Weekly Reflection #2

This week was my first time in the wood shop besides when giving tours. First, Greg and George helped me strip the wood into strips with a sharp piece of machinery that I did not feel comfortable handling myself. Even though I was not able to do the actual cutting and sawing of the wood, it was cool and interesting to watch and learn from a safe distance how to do it. I had no idea how strong the glue was, but when we glued the strips of wood together and clamped it to the form to shape it, sure enough it stayed together and appeared to be very durable. When I started chipping away with the spoke shave, the wood stayed together perfectly and you could hardly tell the stick was made from strips of wood glued together. After I left it out to dry, I took it out of the form and it was miraculously a wooden shaft. I could shape it with the spoke shave, and then when it was all shaped, I spent hours sanding it to finish the shaping and making it smooth. When all of that work was done, I drilled the holes where they needed to be for the weaving. Then, I finished it off by continuously spraying it with finish to make it presentable and shiny. George and Greg helped me navigate my way through the wood shop and using the hand tools. All of this was so new and interesting to me.

This week was probably the most productive and rewarding for me. I learned how to use the power drill, spoke shaver, clamps, a form, saws, and more. I loved working in the wood shop, despite the infection in my lungs I got from the dust. My sickness was a minor set back, but I persevered and still worked through it. Successfully, my stick is fully formed and ready to start weaving. I hope to still have time to learn how to string a modern day girl’s stick, but if I do not, I have had a very successful senior project and learned a lot this week.