First Semester Final!

School comes to an end at last. However, this is just a separation from the educational institutions for about 3 weeks, so that each student might partake in all the holidays have to offer. As such, this will be the final post for some time. Anyway, on to business in explaining what we have learned, what went well this semester, and what could have gone better. There is no essential question of this week.

This semester, I have learned quite a multitude of things. First, I learned basic shop safety and how to operate varying tools. Next, it was MIG welding, using angled iron and sheet metal to construct a grill, two-dimensional and three-dimensional structures on AutoCAD along with other rudimentary skills, learning the steps to make CNC Router art on wood, the usefulness and properties of different metals, how to design teardrop trailers and then turn them into reality, and finally how to use the plasma cutter to create fire pits and other metal art. And even then, I have only scratched the surface of all that we learn day-to-day that occurs due to trial and error.

In my opinion, it is a good choice to look at what went well first so you might not be discouraged when you see how good you did compared to poor. As it is, what went well this year was all the personal progress I made in class and the fun I had. I got to try almost all of the major tools of the shop, minus two. I also gained useful muscle memory is grinding, welding, metal cutting, and some intimate AutoCAD knowledge. I also had fun while doing all of this most days. Not all went to plan of course, though.

Next is the negative aspect of all the work completed, or lack of. What went rather poorly is the projects I myself attempted (or my group) did not always get completed. The grill was a rather poor attempt for us n00bz to create an intricate piece of metal art when we weren't even good enough. And due to several complications of my own fault, the CNC Router piece I started did not get finished as plan. I hope things will go better next time.

Anyway, all that has happened is in the past and with next semester, I can start fresh and new. I look forward to the break and what will come next year (2015, of course. Not a new school year).

Dr. Nebula, signing off!

Week #15 -- The Ring of Fire

Another week dies as fast as it was born. I have been assigned to a companion project rather than the teardrop trailer, which was something I was aiming for. My project, the metal fire rings, involves a combination of AutoCAD and cooperation with a small group of my peers. This week was focused on committing work and heart to these projects, with an essential question to boot.

Monday centered around a challenge (we have a lot of these) for the class. We tried to figure out how to optimise a 10-foot by 4-foot piece of 16 gauge sheet metal to make the most fire rings. We all set to work and found it best to make each fire ring two pieces welded together, rather than once piece. Of course, there was scrap. Tuesday and Wednesday involved learning the basics of the plasma cutter and how to make letters for our rings that the cutter could actually recognise. Thursday was taking a stab at learning how to put images in AutoCad and make them able to be cut be the plasma cutter.

This week also had an essential question: What ways are there to use clean energy/gas?

First, there are solar panels. Solar panels convert sunlight into usable and clean energy. It even lets the user save energy to use for later. Often, the prices are lower, too. Next is wind power. The name is self-explanatory, as wind power turns a giant fan to make electricity. The only limitation is location, as some areas cannot fit the large fans, or not enough wind can generate power. Lastly, methane gas is a possible way for clean fuel in vehicles. As it is a natural gas and human waste or compost can easily converted to it, this is one of the more optimal choices. Too bad it isn't that appealing.

Above is an image of an example of a fire ring, as our group doesn't have any built yet.