goffstown High School’s Woodshop and Timber Framing classes are taking on a big project that will benefit students, faculty, and parents. A timber framed pavilion is being built to put over the section where the band plays during outdoor sports games to keep students safe from the weather. This frame is being built by students, with help from the teachers in these classes.
Power tools and kids don’t usually go well together, but with specific safety instructions, it is safe. Starting with Wood Engineering 1, the teachers will have kids “learn how to use hand and power tools” says Nate Bracy, one of the teachers for this class. Students will start with hand tools while gradually increasing to power tools as they are “earned.” Each power tool is introduced with its own safety reading, a presentation, and individual demos. All of these are put in place to directly ensure student safety when working with bigger tools, as they can be dangerous when used incorrectly. In Woodshop 1, students are generally making simpler projects, like cutting boards or chess boards. Throughout the semester, students learn to measure, put together, and plan their own projects. Wood Engineering 2 is not an entirely different course. Since students are already comfortable with the power tools, they can now start to do their in-depth planning of a larger project, which has been end tables. In Wood Engineering 2, students spend more time planning and have a more in-depth planning process.
Bracy goes on to say that “Timber framing is more of a traditional carpentry class, teaching kids how to layout and cut mortise and tenon joinery on large (8 inch by 8 inch by 16 foot) timbers, with the goal of creating a large structure by the end of the year” (Bracy). Timber framing is delicate and precise, with students needing to get their measurements right, down to 1/32 of an inch. The amount of precision is needed because by the end of the project, “each piece is cut so precisely that, when all pieces are cut, they will fit together like a puzzle” (Bracy). The amount of precision is also necessary for the timber frame that they are building to cover a section of the bleachers. If things aren’t made right and stable, there are going to be bigger problems than the rain you wanted to get away from.
Wood engineering is a very satisfying class to take. You will know immediately what you did wrong, and you are taught how to fix it. Wood engineering and timber framing allows students to develop skills that they will be able to use in the future, without having to rely on other people. It is a class that benefits students in so many different ways and will continue to benefit them in the future.
