- Thread starter Gritineye
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60% coursework 40% practical from memory
Which resulted in some kids who couldn't tack 2 bits of metal together passing metalwork as they did the paperwork right!
One bloke i do work for now is a metalwork teacher and i kid you not he's never welded in his life
willie.macleod
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Today I had pupils making two piece plumb bobs on the centre lathes (to 0.25mm tolerance), bit of smurf work with the engineers blue marking out/cutting sheet alloy for a control panel front, fabrication of some rover v8 engine mounts and a site visit to examine some very impressive fabrication work at a local distillery that is being built to help inspire them. Tomorrow we are testing model cranes built from pupils own designs powered by old window lift motors, wiper motors, manual winches, screw threads and pneumatic cylinders. Not all teachers have given up!
Gritineye
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That's so good the know, practical kids need to learn the basics in order to develop their skills, what age are they?
willie.macleod
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I'm teaching s3-s6 this year so somewhere around 14-18. I spend an afternoon a week at a tiny local primary school and teach p1-7, they are amazing and love getting stuck in with the practical stuff - stripping wires and building circuits with real tools. They're excited that we're going to fix the local bandstand after the holidays and have measured up the replacement timbers for me last week.
Morrisman
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I have a metalwork O level, and it never covered welding of any sort. Metal folding, tinsmithing, soldering, theory, but no welding of any sort.
Smouser
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My mum recently sent me a photo of the dustpan I made in school (South Africa). She still use it.
I can't remember how old I was when I made it.
I also made a basic lamp in woodworking class and a metal tenderising hammer. All with hand tools. I am not sure if they survived.
I must have been bored at one stage because I made some weird drawing on the dustpan
Sadly I think the schools in South Africa went the same way as the UK (probably with some delay as South Africa is always a few years behind) with many schools dropping woodworking and metalworking subjects
I can't remember how old I was when I made it.
I also made a basic lamp in woodworking class and a metal tenderising hammer. All with hand tools. I am not sure if they survived.
I must have been bored at one stage because I made some weird drawing on the dustpan
Sadly I think the schools in South Africa went the same way as the UK (probably with some delay as South Africa is always a few years behind) with many schools dropping woodworking and metalworking subjects
Blue Chips
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At age 13 (8th grade, 1963) in metal shop we soldered, riveted, ground, filed, sheared, bent, hammered, and even arc welded things. I'm guessing that some of those activities are now considered too dangerous. Too many attorneys and paranoid people these days.
After school, the shop teacher let me weld up a frame for a motor scooter out of scrap chrome-moly tubing. 
Smouser
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Haha. You are supposed to take photos of all your creations now
Made the usual screwdriver sets with turned knurled handles, and the obligatory little copper dish with the short tubular base. We ended up "decoratively" enamelling the inside of copper dishes as I recall.
Two or three of us who had a particular interest in engineering type stuff ( and hated most other school subjects) were allowed to do extra lessons in the workshop instead of the usual carp.
The teacher was an ex royal navy engineer, he was very knowledgeable in all aspects, plus he was a really top bloke. The best thing i took away from all that for life, that was learning Oxy Acetylene welding
Two or three of us who had a particular interest in engineering type stuff ( and hated most other school subjects) were allowed to do extra lessons in the workshop instead of the usual carp.
The teacher was an ex royal navy engineer, he was very knowledgeable in all aspects, plus he was a really top bloke. The best thing i took away from all that for life, that was learning Oxy Acetylene welding
well you did askHaha. You are supposed to take photos of all your creations now
for my O level woodwork I made a coffee table, and this is one of the legs that remain off it, and its been taken from the scrap box.
Tinbasherdan
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I’ve also got a class doing turning today, I had one Monday and I’ll have one Friday. Tuesdays is sheet metal work, and after Easter they begin an assessment in changing aircraft components, so like @willie.macleod i haven’t given up either!
This was the first project kids made at Cornelius vermyden my last school. A simple pine & thin plywood jewelery box, halving joint corners. Made from 1m of 12mm x 70mm pine & two bits of 1.5mm birch ply 150mm square. These were made for many years & quality was variable to say the least!
Then we were told its too expensive, find a cheaper project!
This one is one of a batch left over that was converted into one string guitars (Diddly bo's) for an after school junkyard orchestra. That was packed in as they expected me the technician to fund it myself!
Then we were told its too expensive, find a cheaper project!
This one is one of a batch left over that was converted into one string guitars (Diddly bo's) for an after school junkyard orchestra. That was packed in as they expected me the technician to fund it myself!
Arc Tourist
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Brushy One String........ www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZodH1ETUTvo
stuvy
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Hopefully you learn a thing or two Dan
Tinbasherdan
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As an aside, I was told by my metalwork teacher I would never be any sort of engineer and could only hope to spend my life serving burgers. Bloke couldn’t fit his arris to a bog seat and was angry at the world that he’d ended up teaching
Smouser
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Sometimes I wonder if these teachers did not try reverse psychology on some students to try and motivate them.....
I was told by a music teacher mr beddows that i was tone deaf & had no musical ability whatsoever. So i never tried. Our son took up guitar aged 6 & got pretty good, when i was about 50 he & i built a couple of cigar box guitars & i found that actually i could do this, a few years down the line Nick & i were noodling on the guitars as you do & he remarked, "How do you just play stuff like that?" At this point i realised that i was just listening to something on the radio & then playing something fairly close, Nick said "I find it hard to do that"!
So thanks beddows you old git you woz wrong. Pity i left it so long!
So thanks beddows you old git you woz wrong. Pity i left it so long!
