Materials

In this class we will learn basic practical skills in working with wood, plastic, metal, mineral, fiber and composite materials as well as the numerous tools and techniques that can be used to make things with these materials. We will also survey the vast variety of materials available to the maker and learn how to analyze and discuss them and understand the aesthetic, cultural and environmental significance of materials in modern society.

Wood Joints

Before completing this assignment I had almost no experience working with wood. At first I was afraid to use the tools but I got comfortable with them very quickly. I used the table saw, miter saw, band saw, drill press, and belt sander in this exercise. I learned that it is not very hard to make cuts or put things together. What is difficult is doing these things accurately and precisely. For the joints that needed small cuts to make them fit together I found that even though I thought I was measuring carefully, it was still difficult to make things line up. I also learned that I need to make a lot of measurements as I move through the process. I marked all of my measurements on my wood plank before I came in to the shop and I was surprised at how far off some of the later marks were due to small discrepancies in the early cuts. It is really important to pay attention to the width of the blade when you are making cuts. I was surprised at how thick of a cut many of the saws made. I was also surprised at how easy it was to use the saws. I thought it would feel a lot more dangerous and scary, but as long as you are being careful and using the saws correctly, it’s actually really fun. This assignment made me much more comfortable with the tools in the wood shop and taught me a lot about the process of working with wood. I feel like I can work with wood now and I am excited to use it as a material for projects in the future.

I made all of the wood joints out of this one piece of wood. I labeled all of the joints I planned to make. When I got to the wood shop, I was having so much fun I decided to change my plan for one of the four wood joints. Instead of making a butt joint, I decided to make a finger joint. The other three joints I completed as planned.

This is what I was able to complete during my first day in the wood shop. Below you can see I made a lap joint, a miter joint, a dado joint, and a finger joint. Some of the joints look a little uneven and there is a lot of glue spilling out some of them. I am planning on going back to the wood shop to sand them so they will look a little more finished,

Below are the sanded joints:

Project 1 - Wood

For this assignment we needed to turn a raw hardwood segment into a convex polyhedron. Below is the piece of wood I started with.

At first I was not sure what shape I wanted to make, so I began making sketches and using play-dough to help me thing in three dimensions.

Once I settled on a design I began cutting my wood plank. I decided to make a solid block and then cut into it in order to make an interesting shape. First I cut the plank into four pieces using the table saw. I then stacked and glued the four pieces together to make a block.

The next step was to use the miter saw to cut off the four top edges at a 45 degree angle.

Next I used the miter saw again to cut off two of the bottom edges at a 30 degree angle. By this point, my block was too small to use the miter saw again on the last two edges so I used the belt sander to sand down those edges instead. I ended up sanding the bottom angles to be rounded rather than have sharp edges.

To finish the project, I sanded down all the sides until they were smooth. I really spent quite a bit of time on this. Then finally, I used linseed oil for a nice warm colored wood finish.

Project 2 - Fiberwork

This project consists of a small yarn and cardboard loom weaving project, an embroidery project, and memorizing and demonstrating how to tie seven different knots.

Clove Hitch Knot

Square Knot

Barrel Knot

Bowline Knot

Tautline Hitch Knot

Figure Eight Knot

Alpine Butterfly Knot

Project 3 - Plastic

In this project we were tasked with learning about several different types of plastic and then using them to make a container for an egg drop.

I started with drink bottles, blister pack medicine packaging, pill bottles, and plastic shopping bags. It was really difficult to cut the pill bottles and drink bottles. I found it worked better if I heated the knife and then cut the plastic. I wasn't really able to melt the plastics much more than that because I was working in a place with pretty poor ventilation (and really bad smoke was happening outside so I didn't want to go out there).

The three plastics I am using are:

PETE - (drink bottle, blister packaging)
LDPE - (shopping bags)
Polypropylene - (pill bottle)

I used a drink bottle as the main vehicle and lined it with blister packaging on the inside front and back to help absorb some of the impact. I also used a plastic shopping bag to help cushion the eggs inside. I also used the handles from the bag as a way to connect the gondola to the pulley. I added another plastic shopping bag to the front to help cushion, but it didn't seem to help very much. I decided to cut off the top of the bottle where the lid screws on and cut slits in it to help absorb some impact. I also cut up a plastic pill bottle and accordion folded the plastic. I then put it into the plastic shopping bag on the front to help absorb more of the impact. The eggs I used to test with are very small and they barely fit in my gondola. I am worried that the eggs in class will be larger, so really only two eggs might fit. We’ll see what happens though.

Here is the finished product:

Project 4 - Concrete

This project involved creating a mold and then mixing and pouring concrete in it to make a concrete vessel that is able to hold water. I first sketched my design. I wanted to make a small plant pot with a fun geometric shape.

Next I had to find a material to make the mold out of. I cut off a piece of the plastic cover of my notebook for it, because it is fairly sturdy, east to cut up, and will not absorb water or allow the concrete to soak into it.

I used clear packing tape to attach all the pieces of my mold. The backside of the notebook cover has a subtle texture, so I put that on the inside so that texture would transfer onto the concrete vessel.

I mixed the concrete with water and got it all prepared to pour. I then filled the mold. When it was almost full, I put a toilet roll with packing tape on the end into it in order to make the interior of the plant pot. I put screws inside so the tube wouldn't float up while the concrete cured. Now we wait.

After about 24 hours, I removed the mold. I am now periodically spraying it with water to keep it damp for another few days. This will help the concrete to cure and be stronger.

Once the concrete cured, I added a metallic paint color on the top. Now it is all finished!

Project 5 - Metal

For this project, e needed to create a metal object using at least three of the methods discussed in class. I made a metal frame that will go around the top of a flower box. The three methods I will use are cutting, bending, and fastening. I first sketched my design.

Next I went to the metal shop in the CU Art building and used sheet metal to make the border. You can see the tool I used to cut the metal and another tool to fold it. On the right you can see four edge pieces. I then used the spot welder to attach the four pieces together at the corners.

This is the finished piece: