My students need new scroll saw to gain confidence and skills required in the cabinetry field. A new saw would help more students feel confident in their own woodworking abilities.
I work with a wide range of students from the ages of 14 - 18 in all the various levels of cabinetry. The students in my classes work together to help each other make a variety of projects based off of the skills that they learn in class. In my classes students have the opportunity to generate projects like simple puzzles, chessboards, nightstands, custom cabinetry, and custom furniture. Our main focus is cabinetry and the students strive to reach the level to produce custom cabinets.
My students focus on learning new, hands-on skills, and bringing their own personal flare and creativity into their projects.
Besides learning the essential cabinetry skills students in my classes are encouraged to think creatively, critically, and efficiently while working in the shop. Our classroom offers a variety of methods for students to utilize when working on a project for the class.
My Project
Many students do not have the opportunity to build projects using traditional woodworking machines. My class gives students this opportunity. Most of the students that enter my program have not spent any time in a traditional cabinetry shop, or any workshop. At first many of the large machines are intimidating, but we slowly ease into the shop work as the students gain familiarity with the machines. One of the machines we use in class is a scroll saw. A scroll saw is a common saw used by many wood workers and cabinet makers to create decorative pieces to add details to their work. This saw is a simple, flexible saw that is excellent for beginners to learn on. The flexibility of this saw allows students to create pieces using complex angles and curves without fear of being injured by the machine.
In the cabinetry classes, students are exposed to a learning environment that is completely non-traditional to any other classroom.
I encourage my students to learn by doing. An additional scroll saw in our shop would allow more students to have to opportunity to experience and learn the operational skills needed on a woodworking machine. These skills can be applied to other, larger, and more complicated machines once mastered on a scroll saw. The simplicity and flexibility of this saw allows students to think creatively and generate projects that are meaningful to themselves. It will also help students gain confidence in their working abilities which encourages them to try the larger machinery.
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