Our grade 7 students at the SW campus have completed their drawings and designs for their CO2 cars, and have begun learning how to safely use the hand and power tools in our Maker Space. After a class on safety and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), students rotate through 6 stations in small groups to try the different skills and tools.
| Bandsaw Station: Students learn to cut straight lines and slight curves using our bandsaws. Students also use Safety Push Sticks to ensure their hands are clear of the cutting zone. |  |
| Hammer and Nails: Students practice driving nails using a hammer into some logs. Students can also practice removing nails using the claws. |  |
| Cordless Drills and Screws: Students use our cordless drills to practice driving screws into and out of lumber. They learn the anatomy of the drill including the chuck, clutch, battery and trigger. |  |
| Cordless Drills and the Drill Press to cut holes: Students choose and secure drill bits into the chuck of the cordless drill or drill press and practice cutting straight holes through the wood. This will be an important skill when we drill holes for our axles. |  |
| Hand Saw Practice: Students select and try saws with different Teeth Per Inch (TPI) as they cut segments off of the lumber. Clamps are also excellent tools to help hold materials to maintain control of both the tool and the wood. |  |
| Orbital Sanders: Students use our different cordless sanders to smooth and clean the table tops, while learning about grit courseness and the connection to the Sandpaper Grit Number. The higher the number, the finer the grit, the lower the number the larger the abrasive particles and grit. |  |
Students will be learning about measurement next as we compare the imperial and metric measurements on a tape measure.
Following the spring break, students will begin to use their tool skills to shape and refine their CO2 car wood into sleek and fast dragsters.
STEMIA Journal 