Day 9

This class period, we were given time to independently work on two things. The first was to finish printing the second draft of our family crest project on the laser cutter. This second draft was an improvement on the first version of this crest, this improvement made using feedback from our partners to guide us.



Our second task was to continue trying out the variety of construction tools we have at our disposal in the D-FAB classroom. This tools included a scroll saw, a drill press, various heaters for melting plastic, and drills.

Below is a photo of the scroll saw, which is used to cut curves and other detailed shapes through wood. To use this machine, you pass a piece of wood through the quickly moving blade with your hands holding tightly to both sides, curving the wood to create the design you want.




Another tool we used was a drill press, which is a machine that can be used to drill exact holes of all different sizes in wood. This drill press can be very helpful when used to make a hole that a screw will go into later, because it will lead to a cleaner finish than if the screw was put in normally.



We also practiced melting plastic on two different types of heaters and then molding it into shapes as we wished. This process was demonstrated to us by Mr. Gotterson last class. To melt plastic back into a soft sheet that can then be molded in any shape, we used a simple microwave. There was also another tool with a single heated filament that melted a very specific area so that the plastic could be bended in exact corners.



Lastly, we used simple drills to put screws into pieces of wood. An important part of this process was to keep the drills at a very straight angle in order to not strip the screw.