Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-09
USING ELECTRIC CARvER.EOP
FINISHING TOucHES

the other District high schools which
stress such unitarian enterprises.
The enthusiasm of the young chaps in
their work is the universal earmark
of occupational woodworking courses.
x X
THE manual handicraft is divided
into three different branches and
includes furniture production or cabi-
netmaking, pattern-making and wood
turning. The mill run of students
from freshmen to seniors are al
lowed to make whatever they wish.
This system of self -selection has
proved most practical. It increases
the interest of the young workman If
he engages in the construction of
some article which he svishes to pos
sess or which he plans to present to
his parents. In case the boys can
not decide upon what they want to
make, they consult their parents and
instructors. who aid in the decision.
At Central High School the mail
order catalogues of large furniture
supply establishments are used effec-
lively as sources of ideas for furni-
ture making. In the catalogue de-
scription of each salable article three
dimensions are given. The students
can use the relative proportions of
these measurements in designing the
furniture, musical instruments or ar
ticles of sport and play which they
manufacture. The catalogues, as
well as trade papers and magazines,
are used as idea induces. After the
student decides on making a console
table, a mahogany floor lamp, a
canoe or a banjo-ukulele, he draws a
definite design to scale-the working
plans which he follows in his subse-
quent construction.
You would be amazed if you could
count and examine all the furniture.
fittings and fixtures in Washington
homes which have been made by
schoolboys during recent years. Not
haphazard slipshod. built articles, but
furniture which would be a credit to
prominent commercial shops. j. H.
Wilson. in charge of the woodwork
ing courses at Central High School,
has trained some l 500 schoolboys at
that institution as well as 1000 others
at Mckinley High School. where he
taught before first signing the Cen
trail pay roll.
1t is safe to estimate that more than
5000 amateur workmen have been
trained in Washington high schools
during the last 10 years. Each of
these boys made from three to four
articles of furniture a year during
carefully supervised manual training
activities. On this basis, il is prob
able that approximately 10000 articles
have been made by the junior me.
chanics during the last decade. These
range in value from wooden candle
sticks worth SO a set to chairs, radio
sets, desks. tables and floor lamps
which would sell for SIS to s35 apiece.
, Figuring an average value of SIS for
each article, the sum total of their
carpentry and cabinetmaking would
aggregate about 5000 900. If this
multiplicity of furniture were pur-
chased at retail stores. it would prob.
ably have cost one-flfth to one fourth
more.
EngIebert Schmidt of Central lat
terly made a beautiful console phono-
graph of black walnut which would
have cost at least $125 if purchased
at a commercial shop. This youth of
II Summers designed and made the
musical instrument and it's fine case.
OF course. he purchased the triple
spring motor and the other acces-
series which function as the mute
musical master" You can inspect all
the mortices, lemons, joints and
| junctures in this console cabinet,
| without finding a flaw in the work
manship. Time, skill and persever-
ance enabled the student to complete
a task of which professional cabi-
netmaker would he proud.
John McCrary. another Central
student, has recently completed
spiral smoking stand made of ma.
hogany. This beautiful birthday gift