News Archive
Reaching out Through Woodworking
Tiny Adirondack chairs produced by Shawnigan’s senior woodworking class will add some homemade whimsy to the Montessori preschool on campus and help enhance the relationship between the School and the youngsters.
The woodworking class explored batch production techniques and processes during the project, teacher Mr. Declan Bartlett explained.
“A major part of good woodworking is planning and preparation,” he said. “By understanding a systems approach to guaranteeing quality, students were able to frame the project as a series of attainable steps that they could focus on, divide the labour and track the progress of the build.”
In teams of four, the students created templates and selected material, considering quality and esthetics. They took the rough-sawn timber, milled it to four-square, then used templates to mark out before cutting and shaping the wood with a variety of tools, including the bandsaw, table saw, table router, and sanders. The design the students used for this project relies on screws to join the pieces, although Mr. Bartlett notes that the class will explore more traditional and modern joinery skills before their next major project.
The students benefitted from having someone in mind for the final product, and the preschoolers even got to visit the workshop and check out the chairs while they were still being built.
“As a class, we wanted to create a product that would have an end user and felt that giving back to the Montessori children was perfect,” Mr. Bartlett explained. “It allowed students to double check fit and size, and we even invited the little ones for a workshop visit just before the festive break, so they could see where the magic happens. Grade 11 and 12 students showed them machines and talked about some special features before the clients took turns trying out the completed chairs.”
The chairs are built from Vancouver Island alder, a staple of the workshop due to the proximity and reduced environmental impact. Students had to further manage impact through maximizing their use and working around any quality defects. Clear benefits of such a project include repeatability of machine operations, understanding project arcs, time management, quality control, team building, skills acquisition, while highlighting the importance of health and safety.
“Gifting the 20 chairs to the Montessori is just the icing on the cake,” Mr. Bartlett said.
To follow up, the preschool students will get to turn the finished chairs into unique art pieces by decorating them for use in the spring.
The high school students, meanwhile, will take the lessons and experience from the chairs into their next project.
“Equipped with their experience, the senior woodworking students will be adept at exploring a design opportunity of their choosing for the remainder of the year,” Mr. Bartlett said. “I am certain as their teacher, that not only will the products be of high quality but the confidence the students now have in their ability will encourage an independent and professional approach.”
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
