fandomhigh | Shop, Tuesday, period 3

"Welcome back," Eliot said at the top of class, which met once again in the warehouse simulation in the danger shop they'd been in last week. "Today we're going to use some power tools, so everyone make sure you've got protective eyewear and any hair or loose clothing is secured. We're starting nice and simple with an earth shop class staple: birdhouses. But first, let me show you the tools you're gonna be using."

He grabbed some pieces of wood, adjusted his goggles, and led the class over to demonstrate the bandsaw, the belt sander, the drill press, and the miter saw. "Those are all for shaping and finishing your wood," he said. "For piecing it together, you're gonna go a little more old school, using either wood glue, or hammer and nails." He demonstrated both these methods, including how to clamp the wood to hold it in place while working with it. "The wood glue's gonna get you a nicer finish in the end if you use it right, but I ain't gonna blame anyone who wants to hammer out some frustrations as well as the nails. Now, let's get to the project."

Eliot tapped the bulletin board behind him, and a diagram of various birds appeared on it. "Just in case anyone ain't familiar with what birds are, or the various sizes they come in. They fly, some folks like to watch them, and you can make houses for them to live in." He tapped the board and a basic bird house plan appeared. "Here's a simple plan. It's basically a box with a hole in one side for the bird to go in and out of, and a perch for it to hang out on when it's feelin' neighborly." That was a joke, though Eliot couldn't guarantee the birds in Fandom didn't have their own stoop culture. "Basic construction will get you a basic grade. I encourage you all to think outside the box, as it were, and get creative; paint it, shape it a little different, size it up or down. Show me what you can come up with, and have fun with it. Even if a bird doesn't end up likin' it, you want to end up with somethin' you can be proud of."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

With a little birdhouse in your soul

Hyacinthe

Ada Miller

Isabela

Ringo Noyamano

Tali'Zorah

Jalian d'Arsennette

Thorin

A lot of it ~~ie. the handwaved bits~~ is shouted over the sound of power tools. Eliot's making sure to point out the flying sawdust and its tendency to get into delicate orifices if you're not careful. Like eyeballs.

He's got some basic paper filter masks (and extra elastics) for anyone worried about breathing the dust in -- or the dust clogging up their usual respirators.

Hyacinthe saw the tools that they would be using today and immediately pulled his hair back, even before Mr. Spencer spoke of it. He watched the demonstration wearing a conflicted expression. He could see how much more efficient the machines were and yet, it seemed so much less personal than doing it with one's own hands and strength.

Of course, he only whittled for the fun of it. He was sure than any carpenter that made their living from working with wood would appreciate such creations.

Edited 2016-09-06 06:33 (UTC)

Ada had shown up to class with her hair elaborately braided back, an effort which had taken the better part of an hour to tame her wild mass of curls in to something more stable.

She was taking a few notes, but not many. Mostly doodling pictures of birds as she thought about how to make the birdhouse.

Yeah, Tali had decided she didn't want to take the risk on having to burn through a dozen filters in one day, so she'd definitely taken one of the filter masks. It looked goofy as hell strapped on over her mask, sure, but see how much she cared.

By the time the lecture was done (and she was listening, really, she could multitask!) she'd already put together a 3-D model of her birdhouse plans using her omni-tool.

Was that cheating? Maybe a little bit, but not as much as using said omni-tool to actually fabricate all the pieces out of omni-gel would have been. (Had to do something with the omni-gel since the kinds of security locks that could be unlocked with it were starting to get phased out around the galaxy, anyway.)

Four walls, a floor, and a roof, with a hole to go in and out of and a perch. Bonus points for thinking about how to hang the damn thing once you get it out of the shop. Also for making it pretty.

It took Hyacinthe longer than he liked to admit to get the hang of using the saws. He stubbornly refused to use any but the smallest one and did the sanding all by hand. He also used dove-joints because the glue just looked like messy beeswax and who wanted to spend money on nails for a birdhouse? That just didn't make sense! Iron was expensive!

The whole experience was vaguely unsatisfactory until he discovered the wood-burner. It was close enough to heating a knife and using the edge that Hya was able to quickly adapt to the modern version and from there he was able to start merrily decorating his birdhouse.

What. Was he supposed to leave his birdhouse undecorated? Perish the thought. After all, he was (half-) D'Angeline.

"How're you doin' that?" Ada asked, staying out of the way but leaning in a little bit to watch.

"What do you mean?" Hyacinthe asked, making another loop for a petal. "This tool? Tis heated. I'm burning designs into the wood itself. Usually I use a heated knife, but I misdoubt Messire Spencer would approve."

He glanced up at her and gave a smile. "Morning, rinkeni."

"That, an' thinkin' up how th' pictures should go," she said, patting the birdhouse in her lap. "I'll probably paint mine later, 'cause I hate leavin' stuff undone, but I wouldn't a thought t' do pretty flowers or nothing."

Hyacinthe looked down at his birdhouse, a little at a loss to answer her question. "'Tis just random designs," he said. "A flower and some leaves, because t'would be unfinished else. There is very little in Terre D'Ange that is not somehow decorated, even in the poorest locations. I've no great artistic talent, though, so I stayed with something simple."

Four walls, a perch, a hole, a slanted roof for water to run off and hang slightly over the hold to prevent water from getting in... and making the roof useful, too. Ada had carefully drilled two small holes for water drainage at the ends, and one in the bottom of the birdhouse, too.

She could put rosemary or thyme or something in the roof, and it would be functional as well as pretty.

Edited 2016-09-06 15:17 (UTC)

"Have you done this before?" Ringo asked, glancing over at Ada's work curiously. Her own birdhouse was, well, basically a cube with a hole in it. And not all that cube-ish of a cube, either.

Someone wasn't good with birdhouses or or woodworking.

"One of m' cousins keeps doves, another got racin' pigeons, an' more'n a few got chickens," Ada said, grinning. "One way t' keep littles out of trouble? Put 'em in charge of makin' new houses for th' birds."

"Th' chickens got coops both at th' ranch an' on th' road, but the doves an' pigeons get houses mounted on the trailers."

"And does that work?" Ringo was giving Ada an amused look. "Keeping you out of trouble?" Because she had a hard time imagining that.

Ada gave Ringo her most angelic, innocent Look. "Now, what makes you think I'd ever be in trouble?"

"You? In trouble?" Ringo batted her eyelashes in an innocent look of her own.

It wasn't as convincing as Ada's.

"I'm sure I never suggested anything of the sort."

Note the look of glee on his face when using power tools. Or the way he spins the hammer every time he picks it up. He honestly doesn't even notice he does that, anymore. He just likes spinning things.

On the Leverage commentary, Rogers and Frakes both comment on how Christian Kane can't pick up a prop without spinning it. Seriously. Except the EMP gun, which was too big. You can see he wants to, though.

Shop, Tuesday, period 3

Sign in

Re: Sign in

Re: Sign in

Re: Sign in

Re: Sign in

Re: Sign in

Re: Sign in

Re: Sign in

Listen to the lecture

Re: Listen to the lecture

Re: Listen to the lecture

Re: Listen to the lecture

Construction time

Re: Construction time

Re: Construction time

Re: Construction time

Re: Construction time

Re: Construction time

Re: Construction time

Re: Construction time

Re: Construction time

Re: Construction time

Re: Construction time

Re: Construction time

Talk to Eliot

OOC