Students must make a drawing to show dimensions and structure as well as see how the parts fit together. The next exercise is to make a box that has curved sides such as a heart shaped candy box or a musical instrument like a guitar. The third exercise is to make a container which has all sides curved and no sides parallel. These devices often take the form of various types of fruit, cartoon characters, animals or race cars. The next exercise is to make a device which does something.
Any shape is O.K., but the device has to perform a function.
D.C. electric motors may be incorporated into these objects to make them move. Objects of this type can be such things as cars, amusement park rides and robotic arms, all of which must work. By the time this exercise is finished, students are able to design and build a wide variety of functional devices. Only small improvements in their tool manipulation and assembly skills are needed to produce relatively sophisticated functional devices. Also, since they are now enabled in this field, later conversation with skilled wood and metal shop workers is meaningful and interaction with our shops here at our school can and does increase.