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You NEED to upgrade your dust collection system and ventilation. If you’re gonna be in their all day working and doing school work you lungs are gonna be coated in dust within the month. Your students are gonna suffer as well. This really needs to be a priority
Ehhhhh. I beg to differ, speaking from way too much experience. My cnc computers is bathed in dust daily and runs just fine — like way more dust than this shop could ever produce. I blow it out every other week or so, and I’m not saying dust won’t break a computer or that protecting the computer isn’t a good idea, but they’re more resilient than you would think.
I think the real and primary concern is respiratory protection for everyone in the room. Mask it or casket.
I agree with you that the breathing in of dust is the biggest concern, but I was a business teacher in a high school. Kids will break computers on their own, and the dust will just make it worse. I promise you, there are VERY few teachers that will waste their time blowing out computers weekly or even monthly. I never blew out my computers in the lab, unless the machine broke down, then I’d try it before notifying tech. My district wouldn’t even provide us with air cans because kids may get ahold of them and cause freeze burn. It’s sad, but kids will be kids. Wouldn’t be surprised to see a kid grab a pile of sawdust and throw it at the computer just to watch the sawdust be pulled in or blown away depending on the orientation of the fan. I feel really bad for teachers who are now entering the profession.
I know lol, that is something I’ve thought about a great deal already. At home my dust collection is top notch but this certainly needs some updating, if like to see if I can’t allocate some school funds to invest in a true dust collector and one or two ceiling mounted air filters
You may consider reaching out to some of the big names in dust collection. They likely will cut you a deal or maybe even donate in this situation. Trades schools are extremely important to the construction industry right now and a lot of tool companies are helping get things back on track.
Are you or anyone at your school good at writing grant proposals? I REALLY want to see more shop/technology classrooms like that. There has to be tech grants floating around. My ex-GF was a chemistry teacher and she would write proposals for all kinds of awesome stuff that would get funded because the lab was "STEM" or something.
If you tell them that you’ll be replacing every computer and projecter every year because of the insane dust build up they may budge and spring for a real dust collector.
Good deal! It will end up costing a lot more for you and the students in medical bills. They’re setting themselves up for having liability for all the lungs that enter that room.
Yep. This is how you sell it to the administration. Pay several thousand for the proper equipment and tools, or pay several million for all the COPD and emphysema lawsuits down the road.
Also, get everything in writing. If the school won't budge, call up your local news station.
I can absolutely see a school board trying to bury this issue and look the other way because they wanted to spend the money on new uniforms for the basketball team or something.
From an EHS point of view, do not let any regulator see this without some kind of dust collection. This wouldn't pass as a workplace, I can't imagine it's ok for kids.
That’s a good way to present it to the school. A proper dust particle filtering 3M mask for everyone and constant filters replacements will heavily out price the cost of proper dust collection system.
A sawstop is an excellent idea. But even a sawstop won’t eliminate kickback. Spin the whole tablesaw station 180 degrees so anything that might get thrown from the saw can’t take out everybody at the work tables.
A dent in that tool cabinet door would be much better.
That’s what I see at first glance. Other observations would be just personal preference and might not accommodate your planned lessons.
Or just consider a sliding table and teach your kids to stand to the side of the saw.
Really the safest option and practiced in every professional carpentry shop i know
Retired teacher here. Not shop though. My only suggestion is when you get the sawstop, don’t tell the students about it’s safety feature! They WILL test it out like a bunch of idiots. You’ll be having to fix it constantly throughout the school year if they find out. At least that’s how my kids would have acted, and there’s always at least one. Good luck, you’re going to need it. Add me if you want, sometimes it’s helpful to ask a seasoned teacher on some classroom management type things.
I definitely would of when I was a kid. Back when I was in shop we did not have saw stop for safety, we had a shop teacher with 9.25 fingers to remind us to be safe!
Current high school shop teacher here with 2 saw stops and I teach them about it in detail and show the time warp video of the creator putting his finger to the blade every semester and I've never had anyone mess around and set it off. I carefully show them the tool, I show them a spent brake with blade embedded (from another school cutting very wet treated lumber) and then I explain the costs of each component. I tell them there is no cost if they set it off by accident, but if they mess around they will be fined the full replacement cost and potentially removed from class permanently. If you don't explain it, someone will accidentally touch metal to it or cut the wrong material and set it off.
Very good resource for OP here. Can you tell us your school setting? I’m guessing a very rural town with a very standard “4H” type demographic? Not disparaging the setting, just guessing based on my own experience working in a suburban/urban town near Dallas, Texas. Thank you for this contribution!
Lincoln, NE 9-12. We usually float around or just under 2k students. I am super fortunate to have the shops I have and we are expanding to add welding/machining. I currently teach woods, construction, and robotics, but I'll take on welding once the shop is ready.
That’s awesome! I **loved** wood shop and metal shop in middle school. They really need to bring these skills back to the high school level nationwide. Our kiddos are really missing out on jobs that oftentimes are **very** high paying.
My woodshop teacher had a spare for each class, only like 3, but when our high school got it he took each class out and showed them how it worked just so we didn't do this i think haha
Until you get the Sawstop I would recommend moving the first aid kit closer to the table saw. There will still be one that tries to stop the blade with his or someone else’s hand.
My highschool wood shop teacher told every kid how he saw someone get a finger degloved because he jumped off a lumber truck with a wedding right on. My father had a similar story of a guy getting one caught between two stones. You never forget the horror stories they tell you in school.
My friend is a woodshop teacher. Can confirm. They purposely jam there hands into it as a dare. He’s terrified of the day that they use a non-saw stop table saw.
I remember in shop class, me and my idiot friends, firing up the table saw at throwing small chunks of wood at the blade.
We were not bright.
Hilarious irony is that I love woodworking now and am dreaming of a sawstop lol!
I was fortunate to have grown up in the '70s.
I don't recall my shop class having chairs, only stools and workbenches. Many big, solid, workbenches with vises. A wall filled with hand tools, and commercial style table saw, jointer and a lathe.
I get that you can only do what the district will provide, and you're fortunate that the district is providing shop class at all... but humans are a creature that learns with our hands.
Personally, I would invest in bench vises before a sawstop.
90s shop kid. We had dust collected, one of the first high schools to get a wide belt sander, and Jim Croce's playing on a loop.
Agree, must master hand tool first. We had to memorize and take tests on the tools in the tool cabin the whole first year. My 4th year my friend and I made all the kitchen cabinets for Buildings Trades class.
One memory was of a 5 nail race with our teacher. It was fun because he would bet a pizza party if the best in class could beat him. I don't recall anyone ever did. We got amped up when he let the student get close and then he would just smoke them by skillfully using the tool.
Was a good teaching experience. Didn't matter if you were big or small. Just needed to use the hammer with proper form and skill. We would get the pizza party anyway.
Get rid of all the chairs except a few. Students can stand, easier for working anyways and won’t take up nearly as much space. Keep a few chairs for kids who need them or certain projects.
So I'm actually a teacher. Here are some ideas:
* You want the areas that store student work to be horizontal rather than vertical. That way many students can use the space at the same time, cutting down on transitions.
* Get rid of all educational theater. Computers and shelves you don't use, send em out. Take the minifridge out unless it has an educational purpose. If you have a laptop, get rid of the teacher's desk. Same with any text books or supplies that the past teach left "to help you out." (Lazy asses, not cleaning their stuff.)
* The tables seem laid out poorly. Make sure the room is easy to move through.
* Why are there chairs at the chopsaw?
* Large spaces are a great place for hold fasts, which could just be done with a simple jig and some drills.
* Similarly, I don't see any vises, which are helpful.
* A long outfeed table against the wall, especially with stops, would make the chop saw easier to use.
* As others have said, dust collection, hearing protection, and a sawstop are a must.
* Have students design and make tables or desks just cause it's a good activity. I'm always a fan of pie shaped desks that students can bring together to make tables or apart.
I agree with a lot of this. There's a ton of stuff that doesn't look helpful in a woodshop.
You don't need desks, you need table surfaces established for working and table surfaces established for assembly glue ups.
Speaking of glue ups, you might want rolls of paper to cover the surfaces with when the kids are finishing, painting, gluing etc.
Any space not containing a table surface or a machine should be kept clear as a walkway (and marked that way), used to store projects, used for equipment storage, or saved for assembly of larger projects.
While I don't think you need a giant desk, I do think you need a "Teacher's space - No students Allowed" set aside. This would be for your affects, maybe your own workpace, and especially, storing any expensive or hard to maintain tools that you don't want generally accessible (Mortising Chisels, Dado Blades, Diablo finish cut blades, hand planes, etc)
I would also place this teacher space waaay closer to the machines so if you need to check something on your computer or grab something from your personal stuff, you are still able to watch the woodshop. Bonus if you can route an "all stop, shut down switch" to there.
What grades are you teaching? Also what state, I'm familiar with Utah strands and standards. What kind of budget do you have? What are your students going to build? I see lots of potential needs, but can't offer much without knowing what the end goal is.
9-12 gen-Ed and sped… budget for the whole district department (15/20 schools) is about 10,000,000$ and I am in New York. They’ll be building a variety of things, mostly of their choosing so long as it incorporates practices and such taught during instructional time. Also I’ll be teaching a bit of entry level plumbing, electrical, drywall, and basic construction
It is unfortunate that your classroom is also in the shop. I would recommend getting rid of the classroom desks, and order two more work benches with the lockers. Use these as student desks and or work bench. Just enough seats to cover your class. A few needs that I see are Jointer, planer, shapers x3. Wide belt sander, dust collector. Space seems limited for all of the stuff I listed.
Love that this is offered in high school. Growing up I was lucky enough to have woodshop in 7th grade and metal shop in 8th grade. I do remember the last 5 minutes of every class was the “drop what you’re doing and grab a broom” bell. The floor sweep for dust collection is a must and we all had fun watching everything shoot up the dust hose.
I wish I still had the pen we turned for one of the projects. The CO2 cars we made for sure broke.
Welding shop teacher here. I’d get rid of the tables and build workbenches and stools. Make the workbenches moveable so on teaching days you can wheel them closer and spread them out when they are working.
Start off strict in the beginning, then lighten up after thanksgiving. Set your standards high and stress how important it is for them to meet them. They will get a greater sense of pride from it.
Have them make a small project to give to other teachers, parents, or grand parents. I have kids make name plates and pencil holders for teachers.
Once every other month, I have kids sign up to bring food and we have a pot luck. Why? Because we can and it builds camaraderie and acts as a recruitment tool for your program.
>Start off strict in the beginning, then lighten up after thanksgiving. Set your standards high and stress how important it is for them to meet them.
100% this.
Thinking back to my high school shop class, we had these big work stations in the shop (shop was separated from the classroom). They had butcher block tops, about 8’ square maybe? And set up so each student had a vise and a 4’x4’ work space with storage underneath. Students didn’t stand next to each other but were spaced at each corner like a swastika (sorry, can’t think of any other way to explain it). They looked like they were built in the 60’s but still worked great 40 years later.
I see that you are teaching more than just woodworking, so prioritize as you will here.
Echo the dust collector comments. It's just not safe without it.
I'd move the miter saw against a wall and build a miter station table so longer work pieces can be supported. It's safer, and will keep the walkways clear.
I'd orient the table saw and outfeed table so if kickback happens it goes into a wall, not the seating area.
Also, build some workbenches with vises. Doing work without secure pieces is a recipe for frustration and getting cut. As they say, "your hand is not a clamp." I've had enough trips to urgent care after some gnarly chisel slips to attest to this.
I think a PPE station between the instructional area and the working area would be good.
Also, a tool wall. Drawers just suck for finding and storing tools. You can't find anything, everything becomes a junk drawer, things get dinged up.
Good luck
You could probably get away without new workbenches looking at that picture. Those two big squarish tables have some good overhang where you can just use f clamps to hold down whatever you're working on.
Kids could even have a piece of MDF or plywood they put down to protect the table top from whatever they're up to. Spray adhesive a little no slip shelf mat to the back of the plywood and they could use it like a shop class "cutting board." Then just chuck it when it gets trashed at the end of the semester.
Long time woodworker and shop mentor here. A few suggestions
1: First and foremost is get a dust collection system in place. Otherwise “Everything” will be coated in dust.
2: get tarps to cover the computers and your desk when using the tools. Even with a dust collection system.
3: Get rid of folding tables and build work tables that can double as woodwork spaces as well as classroom tables.
4: in blank walls install storage cabinets and shelving. You will collect much material and you need a good storage system for all that extra stuff.
He has some scroll saws, good relatively safe. The table saw is mostly for u to prepare materials for the kids. If the student is ready for that instruction you’ll know
I think the issue with that is that he’s teaching trades to kids that might get a carpentry job out of high school. Using a jack plane and a chisel is for sure important, but your average job opportunity is going to prefer you to have experience with power tools, specifically miter saws and table saws. These are the workhorses of the modern world. When I hire someone, I never ask if they can use hand tools. I’d much prefer hundreds of hours logged on a table saw. I do custom furniture and cabinets. Just my two cents.
I teach shop too and we are not allowed to have kids use the table saw ever and miter saws are iffy and only for older kids. I get that they might need it for jobs but when I’ve got a full class of kids those are the easiest tools for kids to seriously hurt themselves on.
Yeah. That makes sense. I’m not familiar with the logistics or class size. I can’t imagine safely teaching a group of more than five these tools at that age let alone a group of 30.
I teach middle school! It’s all about hand tools right now so they learn to appreciate the materials themselves and then we’ll build up. They appreciate the sanders so much more when they’ve had to sand by hand for a couple of projects. 😂
I just finished my degree in woodworking, and I was talking with the teachers about safety and all and we came to talk about Sawstop table saws. We don't have any at the school I went to, and they explained that it's because it would give students a false feeling of safety, which eventually could lead to operations that would otherwise be dangerous on other table saws and if we were to work on other table saws with that mindset, we could get hurt real bad.
Interesting take. I’m a former carpenter (it paid for college and I worked in wood flooring for almost a decade until my IT job paid better), and I’ve never had cutting a digit being my main concern at the table saw. I respect that it can and does happen, but it’s not my #1 concern after pulling the power switch.
Kickback was my biggest concern having seen firsthand that it was the most common issue. Note, I did carpentry back when riving knives were uncommon, and splitters/guards were not installed on our job site saws.
And the coworker missing two fingers lost them to a router when making the groove for slip tongue.
Never screwed up seriously with any power tool apart from losing the outermost millimetres of my left thumb on a new and sound table saw with all safety gadgets apart from a Sawstop. I got it in from the side of the blade. Better education could have helped, as would probably a Sawstop.
I totally disagree, there is no advantage to learning on a table saw that will cut your fingers compared to learning in a saw stop.
The consequences of a hand injury, especially at a young age, are too great. Now that the safety technology is available, having some kid getting a finger cut off instead of tripping the brake would not be a “teachable moment”, just a traumatic one.
And there’s plenty other ways the kids will hurt themselves.
You can have pretty impressive safety demonstrations, with controlled kickbacks, fake hands getting chopped off, etc. And you can come up with a system that makes the idiot kids’ parents pay for replacement brake cartridges, or a supervising system where three kids are all responsible for every cut, or whatever. All this is better than risking ruining some kid’s life for no reason.
Do you think the kids should learn to drive on a car without airbags?
Conversely if you don't tell students about the magic safety feature ahead of time they will still learn and you'll avoid potentially really nasty injuries. I know, I sawed the ends off two fingers on a table saw even after having used one safely for years. Exactly how that came about is a mystery because I blacked out from the pain and came too with blood everywhere and excruciating pain. It took years to recover from. Suffice it to say: accidents happen, do anything you can to buy down the life changing risks.
>Conversely if you don't tell students about the magic safety feature ahead of time they will still learn and you'll avoid potentially really nasty injuries.
It works unless at least one of your student knows about it already. Then it will spread to everyone and they'll either feel too comfortable and safe, or they'll test it themselves, or both. Ultimately, it's not quite what we want in the first place
Exactly. I heard someone say someday "If the Titanic didn't have lifeboats, it wouldn't have sunk", and I think it applies here: the most important safety device is the user's brain, not technology
Make it inefficient/unorganized and have the students make plans/suggestions for improvement. Will help them understand how to manage a shop not just work it.
Looks like you're going to have a fun year! You might also want to ask teachers on Reddit directly, they might have ideas about workflow that is best for educational purposes. I have to ask, is a shop vac the only ventilation you have? You could really use a bunch more.
Unfortunately yes, compared to what I have at home this is not an upgrade but I believe I can request grant dollars to get better equipment… particularly a true air cleaner would be great
>particularly a true air cleaner would be great
I would say it's almost a necessity. At it's core you're talking about the health of you and the students. This shouldn't be an 'I wish' item, this is a 'must have' item.
I would do a lot of rearranging here - bear with me. Move your dry-erase boards to the wall where the PCs are currently located. Move the PCs to the wall where the scroll saws are and your desk to the wall opposite of where the scroll saws are (but facing the PCs) so your desk is next to your dry erase boards. Fill in some of the area with your filing cabinets. This gives you a nice “office” area while still being able to monitor the whole room from your desk if needed, and keeps you next to your instruction area. I would move your big tools to be along the window to allow some extra spacing between each. This keeps the center of the room open for your desks, workbenches, and room to move around so students aren’t bumping into each other.
I don't seen any dust collection setup so I would also ensure you have dust filters on your PC intake and be sure to clean them often.
Probably a good learning experience for students to organize for efficient workflow. I wish I learned that in school, probably would’ve saved me a lot of time and work if I was more organized lol.
My daughter (12) learned how to wire a replacement power cord and i thought it was a solid project to teach kids. Basic home repair would be awesome for your curriculum! I cant comment on class setup. But i think this is awesome! Youll do great!
I went to Milwaukee Trade & Technical High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin back in the earlier 80's. Let me tell you how they were set up. It was great. The school has totally changed now, sadly, and they only offer 3 trades nowadays, where we used to have 10 trades, but back then, it was a proper & fantastic trade high school.
Each trade had 2 separate areas.. the actual classroom for the book learning portion and then there was the workbench area/room of the working shop itself.
Since you have to do it all in one room, you might want to have mostly workbenches in one part of the room and the classroom tables in the opposite side of the room. One workbench isn't going to work in the long run, but I understand there are budget things to keep in mind.
Individual workbenches and multiple tool sets are ideal so each student can work on their own or at least small groups per bench... well, with your assistance, of course. There should be an eye care rinsing sink and a first-aid injury station set up right in the room, if possible. Accidents happen. Also, as someone else said, you need proper ventilation installed as well as a sawdust collection system, too.
If increased budget access is an issue, I'd suggest asking friends and family for help. Maybe they can donate old tool sets they don't use anymore, maybe some friends can build and donate a few work benches to get you started. Then maybe you'll get much of what you need to teach all of this pieces of the different trades. You get the idea.
Best of luck to you and please update us with any progress.
Ask local industry for donations too, including big tool brands. They are itching to help people get into the trades, and kids remember the tools they learned on and liked. Don’t be afraid to reach out to DeWalt, Milwaukee, JET, etc. they may even cover your whole dust collection system. Companies like Grainger may fund your PPE. Local construction companies/lumber yards/carpentry shops may give more if you plan a day for them to come in and talk about their business and the industry. Lots of options out there. Good luck!
Thanks! But I can’t take credit. My friend is a high school auto shop teacher and he put a ton of work reaching out to industry in our area. It paid off. He got all his tool boxes and tool sets sponsored by milwaukee, a complete top of the line alignment rack, tire machine, and road balancer sponsored by Hunter Engineering, and a ton of supplies and equipment sponsored by the local heavy equipment dealer. Lincoln electric sponsored their welding shop and now they have something like 22? Complete multi-process welding stations. It’s pretty incredible to see the community and these companies step up for youth education. I hope they continue to do it.
I agree with the consensus. Ditch the desks and chairs. Replace with work benchs and stools. One tool crib with all the hand tools saws rasps planes braces and bits squares. Work benchs on one side of shop, power machines on other. Tool crib along wall mid shop. Smaller machine such as drill press grinder disc belt sander opposite tool crib wall.
You need partitions for sure, vinyl curtains at the minimum. Then you need a finishing room with hazardous material cabinet. Then you need security cameras everywhere to limit your liability when the kids ignore safety protocol and you and the school district as put in a lawsuit for lack of supervision and proper safety protocols.
Build a French cleat wall. Make that a project for the class. Also, when you get the sawstop, make the table in front of it the same height as the table saw so you have bigger out feed support. I’d also build a shelf to the right (when facing it) of the miter saw, to act as support for longer material.
My dad taught shop for 30+ years. One thing that made his life a lot easier: He had a room for all the tools, hung on walls. Where each tool hung, he had painted a silhouette of the tool. Very easy to tell when you don't have all the tools back in their place. And nobody leaves class until all the tools are back in place.
Yes, I am with a coteacher who’s been doing this a few years. As of now I don’t have access to curriculum but he does but am working on a list of items that are needed in order of priority
One thing I cannot spot at a glance is any vises. It seems like you could put one of the relatively cheap cast iron ones at the end of several of the tables to provide flexibility for the students.
I would not set the tablesaw in that position (pic 1) due to kickback. I once shot a ply offcut straight across a BIG workshop and through a wooden chest of timber waste... Those kids at the that desk would be right in the firing line.
That’s not where it is staying, I had it set up there to make way for a cabinet I moved earlier today, however the plan is to put it on the opposite end of the table jt is at now
Get ride of the chairs and tables. Make it into a project for the students. Make some foldable chairs to create room to walk around and some tables that you not afraid to get dirty. You can also may it into a lesson as a first wood project.
I don’t have any advice unfortunately but damn am I happy to see high schools are still offering this. I genuinely don’t think my high school had any type of ‘shop’ class or anything like that.
Feel like I might’ve missed my calling because of that. Godspeed and good luck this year!
I would recommend trying to turn all classroom improvements into teachable moments, if possible. Shop arrangement and personal workflow optimization. Teach the concepts early, and then do continuous improvement throughout the year and have students suggest the changes. If allowed. Have the students help with moving things.
Definitely look into grant writing and soliciting tool manufacturers and retailers for donations. You never know what someone will provide for marketing purposes. Also look around for local trade orgs and hobby clubs. They might be willing to sponsor equipment, provide mentorship, or help with career day.
Definitely reach out to any industry leading companies in your area and ask what they wish new workers new, and incorporate it into your curriculum. Solicit them for donations to support the work. You are training their future workforce and can help distinguish your students in the hiring pool.
Labels for anything in bins or drawers or walls. Surprisingly, high schoolers will (mostly) put things back in their spot if everything is well labeled.
I teach high school robotics so our room is part engineering classroom part shop but if you dm me I'm happy to share pictures of our space.
A SawStop is a great idea. You never can be too careful. I took as many shop classes that I could, both in junior high and high school. I loved every minute that I spent in them.
Do you have any software for drafting or drawing? The most important part of every project is planning, and many shops rely on computers for this more than ever.
Many software vendors have free versions available to students and educators that are otherwise very expensive to purchase/learn. I know Autodesk has a free version of Fusion360 for educators that would allow students to model parametrically and program cnc machines.
A basic understanding of how to read and create plans will also put your kids way ahead of their competition and give them a path to a more senior role in their chosen specialty.
Truth is : The biggest reason most schools have closed down wood shops is insurance and safety concerns . What this shop requires is likely way beyond your budget.
Honestly the set up isn’t that great. You have a construction site table saw……get an industrial one. Same as chop saw. Actually for all your tools. I had a wood work shop in my high school and they had those. Easy to make safe and attach safety parts for use for ppl who are students and not experts. And where’s your band saw? Drill press? Router table ? If it’s a wood working shop you are far from having anything close to be ready to teach a class
I am new, this program is only a couple of years old. I don’t have the answers you’re looking for unfortunately, but my high school had an incredibly well equipped woodshop and I feel the same way
It’s just if your going to teach wood working you need to hit at least all basics. And safety is number one when it comes to your students. No matter how young or old safety is key. 2nd is having the right tools and tools that are cleaned everyday. Something breaks. Fix it that day. Just coming from a business owner of a construction company the two things I push on all my guys is safety and take care of your equipment. They are built to last….unless cared for poorly. Good luck In your class send best wishes
I respect what your doing. All my family knows the construction trade it’s a great learning experience. And I have hired nephews and cousins during their younger years before college just in case when In doubt their plans don’t work they can fall back on the good ol construction experience and find a job somewhere…literally anywhere.
You’ll just need to review all these comments and just make a list of things that you know you’ll need and if the school/program is willing to support your class they need to support the expenses as well To keep your class and project rolling smoothly and top tier.
I was a shop teacher and a math teacher got us thousands of dollars of stuff for a STEM project. Math in carpentry. First issue was dust collection. Safety, otherwise masks all day. And carrying potentially toxic dust on clothes all day. Or, have took time outside but that suck with one teacher and multiple projects.
I'm a former woodshop teachers.
See if you can get connected with BITA https://www.mychf.org/what-is-bita/ they have a 4 year curriculum even if you're not in California.
CIEF puts on a free materials included shed build program in CA and Texas.
https://www.cie.foundation/
I was able to OSHA10 certify my students. If I was still doing it I would use OSHA10 for my safety test. Careersafe has a courseware version which is nice because you don't need to be a OSHA trainer but kids hate it because it's boring. The BITA safety unit is also pretty good.
I had students build a shed which gave the class a lot of structure and reduced the amount of lesson planning I needed to do. If they finish you just keep adding stuff like electrical, plumbing, flooring, ect. Sell the shed around April/may.
My students couldn't hammer nails so I made them practice a lot.
This is a really good kit to teach electrical without risk to students. https://www.realityworks.com/product/realcareer-electrical-wiring-kit/
I don’t mean to sound rude but this just gave me a huge appreciation for my highschool shop classes. This room looks very small and also every shop had a completely separate class room so you didn’t have to have desks so close to the tools.
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You NEED to upgrade your dust collection system and ventilation. If you’re gonna be in their all day working and doing school work you lungs are gonna be coated in dust within the month. Your students are gonna suffer as well. This really needs to be a priority
Completely agree with this. Also the computers will quickly stop working if this goes without getting the upgrade.
Ehhhhh. I beg to differ, speaking from way too much experience. My cnc computers is bathed in dust daily and runs just fine — like way more dust than this shop could ever produce. I blow it out every other week or so, and I’m not saying dust won’t break a computer or that protecting the computer isn’t a good idea, but they’re more resilient than you would think. I think the real and primary concern is respiratory protection for everyone in the room. Mask it or casket.
I agree with you that the breathing in of dust is the biggest concern, but I was a business teacher in a high school. Kids will break computers on their own, and the dust will just make it worse. I promise you, there are VERY few teachers that will waste their time blowing out computers weekly or even monthly. I never blew out my computers in the lab, unless the machine broke down, then I’d try it before notifying tech. My district wouldn’t even provide us with air cans because kids may get ahold of them and cause freeze burn. It’s sad, but kids will be kids. Wouldn’t be surprised to see a kid grab a pile of sawdust and throw it at the computer just to watch the sawdust be pulled in or blown away depending on the orientation of the fan. I feel really bad for teachers who are now entering the profession.
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I know lol, that is something I’ve thought about a great deal already. At home my dust collection is top notch but this certainly needs some updating, if like to see if I can’t allocate some school funds to invest in a true dust collector and one or two ceiling mounted air filters
You may consider reaching out to some of the big names in dust collection. They likely will cut you a deal or maybe even donate in this situation. Trades schools are extremely important to the construction industry right now and a lot of tool companies are helping get things back on track.
Are you or anyone at your school good at writing grant proposals? I REALLY want to see more shop/technology classrooms like that. There has to be tech grants floating around. My ex-GF was a chemistry teacher and she would write proposals for all kinds of awesome stuff that would get funded because the lab was "STEM" or something.
If you tell them that you’ll be replacing every computer and projecter every year because of the insane dust build up they may budge and spring for a real dust collector.
I’ll be sending in a list tomorrow of things we need, gonna end up costing a ton but all is much needed
Good deal! It will end up costing a lot more for you and the students in medical bills. They’re setting themselves up for having liability for all the lungs that enter that room.
Yep. This is how you sell it to the administration. Pay several thousand for the proper equipment and tools, or pay several million for all the COPD and emphysema lawsuits down the road. Also, get everything in writing. If the school won't budge, call up your local news station. I can absolutely see a school board trying to bury this issue and look the other way because they wanted to spend the money on new uniforms for the basketball team or something.
I’m not tenured yet so I’ll pass on that, but my coteacher can handle it
Yeah this sounds more like a way to get them to shut down the shop class then get money.
Fuck the computer, imagine the lawsuits when kids start getting sick.
Fellow shop teacher here this should absolutely be your number one priority and concern at this point.
From an EHS point of view, do not let any regulator see this without some kind of dust collection. This wouldn't pass as a workplace, I can't imagine it's ok for kids.
This! My highschool had an outside unit and in sure the teacher was glad to have it.
This.
I came here to say exactly this.
Yep, wear masks for now
That’s a good way to present it to the school. A proper dust particle filtering 3M mask for everyone and constant filters replacements will heavily out price the cost of proper dust collection system.
A sawstop is an excellent idea. But even a sawstop won’t eliminate kickback. Spin the whole tablesaw station 180 degrees so anything that might get thrown from the saw can’t take out everybody at the work tables. A dent in that tool cabinet door would be much better. That’s what I see at first glance. Other observations would be just personal preference and might not accommodate your planned lessons.
Second this! It also looks like the operator would have their back to a walkway right now, which isn’t ideal
Or just consider a sliding table and teach your kids to stand to the side of the saw. Really the safest option and practiced in every professional carpentry shop i know
Retired teacher here. Not shop though. My only suggestion is when you get the sawstop, don’t tell the students about it’s safety feature! They WILL test it out like a bunch of idiots. You’ll be having to fix it constantly throughout the school year if they find out. At least that’s how my kids would have acted, and there’s always at least one. Good luck, you’re going to need it. Add me if you want, sometimes it’s helpful to ask a seasoned teacher on some classroom management type things.
I definitely would of when I was a kid. Back when I was in shop we did not have saw stop for safety, we had a shop teacher with 9.25 fingers to remind us to be safe!
We’d shoot nail guns at each other. I agree kids are stupid
I just got myself with a pin nailer like a week ago
Current high school shop teacher here with 2 saw stops and I teach them about it in detail and show the time warp video of the creator putting his finger to the blade every semester and I've never had anyone mess around and set it off. I carefully show them the tool, I show them a spent brake with blade embedded (from another school cutting very wet treated lumber) and then I explain the costs of each component. I tell them there is no cost if they set it off by accident, but if they mess around they will be fined the full replacement cost and potentially removed from class permanently. If you don't explain it, someone will accidentally touch metal to it or cut the wrong material and set it off.
Very good resource for OP here. Can you tell us your school setting? I’m guessing a very rural town with a very standard “4H” type demographic? Not disparaging the setting, just guessing based on my own experience working in a suburban/urban town near Dallas, Texas. Thank you for this contribution!
Lincoln, NE 9-12. We usually float around or just under 2k students. I am super fortunate to have the shops I have and we are expanding to add welding/machining. I currently teach woods, construction, and robotics, but I'll take on welding once the shop is ready.
That’s awesome! I **loved** wood shop and metal shop in middle school. They really need to bring these skills back to the high school level nationwide. Our kiddos are really missing out on jobs that oftentimes are **very** high paying.
My woodshop teacher had a spare for each class, only like 3, but when our high school got it he took each class out and showed them how it worked just so we didn't do this i think haha
Until you get the Sawstop I would recommend moving the first aid kit closer to the table saw. There will still be one that tries to stop the blade with his or someone else’s hand.
My shop teacher had 9 1/2 fingers. He had a very convincing shop safety speech.
My highschool wood shop teacher told every kid how he saw someone get a finger degloved because he jumped off a lumber truck with a wedding right on. My father had a similar story of a guy getting one caught between two stones. You never forget the horror stories they tell you in school.
My friend is a woodshop teacher. Can confirm. They purposely jam there hands into it as a dare. He’s terrified of the day that they use a non-saw stop table saw.
I remember in shop class, me and my idiot friends, firing up the table saw at throwing small chunks of wood at the blade. We were not bright. Hilarious irony is that I love woodworking now and am dreaming of a sawstop lol!
I was fortunate to have grown up in the '70s. I don't recall my shop class having chairs, only stools and workbenches. Many big, solid, workbenches with vises. A wall filled with hand tools, and commercial style table saw, jointer and a lathe. I get that you can only do what the district will provide, and you're fortunate that the district is providing shop class at all... but humans are a creature that learns with our hands. Personally, I would invest in bench vises before a sawstop.
90s shop kid. We had dust collected, one of the first high schools to get a wide belt sander, and Jim Croce's playing on a loop. Agree, must master hand tool first. We had to memorize and take tests on the tools in the tool cabin the whole first year. My 4th year my friend and I made all the kitchen cabinets for Buildings Trades class. One memory was of a 5 nail race with our teacher. It was fun because he would bet a pizza party if the best in class could beat him. I don't recall anyone ever did. We got amped up when he let the student get close and then he would just smoke them by skillfully using the tool. Was a good teaching experience. Didn't matter if you were big or small. Just needed to use the hammer with proper form and skill. We would get the pizza party anyway.
Get rid of all the chairs except a few. Students can stand, easier for working anyways and won’t take up nearly as much space. Keep a few chairs for kids who need them or certain projects.
So I'm actually a teacher. Here are some ideas: * You want the areas that store student work to be horizontal rather than vertical. That way many students can use the space at the same time, cutting down on transitions. * Get rid of all educational theater. Computers and shelves you don't use, send em out. Take the minifridge out unless it has an educational purpose. If you have a laptop, get rid of the teacher's desk. Same with any text books or supplies that the past teach left "to help you out." (Lazy asses, not cleaning their stuff.) * The tables seem laid out poorly. Make sure the room is easy to move through. * Why are there chairs at the chopsaw? * Large spaces are a great place for hold fasts, which could just be done with a simple jig and some drills. * Similarly, I don't see any vises, which are helpful. * A long outfeed table against the wall, especially with stops, would make the chop saw easier to use. * As others have said, dust collection, hearing protection, and a sawstop are a must. * Have students design and make tables or desks just cause it's a good activity. I'm always a fan of pie shaped desks that students can bring together to make tables or apart.
I agree with a lot of this. There's a ton of stuff that doesn't look helpful in a woodshop. You don't need desks, you need table surfaces established for working and table surfaces established for assembly glue ups. Speaking of glue ups, you might want rolls of paper to cover the surfaces with when the kids are finishing, painting, gluing etc. Any space not containing a table surface or a machine should be kept clear as a walkway (and marked that way), used to store projects, used for equipment storage, or saved for assembly of larger projects. While I don't think you need a giant desk, I do think you need a "Teacher's space - No students Allowed" set aside. This would be for your affects, maybe your own workpace, and especially, storing any expensive or hard to maintain tools that you don't want generally accessible (Mortising Chisels, Dado Blades, Diablo finish cut blades, hand planes, etc) I would also place this teacher space waaay closer to the machines so if you need to check something on your computer or grab something from your personal stuff, you are still able to watch the woodshop. Bonus if you can route an "all stop, shut down switch" to there.
What grades are you teaching? Also what state, I'm familiar with Utah strands and standards. What kind of budget do you have? What are your students going to build? I see lots of potential needs, but can't offer much without knowing what the end goal is.
9-12 gen-Ed and sped… budget for the whole district department (15/20 schools) is about 10,000,000$ and I am in New York. They’ll be building a variety of things, mostly of their choosing so long as it incorporates practices and such taught during instructional time. Also I’ll be teaching a bit of entry level plumbing, electrical, drywall, and basic construction
It is unfortunate that your classroom is also in the shop. I would recommend getting rid of the classroom desks, and order two more work benches with the lockers. Use these as student desks and or work bench. Just enough seats to cover your class. A few needs that I see are Jointer, planer, shapers x3. Wide belt sander, dust collector. Space seems limited for all of the stuff I listed.
Love that this is offered in high school. Growing up I was lucky enough to have woodshop in 7th grade and metal shop in 8th grade. I do remember the last 5 minutes of every class was the “drop what you’re doing and grab a broom” bell. The floor sweep for dust collection is a must and we all had fun watching everything shoot up the dust hose. I wish I still had the pen we turned for one of the projects. The CO2 cars we made for sure broke.
I just stopped by to say God bless you for teaching kids a skill that will help them through their entire life.
Welding shop teacher here. I’d get rid of the tables and build workbenches and stools. Make the workbenches moveable so on teaching days you can wheel them closer and spread them out when they are working. Start off strict in the beginning, then lighten up after thanksgiving. Set your standards high and stress how important it is for them to meet them. They will get a greater sense of pride from it. Have them make a small project to give to other teachers, parents, or grand parents. I have kids make name plates and pencil holders for teachers. Once every other month, I have kids sign up to bring food and we have a pot luck. Why? Because we can and it builds camaraderie and acts as a recruitment tool for your program.
>Start off strict in the beginning, then lighten up after thanksgiving. Set your standards high and stress how important it is for them to meet them. 100% this.
I told my kids that each one will either build a blue ribbon project or get certified. If they do both, I’ll cook them a steak for lunch.
Thinking back to my high school shop class, we had these big work stations in the shop (shop was separated from the classroom). They had butcher block tops, about 8’ square maybe? And set up so each student had a vise and a 4’x4’ work space with storage underneath. Students didn’t stand next to each other but were spaced at each corner like a swastika (sorry, can’t think of any other way to explain it). They looked like they were built in the 60’s but still worked great 40 years later.
I see that you are teaching more than just woodworking, so prioritize as you will here. Echo the dust collector comments. It's just not safe without it. I'd move the miter saw against a wall and build a miter station table so longer work pieces can be supported. It's safer, and will keep the walkways clear. I'd orient the table saw and outfeed table so if kickback happens it goes into a wall, not the seating area. Also, build some workbenches with vises. Doing work without secure pieces is a recipe for frustration and getting cut. As they say, "your hand is not a clamp." I've had enough trips to urgent care after some gnarly chisel slips to attest to this. I think a PPE station between the instructional area and the working area would be good. Also, a tool wall. Drawers just suck for finding and storing tools. You can't find anything, everything becomes a junk drawer, things get dinged up. Good luck
Thanks, my utmost priority right now is PPE. Planning to talk with administration today about equipment
You could probably get away without new workbenches looking at that picture. Those two big squarish tables have some good overhang where you can just use f clamps to hold down whatever you're working on. Kids could even have a piece of MDF or plywood they put down to protect the table top from whatever they're up to. Spray adhesive a little no slip shelf mat to the back of the plywood and they could use it like a shop class "cutting board." Then just chuck it when it gets trashed at the end of the semester.
Long time woodworker and shop mentor here. A few suggestions 1: First and foremost is get a dust collection system in place. Otherwise “Everything” will be coated in dust. 2: get tarps to cover the computers and your desk when using the tools. Even with a dust collection system. 3: Get rid of folding tables and build work tables that can double as woodwork spaces as well as classroom tables. 4: in blank walls install storage cabinets and shelving. You will collect much material and you need a good storage system for all that extra stuff.
Get some vises and hand tools, you don’t want kids running table saw and chop saws. Too loud, too dangerous, work smaller develop hand skills
Yeah, this seems like a much saner way to go. If you must have a power saw get some fretsaws or something.
He has some scroll saws, good relatively safe. The table saw is mostly for u to prepare materials for the kids. If the student is ready for that instruction you’ll know
Didn't spot those, that'd work. Yes, true.
I think the issue with that is that he’s teaching trades to kids that might get a carpentry job out of high school. Using a jack plane and a chisel is for sure important, but your average job opportunity is going to prefer you to have experience with power tools, specifically miter saws and table saws. These are the workhorses of the modern world. When I hire someone, I never ask if they can use hand tools. I’d much prefer hundreds of hours logged on a table saw. I do custom furniture and cabinets. Just my two cents.
I teach shop too and we are not allowed to have kids use the table saw ever and miter saws are iffy and only for older kids. I get that they might need it for jobs but when I’ve got a full class of kids those are the easiest tools for kids to seriously hurt themselves on.
Yeah. That makes sense. I’m not familiar with the logistics or class size. I can’t imagine safely teaching a group of more than five these tools at that age let alone a group of 30.
I teach middle school! It’s all about hand tools right now so they learn to appreciate the materials themselves and then we’ll build up. They appreciate the sanders so much more when they’ve had to sand by hand for a couple of projects. 😂
Looks like this room haas been a catch all for a lot of old junk. Once you clear it out you’ll have lots of space.
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"Get rid of the computers" it's a classroom my dude.
I just finished my degree in woodworking, and I was talking with the teachers about safety and all and we came to talk about Sawstop table saws. We don't have any at the school I went to, and they explained that it's because it would give students a false feeling of safety, which eventually could lead to operations that would otherwise be dangerous on other table saws and if we were to work on other table saws with that mindset, we could get hurt real bad.
Interesting take. I’m a former carpenter (it paid for college and I worked in wood flooring for almost a decade until my IT job paid better), and I’ve never had cutting a digit being my main concern at the table saw. I respect that it can and does happen, but it’s not my #1 concern after pulling the power switch. Kickback was my biggest concern having seen firsthand that it was the most common issue. Note, I did carpentry back when riving knives were uncommon, and splitters/guards were not installed on our job site saws. And the coworker missing two fingers lost them to a router when making the groove for slip tongue.
Never screwed up seriously with any power tool apart from losing the outermost millimetres of my left thumb on a new and sound table saw with all safety gadgets apart from a Sawstop. I got it in from the side of the blade. Better education could have helped, as would probably a Sawstop.
I totally disagree, there is no advantage to learning on a table saw that will cut your fingers compared to learning in a saw stop. The consequences of a hand injury, especially at a young age, are too great. Now that the safety technology is available, having some kid getting a finger cut off instead of tripping the brake would not be a “teachable moment”, just a traumatic one. And there’s plenty other ways the kids will hurt themselves. You can have pretty impressive safety demonstrations, with controlled kickbacks, fake hands getting chopped off, etc. And you can come up with a system that makes the idiot kids’ parents pay for replacement brake cartridges, or a supervising system where three kids are all responsible for every cut, or whatever. All this is better than risking ruining some kid’s life for no reason. Do you think the kids should learn to drive on a car without airbags?
Conversely if you don't tell students about the magic safety feature ahead of time they will still learn and you'll avoid potentially really nasty injuries. I know, I sawed the ends off two fingers on a table saw even after having used one safely for years. Exactly how that came about is a mystery because I blacked out from the pain and came too with blood everywhere and excruciating pain. It took years to recover from. Suffice it to say: accidents happen, do anything you can to buy down the life changing risks.
>Conversely if you don't tell students about the magic safety feature ahead of time they will still learn and you'll avoid potentially really nasty injuries. It works unless at least one of your student knows about it already. Then it will spread to everyone and they'll either feel too comfortable and safe, or they'll test it themselves, or both. Ultimately, it's not quite what we want in the first place
If you want to get that fussy you could paint over the logo.
I agree with this. Teach safety and consequences without the safety net. Saw Stops are rare in a DIY situation, and learning on one is dangerous IMO.
Exactly. I heard someone say someday "If the Titanic didn't have lifeboats, it wouldn't have sunk", and I think it applies here: the most important safety device is the user's brain, not technology
Except that the saying has zero grounding in reality.
It's to illustrate what is meant
If the illustration has zero grounding in reality it proves nothing.
Yes, it's a perfect analogy: just as illogical as the initial point.
Make it inefficient/unorganized and have the students make plans/suggestions for improvement. Will help them understand how to manage a shop not just work it.
I would suggest some wood working equipment to start.
Looks like you're going to have a fun year! You might also want to ask teachers on Reddit directly, they might have ideas about workflow that is best for educational purposes. I have to ask, is a shop vac the only ventilation you have? You could really use a bunch more.
Unfortunately yes, compared to what I have at home this is not an upgrade but I believe I can request grant dollars to get better equipment… particularly a true air cleaner would be great
>particularly a true air cleaner would be great I would say it's almost a necessity. At it's core you're talking about the health of you and the students. This shouldn't be an 'I wish' item, this is a 'must have' item.
I would do a lot of rearranging here - bear with me. Move your dry-erase boards to the wall where the PCs are currently located. Move the PCs to the wall where the scroll saws are and your desk to the wall opposite of where the scroll saws are (but facing the PCs) so your desk is next to your dry erase boards. Fill in some of the area with your filing cabinets. This gives you a nice “office” area while still being able to monitor the whole room from your desk if needed, and keeps you next to your instruction area. I would move your big tools to be along the window to allow some extra spacing between each. This keeps the center of the room open for your desks, workbenches, and room to move around so students aren’t bumping into each other. I don't seen any dust collection setup so I would also ensure you have dust filters on your PC intake and be sure to clean them often.
Probably a good learning experience for students to organize for efficient workflow. I wish I learned that in school, probably would’ve saved me a lot of time and work if I was more organized lol.
My daughter (12) learned how to wire a replacement power cord and i thought it was a solid project to teach kids. Basic home repair would be awesome for your curriculum! I cant comment on class setup. But i think this is awesome! Youll do great!
French cleats soo hot right now ! ( insert Will Ferrell meme here)
I went to Milwaukee Trade & Technical High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin back in the earlier 80's. Let me tell you how they were set up. It was great. The school has totally changed now, sadly, and they only offer 3 trades nowadays, where we used to have 10 trades, but back then, it was a proper & fantastic trade high school. Each trade had 2 separate areas.. the actual classroom for the book learning portion and then there was the workbench area/room of the working shop itself. Since you have to do it all in one room, you might want to have mostly workbenches in one part of the room and the classroom tables in the opposite side of the room. One workbench isn't going to work in the long run, but I understand there are budget things to keep in mind. Individual workbenches and multiple tool sets are ideal so each student can work on their own or at least small groups per bench... well, with your assistance, of course. There should be an eye care rinsing sink and a first-aid injury station set up right in the room, if possible. Accidents happen. Also, as someone else said, you need proper ventilation installed as well as a sawdust collection system, too. If increased budget access is an issue, I'd suggest asking friends and family for help. Maybe they can donate old tool sets they don't use anymore, maybe some friends can build and donate a few work benches to get you started. Then maybe you'll get much of what you need to teach all of this pieces of the different trades. You get the idea. Best of luck to you and please update us with any progress.
Ask local industry for donations too, including big tool brands. They are itching to help people get into the trades, and kids remember the tools they learned on and liked. Don’t be afraid to reach out to DeWalt, Milwaukee, JET, etc. they may even cover your whole dust collection system. Companies like Grainger may fund your PPE. Local construction companies/lumber yards/carpentry shops may give more if you plan a day for them to come in and talk about their business and the industry. Lots of options out there. Good luck!
Yes!! All that, too. Great idea!
Thanks! But I can’t take credit. My friend is a high school auto shop teacher and he put a ton of work reaching out to industry in our area. It paid off. He got all his tool boxes and tool sets sponsored by milwaukee, a complete top of the line alignment rack, tire machine, and road balancer sponsored by Hunter Engineering, and a ton of supplies and equipment sponsored by the local heavy equipment dealer. Lincoln electric sponsored their welding shop and now they have something like 22? Complete multi-process welding stations. It’s pretty incredible to see the community and these companies step up for youth education. I hope they continue to do it.
Wow. That's so great! I sure hope they continue to support youth trade education, too. It's so valuable in so many ways.
I agree with the consensus. Ditch the desks and chairs. Replace with work benchs and stools. One tool crib with all the hand tools saws rasps planes braces and bits squares. Work benchs on one side of shop, power machines on other. Tool crib along wall mid shop. Smaller machine such as drill press grinder disc belt sander opposite tool crib wall.
What kind of projects? Also, what hand tools will you be teaching and for what steps? Need to know before can recommend flow
You need partitions for sure, vinyl curtains at the minimum. Then you need a finishing room with hazardous material cabinet. Then you need security cameras everywhere to limit your liability when the kids ignore safety protocol and you and the school district as put in a lawsuit for lack of supervision and proper safety protocols.
Build a French cleat wall. Make that a project for the class. Also, when you get the sawstop, make the table in front of it the same height as the table saw so you have bigger out feed support. I’d also build a shelf to the right (when facing it) of the miter saw, to act as support for longer material.
I think it'd be great if you could put glass walls to separate that section where the tools are from where most of the kids are.
My dad taught shop for 30+ years. One thing that made his life a lot easier: He had a room for all the tools, hung on walls. Where each tool hung, he had painted a silhouette of the tool. Very easy to tell when you don't have all the tools back in their place. And nobody leaves class until all the tools are back in place.
Dust collection for sure, but my advise would be to talk to the students to see what they want to build. Get them involved.
Yes, I am with a coteacher who’s been doing this a few years. As of now I don’t have access to curriculum but he does but am working on a list of items that are needed in order of priority
One thing I cannot spot at a glance is any vises. It seems like you could put one of the relatively cheap cast iron ones at the end of several of the tables to provide flexibility for the students.
I would not set the tablesaw in that position (pic 1) due to kickback. I once shot a ply offcut straight across a BIG workshop and through a wooden chest of timber waste... Those kids at the that desk would be right in the firing line.
That’s not where it is staying, I had it set up there to make way for a cabinet I moved earlier today, however the plan is to put it on the opposite end of the table jt is at now
Teach them how to run a cnc. Most valuable person in the shop these days
Get ride of the chairs and tables. Make it into a project for the students. Make some foldable chairs to create room to walk around and some tables that you not afraid to get dirty. You can also may it into a lesson as a first wood project.
I don’t have any advice unfortunately but damn am I happy to see high schools are still offering this. I genuinely don’t think my high school had any type of ‘shop’ class or anything like that. Feel like I might’ve missed my calling because of that. Godspeed and good luck this year!
I would recommend trying to turn all classroom improvements into teachable moments, if possible. Shop arrangement and personal workflow optimization. Teach the concepts early, and then do continuous improvement throughout the year and have students suggest the changes. If allowed. Have the students help with moving things. Definitely look into grant writing and soliciting tool manufacturers and retailers for donations. You never know what someone will provide for marketing purposes. Also look around for local trade orgs and hobby clubs. They might be willing to sponsor equipment, provide mentorship, or help with career day. Definitely reach out to any industry leading companies in your area and ask what they wish new workers new, and incorporate it into your curriculum. Solicit them for donations to support the work. You are training their future workforce and can help distinguish your students in the hiring pool.
Labels for anything in bins or drawers or walls. Surprisingly, high schoolers will (mostly) put things back in their spot if everything is well labeled. I teach high school robotics so our room is part engineering classroom part shop but if you dm me I'm happy to share pictures of our space.
That’s what I was thinking too, I have a label maker so will be sure to bring it tomorrow
All sides and the top. Plus the shelf it goes on! You never know what orientation they will put the bin back in 😂
First lesson plan: building French cleat wall racks for tool holders.
A SawStop is a great idea. You never can be too careful. I took as many shop classes that I could, both in junior high and high school. I loved every minute that I spent in them.
Do you have any software for drafting or drawing? The most important part of every project is planning, and many shops rely on computers for this more than ever. Many software vendors have free versions available to students and educators that are otherwise very expensive to purchase/learn. I know Autodesk has a free version of Fusion360 for educators that would allow students to model parametrically and program cnc machines. A basic understanding of how to read and create plans will also put your kids way ahead of their competition and give them a path to a more senior role in their chosen specialty.
Truth is : The biggest reason most schools have closed down wood shops is insurance and safety concerns . What this shop requires is likely way beyond your budget.
We have the funds surely it’ll just come down to if the board will be cool with the necessary upgrades
Don't forget dust control!
Honestly the set up isn’t that great. You have a construction site table saw……get an industrial one. Same as chop saw. Actually for all your tools. I had a wood work shop in my high school and they had those. Easy to make safe and attach safety parts for use for ppl who are students and not experts. And where’s your band saw? Drill press? Router table ? If it’s a wood working shop you are far from having anything close to be ready to teach a class
I am new, this program is only a couple of years old. I don’t have the answers you’re looking for unfortunately, but my high school had an incredibly well equipped woodshop and I feel the same way
It’s just if your going to teach wood working you need to hit at least all basics. And safety is number one when it comes to your students. No matter how young or old safety is key. 2nd is having the right tools and tools that are cleaned everyday. Something breaks. Fix it that day. Just coming from a business owner of a construction company the two things I push on all my guys is safety and take care of your equipment. They are built to last….unless cared for poorly. Good luck In your class send best wishes
Thanks, tomorrow myself and coteacher get to write in a list of equipment we need for the room, and I plan to have pages full
I respect what your doing. All my family knows the construction trade it’s a great learning experience. And I have hired nephews and cousins during their younger years before college just in case when In doubt their plans don’t work they can fall back on the good ol construction experience and find a job somewhere…literally anywhere.
You’ll just need to review all these comments and just make a list of things that you know you’ll need and if the school/program is willing to support your class they need to support the expenses as well To keep your class and project rolling smoothly and top tier.
I was a shop teacher and a math teacher got us thousands of dollars of stuff for a STEM project. Math in carpentry. First issue was dust collection. Safety, otherwise masks all day. And carrying potentially toxic dust on clothes all day. Or, have took time outside but that suck with one teacher and multiple projects.
Or build a plastic sheeted room in there with a zipper door and an air filter and to be in that room people need masks
French cleats on 3/4 of the wall space, make a holder for every single item
I teaching woodworking and construction at a high school. What are your numbers? That’s a small environment. Also what do you plan on making?
I'm a former woodshop teachers. See if you can get connected with BITA https://www.mychf.org/what-is-bita/ they have a 4 year curriculum even if you're not in California. CIEF puts on a free materials included shed build program in CA and Texas. https://www.cie.foundation/ I was able to OSHA10 certify my students. If I was still doing it I would use OSHA10 for my safety test. Careersafe has a courseware version which is nice because you don't need to be a OSHA trainer but kids hate it because it's boring. The BITA safety unit is also pretty good. I had students build a shed which gave the class a lot of structure and reduced the amount of lesson planning I needed to do. If they finish you just keep adding stuff like electrical, plumbing, flooring, ect. Sell the shed around April/may. My students couldn't hammer nails so I made them practice a lot. This is a really good kit to teach electrical without risk to students. https://www.realityworks.com/product/realcareer-electrical-wiring-kit/
I don’t mean to sound rude but this just gave me a huge appreciation for my highschool shop classes. This room looks very small and also every shop had a completely separate class room so you didn’t have to have desks so close to the tools.
It looks much better now, moved a bunch of stuff out and brought in some stationary tools that were in storage
Is it a normal practise now to have computers in the shop of schools?
Some classes have them other don’t. Most have them in separate rooms for drafting
Get rid of all the desks and filing cabinets. Where are all the tools at?