# Ideas needed for Middle School Shop Class



## Robert Sherlock (Sep 20, 2016)

Hi all,

I am a principal at a middle school where we have a (one of the last in the district) wood shop.  The teacher has a number of mini lathes and is looking for a project that will be a good introduction to the kids.  I suggested a sierra / slimline pen but he wasn't sure if that would 'grab' enough of the kids.  Does anyone have any suggestions that a beginning turner (12 - 15 years old) could turn that is relatively inexpensive (under $5 per turn) and that would peak the interest of a middle school child?

Thanks,
Robert


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## CREID (Sep 20, 2016)

How about a wand like Harry Potter uses, and you don't even need a kit.


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## Sappheiros (Sep 20, 2016)

I would say bullet pens, but I know those kits can be more than you'd like.  Have you thought about wands?  It's a simple idea but it's pretty cool these days.

EDIT:


CREID said:


> How about a wand like Harry Potter uses, and you don't even need a kit.


Ya beat me to it!  Great minds...


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## dogcatcher (Sep 20, 2016)

When I was that age, in the early 1960s, in shop class we made a bowl.   44 years later I still have it.  I originally gave it to my mother and my mother gave it to my wife shortly after we got married.


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## jttheclockman (Sep 20, 2016)

Pens would be ideal and then they can use it in class and brag that they made it. It is safe and relatively inexpensive. I would think bullet pens is totally out of the question. A simple sierra kit is good. Or always the reliable slimlines.

Maybe have them do a simple segmented wood blank. Cut 4 1/2" square pieces (2 walnut and 2 maple or woods of choice) Glue into a 1" square block alternating the colors. Cut to as many blanks as needed. Maybe have to make a few master blanks. They get to see a trasformation of what it looks like square and be amazed when it is round. 

If the project needs to be drawn out over a few days then do pens for the troops or for hospital patients or do some simple boxes for Beads of Courage charity. Make it a worthy cause and not about them.

Home Depot and Lowes have supplied materials for school projects before so you may want to check that out.


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## CREID (Sep 20, 2016)

jttheclockman said:


> Pens would be ideal and then they can use it in class and brag that they made it. It is safe and relatively inexpensive. I would think bullet pens is totally out of the question. A simple sierra kit is good. Or always the reliable slimlines.
> 
> Maybe have them do a simple segmented wood blank.
> 
> ...


 I agree with idea a bullet pen is out of the question, especially nowadays.


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## jttheclockman (Sep 20, 2016)

When I do craft shows I will not sell my bullet pens or bullet key chains to any kids. Need a parent. What they do with it after that is out of my hands and I make sure the parents name is on the receipt. Copy for them and one for me.


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## Sappheiros (Sep 20, 2016)

I forget how different things are these days.

You know, I don't think a specific kit will be what draws these kids in.


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## znachman (Sep 20, 2016)

*Marble machine*


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWTNizo7ggw


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## Skie_M (Sep 20, 2016)

Stamp Dispenser (dispenses 1 stamp at a time from a roll of self-adhesive stamps)

Pencil Box

Bandsaw Box

Top

Pen/Pencil

Shop Pencil (too expensive, I know, but if the kids are willing to help foot the bill with a bake sale or something, it's something really nice to have for themselves or to give to a parent for shop work)

Goblet

Change Dish/Plate/Bowl (for keys and spare change)

Round Box (turned container with lid)

Jewelry Box

Iphone (or other phone) case

Pipe (for a gift to a parent or other adult who smokes)

Dollhouse

Birdhouse

Bird Feeder

Hampster Cage (the wheel that spins while a rodent runs inside it for exercise)

Spice Containers

Salt/Pepper shakers

Salt or Pepper mill

Wall Cabinet

Decorative Plaque/Trophy/Award

CD/DVD Travel Case

Protective Case for Ipod/MP3 player with compartments for cables, chargers, batteries, ect

Model Rockets made from scratch (with home made rocket fuel, even!)

tons of small woodworking projects that kids can really get into ...


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## RobS (Sep 20, 2016)

Funline/slim line pens run about $3 a kit plus a $2 Bolivian/Hondurian rose wood would make an awesome pen for a kid.

You could even cast your own blanks with the local favorite sports team.

You could also die stabilize really inexpensive wood and have the kids participate in the process.


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## gimpy (Sep 20, 2016)

Sappheiros said:


> I would say bullet pens, but I know those kits can be more than you'd like.  Have you thought about wands?  It's a simple idea but it's pretty cool these days.
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> ...



Bullet Pens in a school......Not in these days


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## alankulwicki7 (Sep 20, 2016)

My daughter took an intro class for kids at the AAW Symposium a few years ago. One of the projects they did was a Ball and Cup toy. Pretty simple to prep and easy to turn. The kids could customize their own shape and colored it with markers. 





The other item that seems popular is the Kendama. It's the Japanese 
version of the Ball and Cup.






I helped some Girl Scouts make pens a few years ago and while they loved making them, they were easily lost or stolen at school.


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## stonepecker (Sep 20, 2016)

Beside all the great ideas I seen posted already.
AND, if you are wanting to make pens to start with.

Why not go to the dolar store and buy a package of bic pens.......take out the refill and just turn a piece of wood and drill it to fit the refill?

Cheap enough and the shape can be anything the child likes.

I also take cooking tools and replace the handles with figured wood.  Again, we are talking a buck apiece. 

Glad to see somewhere they still have a 'shop' class.


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## mredburn (Sep 20, 2016)

Mini baseball bats.


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## Charlie_W (Sep 20, 2016)

Hi Robert, 
Two thumbs up for you going to bat for your wood shop.

I too have bowls I turned in high school!

Our club has done several kid turning events. One was a group of 25 kids at a local church's vacation bible school. Five lathes with instructors, groups of five kids turning with the next 5 watching. We turned whistles on a wooden morse taper jamb Chuck.
We also did a birthday party where 4 girls (and parent/s) came over to the shop and we turned ice cream scoop handles.
We had another event which was a 4 session youth class in which the kids turned a gavel, a pen, a small bowl and a ice cream scoop handle. Some entered their ice cream scoops in the county fair and won a blue ribbon!

For your shop, I would recommend spindle turning projects as the basics to help teach tool techniques and control before going into the faceplate/ chuck turning.
Being between centers and a smaller diameter project should be safer as well.

The gavel project is two spindle turnings with only the cost of the wood.
The ice cream scoop has a little more cost but not bad if you buy in bulk or contact a seller and work out a group/bulk/educational price.
You could try your local Woodcraft. It is a very nice stainless steel scoop that will last the kids well into adulthood with a little care...or even pass down to their kids.

At the school where my wife teaches, the tech Ed teacher usually has some funds to help the kids who truly cannot come up with the funds for some projects........that said, most kids are walking around with smart phones so ten bucks for a project fee is not all that much now a days.
Just giving up one movie or a trip to a fast food place would cover the cost of a project.
Using a widely available (less expensive) wood will help with costs too

You or your Tech Ed teacher should look into a grant from the AAW.... American Association of Wood turners.....can't hurt! Could even result in a write up in the AAW magazine!

Good luck and please give us a follow up report!....and pics!


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## Charlie_W (Sep 20, 2016)

gimpy said:


> Sappheiros said:
> 
> 
> > I would say bullet pens, but I know those kits can be more than you'd like.  Have you thought about wands?  It's a simple idea but it's pretty cool these days.
> ...



Yup, a bullet pen would be an automatic expulsion from the school if not the entire county school system. Paying to have your kid go to a school in another county or district as well as transportation gets expensive!....as would a private school.


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## jttheclockman (Sep 20, 2016)

mredburn said:


> Mini baseball bats.




Oh heck make full size bats. :biggrin:


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## campzeke (Sep 20, 2016)

I think JT's post is right on. Either the Slimline or the Sierra are great kits for school projects. They offer near instant gratification and like JT said carry braggin' rights with them when finished. Kist are inexpensive and fall well within your $5 budget. A small amount of wood will yield lot of pen blanks. I would suggest starting with a simple friction polish finish and move on to other finishes as their skill level grows. You could also include acrylics in school colors or local sports team colors as well. Finishing acrylics uses different materials and skill set.

Good luck with your program and thank you for teaching kids a useful skill set.  BE SURE to post photos of the project in process as well as the finished pens!


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## mredburn (Sep 20, 2016)

Do you need wood, blanks or otherwise donated?


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## Rounder (Sep 20, 2016)

Charlie_W said:


> gimpy said:
> 
> 
> > Sappheiros said:
> ...



When I was in shop in Jr. High back in the late 60's, we actually made an aluminum bow out of a kit. Try that nowadays!!!


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## LR9788 (Sep 20, 2016)

I teach middle school and all of my students are always begging for me to make slimline pens for highest test scores, perfect attendance, etc. 

I think that a pen would be an excellent thing to teach them to make. Its simple enough and the more naturally inclined students have the flexibility to add their own artistic flair as they see fit.


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## Skie_M (Sep 20, 2016)

Another thing to add in, for students to avoid losing their precious projects ...


Invest in an image transfer kit or decal kit for the entire class, and have their objects personalized so that ownership can be immediately ascribed to it's true owner.


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## Robert Sherlock (Sep 21, 2016)

mredburn said:


> Do you need wood, blanks or otherwise donated?



Hi Mike,

At this time the woodshop has enough wood from local businesses who donated.  Appreciate the offer.


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## Robert Sherlock (Sep 21, 2016)

Thank you all for the ideas.  Lots of ideas to discuss with the teacher.  I'll definitely post some pictures of all of the projects the kids create and complete.  I like the Ball and Cup toy along with creating a segmented pen blank and then turning it.

Thanks again,
Robert


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## BackyardSmokin (Sep 21, 2016)

I know I am a little late to class here, but I am still learning myself.  May I suggest either Christmas tree or snowman miniatures.  I turn these between centers and practice both gouge and skew work when making the same item


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## sbwertz (Sep 21, 2016)

Sappheiros said:


> I would say bullet pens, but I know those kits can be more than you'd like.  Have you thought about wands?  It's a simple idea but it's pretty cool these days.
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> ...



You'd get the kids expelled if you made bullet pens!


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## sbwertz (Sep 21, 2016)

Skie_M said:


> Another thing to add in, for students to avoid losing their precious projects ...
> 
> 
> Invest in an image transfer kit or decal kit for the entire class, and have their objects personalized so that ownership can be immediately ascribed to it's true owner.



We bought a laser engraver ($90) for the center for the blind.  They kept having their pens stolen.  No one steals them if there is a name burned into them.


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## Skie_M (Sep 21, 2016)

Oh ... that's not a bad idea or a bad price for a laser engraver! 


Hey, they can turn pens in school colors and laser engrave the team logo on them and sell them for fundraisers for the school!


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## mecompco (Sep 21, 2016)

We have a wood shop at our Jr. High (I work in the Tech Dept.). I've been trying to get the teacher to invest in a lathe, but no luck yet. I think he's comfortable with the tool boxes, bird houses and so forth. He has bought some of my pens, though. My vote is for a single barrel pen of some sort--much better chance of it coming out well than a slim. A quick friction polish finish and the kids would have a nice gift to give or to use. Just MHO.

Regards,
Michael


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## randyrls (Sep 21, 2016)

Pens with a stylus on the end for all the touchscreens.


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## Skie_M (Sep 22, 2016)

randyrls said:


> Pens with a stylus on the end for all the touchscreens.





Lol .... I remember back in the day (1996), my school had banned cellphone use in the classroom ...


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## jttheclockman (Sep 22, 2016)

Heck someone told me they did not know what a cell phone was when they were in school. Can you imagine that ????:biggrin::biggrin:


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