Students are given the a 3-d problem to solve. Sometimes they are to make a prop for Prom, sometimes a part for a play, etc.

If we use the shop equipment, students are given study guides and safety tests prior to using the equipment. Safety is always most important. All students must wear personal protective equipment if they are working in the shop.

Belt/Disk Sander

Table Saw

Mitre Saw

After students pass the written safety tests with 100% correct answers they may use the tools and begin their project.

This is our first project exploring the idea of "Manufacturing". Students are shown how to rip a board on the table saw and cut it into cubes with the miter saw. Students manufacture 27 identical cubes, sand them, then glue them together in various ways to make a Puzzle Cube similar to the illustration below.

Some of the cubes may need to be glued overnight before other cubes can be glued to complete a single piece. Sanding and staining are done after all glued parts have dried.

Evaluation:
3 points -- Consistent size of individual cubes
3 points -- Individual Cubes sanded/rounded nicely
2 points -- Cubes glued together to make challenging puzzle shapes
2 points -- Final stain and finish
10 points total