The Mycenaean

When students come into core construction class, this is a lot of their first times in a shop. The first week or so is spent just getting comfortable with the space. 

Mr. Miura, the core construction teacher, introduces students to the benches, workspaces, and at first just the hand tools. 

The first step the students take to creating their phone boxes is the plan. Students measure their cell phones and lay out their personalized blueprint onto a sheet of paper. 

“It is very important that the students follow the requirements of keeping one half inch space inside from their phone to the edge of the frame,” said Miura. 

Once the student’s blueprint is complete, they can begin to build their cell phone box. Mr. Miura cuts out wood for the students using an electric saw that is 1.5” wide and .5” thick. Students then take this wood, and using the hand tools they learned about, they cut 4 pieces of wood out to build the outside frame. They use the measurements from their blueprint to complete this. They also cut out a thin piece of wood for the bottom of the box. 

The next step is to sand. Sanding is one of the most important parts of shop. A good sanding job can take just a simple few pieces of wood and turn it into a high quality project. Once the pieces are sanded, students can begin to assemble. 

Using wood glue, a hammer, and a few nails, students assemble their cell phone boxes. One of the main things Mr. Miura emphasizes is “tight joints”.  Nice, even cuts is the main way to achieve this, but if the edges don’t quite meet, wood filler comes in handy. 

The last step is to paint. At the end of their very first project, students get to decorate and personalize their box however they want.