Shop Teacher's annual trapped at Parent Teacher Conferences AMA

"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
10/24/2019 at 16:57 • Filed to: I'm bored send help

Hi everybody!

I’m trapped at school for the next 4-1/2 hours. In that time I will have precisely 70 minutes worth of conversations with the usually very nice parents of very nice children. Not a bad evening, but it’s spread out in a way where I won’t be abl e to get much of anything else done. So, AMA.

DISCUSSION (49)

i86hotdogs > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 17:21

You’ve probably mentioned this already, but what’s the story of the fire going on while you hoon in the Geo? Amazing visual.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 17:21

What’s the most dangerous tool in the shop?

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 17:22

Is something gonna replace the rally metro? Will we see more offroad shenanigans???

Textured Soy Protein > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 17:22

At first, I was trying to figure out why the hell anyone would be stuck at a school that long for parent-teacher conferences, like do they make the parents show up at the very beginning and then sit around while other parents talk to the teachers. And then I realized, YOU'RE THE TEACHER.

For Sweden > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 17:24

Did you reach those kids?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 17:25

As you may be aware, I’ve just come into the possession of a shop.

I’ve done minor woodworking in the past, but am looking into doing more (metalworking and welding, too), and teaching my kids as I go.

I have a good assortment of basic tools, plus a miter saw, circular saw , drill/driver, impact wrench, etc., but now that I have the space, what would your progression of acquisition be for building up a good, well-rounded collection of larger, more specialized tools for wood- and metal-working?

I’m not going to be doing any finish carpentry or fine furniture, but being set up well to make good quality outdoor seating , garage benches & storage, and things like that would be great.

shop-teacher > Textured Soy Protein
10/24/2019 at 17:27

Yup :)

shop-teacher > i86hotdogs
10/24/2019 at 17:27

The venue was simply burning up old scrap wood to get rid of it. I love the visual as well.

ttyymmnn > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 17:28

Why is it that most of the parents who come to conferences are the ones with the best kids?

ttyymmnn > Textured Soy Protein
10/24/2019 at 17:28

His screen name checks out

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
10/24/2019 at 17:29

Him :p

shop-teacher > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
10/24/2019 at 17:31

Eventually I will get something else. As I’m learning more about my wife, I think she would really enjoy rallycross and autocross. She loved her ‘06 Mazda 3, so in a year or two I think I can convince her to let me find a first gen 3 for the family to go beat on.

That said, it appears I will be rallycrossing next year, just not in a vehicle I own. Lapsed Opponaut Birddog recently bought a ‘78 Chevy C10, that he intends to rallycross, and wants me to codrive with him. So, if all goes according to plan, I’ll be back in the saddle again next year in this bad boy.

Kinja'd!!!

shop-teacher > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
10/24/2019 at 17:33

Table saw, no question. Although we have a Saw Stop , so it’s significantly less dangerous than your average table saw.

The most dangerous tool that I let the kids use, is the miter saw. But I have it hooked up to a foot pedal, and I also have hold down clamps set up for the wood. So, they only get power when I give it to them, and their hands aren’t anywhere near the danger.

shop-teacher > For Sweden
10/24/2019 at 17:34

Some of them. That’s all you can ask. This year is going pretty well so far. The only office write-ups I’ve made are for shenanigans in the hallway. Nothing in my class.

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn
10/24/2019 at 17:34

Because the reason they are the best kids, is that their parents are involved.

i86hotdogs > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 17:38

Looks like a p ost apocalyptic scene here. Of course, the last running vehicle would be a Geo

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 17:40

Table saws remove fingers easily. My dad chopped off the tips of his fingers on his left had years ago.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 17:43

Some what related are my middle school orientation my Dad took my school laptop went on MLB.com and started filling the Red Sox game. The other Dads followed suit and pretty soon there was more talk about the game than the orientation thing. My dad set a great example

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 17:44

Hope your wife’s onboard!

That C10 will be sideways a LOT! Anything done to the motor?

shop-teacher > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/24/2019 at 17:46

Oh I am aware, and I am insanely jealous :)

*cracks knuckles*

For wood working, I would suggest a table saw. If the budget allows, I would get a Saw Stop . They are twice the price of a regular table saw, but they are very good machines, and cheaper than loosing a finger. If you ’re not willing to pony up that kind of cheddar, both DeWalt and Bosch make really good small table saws.

You should definitely get a Kreg jig for making pocket holes. Building stuff with pocket screws is so easy, I used to feel like I was cheating. Then I bought some very expensive American made bedroom furniture ... it’s all put together with pocket screws. I no longer think I’m cheating.

A band saw and a drill press are pretty clutch for both wood and metal working, as is a good disc/belt sander. The bigger the better. Look for old used stuff, as cheap new stuff is garbage, and new good stuff is big bucks.

I don’t know how to weld (it’s a goal of mine to learn), but the people I know who do weld, swear by Miller machines, so I would get a good one of those. Something that runs on 220. A plasma cutter would be awesome to have too, as would a good oxy/acetylene torch set.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 17:52

Thanks for the input - looks like a good list to work toward!

shop-teacher > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
10/24/2019 at 17:52

LOL!

shop-teacher > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
10/24/2019 at 17:53

Ouch!

shop-teacher > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
10/24/2019 at 17:54

She seemed to like the idea, but we’ll see what happens when it’s time for money to leave my wallet.

Yeah, the C10 should be stupid fun. The engine is currently stock, but may not be by the time we hit the dirt.

shop-teacher > i86hotdogs
10/24/2019 at 17:54

It drove into the junkyard on 2-cylinders, pushing oil out the fill cap, but it refused to die.

shop-teacher > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
10/24/2019 at 17:56

Ha! When I was a freshman in high school, Then Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson’s kids were seniors at the same school . My dad wanted to ditch out of the last period class, and my mom was resisting. Then dad saw Phil Jackson leaving early, and said, “C’mon, if Phill can leave, we can too!”

They left.

benjrblant > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 17:57

Any opinions on those old-school dewalt radial arm saws? there seem to be a ton on local craigslist and they’re quite affordable.

shop-teacher > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/24/2019 at 17:57

Happy to help! I love talking tools. Urambo Tauro and I were going to start a tool sub blog, but Kinja no longer supports the creation of sub blogs :/

shop-teacher > benjrblant
10/24/2019 at 18:08

That’s because nobody wants radial arm saws anymore. It took my five years to find somebody to GIVE my dad’s old radial arm saw to, because I sure didn’t want the thing . I would recommen d you spend a little more and get a sliding compound miter saw. They’re superior in every way, and they’re safer to use.

You can definitely go used and save some money. The saw I have is the DeWalt DW708. This was a watershed tool when it came out somewhere around 2000 , that put all the other manufactures on notice that their junk was now hopelessly out of date. It’s a 12" double bevel slider, that doesn’t have any lasers or any crap like that, but it’s a simple, well made, very capable saw. I bought mine for $400 used like 12 years ago, but you can get them cheaper than that now. The only real flaw in that tool, is it’s very top heavy. Therefore needs to be secured to a table/workbench when you’re using it. That’s a minor issue, but it’s a fantastic tool that is light years better than a radial arm saw, as well as any miter box that was made before it.

XJDano > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 18:08

That’ll be epic.

shop-teacher > XJDano
10/24/2019 at 18:11

Yeah, I can’t wait. I’m not sure how the hell we’re supposed to keep ourselves planted in that bench seat ... but we’ll figure it out :)

ttyymmnn > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 18:30

Yes, it was a rhetorical question.

HammerheadFistpunch > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 18:36

Thankfully it seems like the days of stumpy fingered grandpa’s (like mine) are going away. Thanks technology. Though he lost it to a log splitter not a table saw so not sure what progress is being made on those deathtraps.

slipperysallylikespenguins > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 19:04

T hat would have been fantastic

Kiltedpadre > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 19:05

Do you have a favorite project to work on with your students?

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn
10/24/2019 at 19:05

Gotcha. Makes sense, I figured you would know that answer.

shop-teacher > slipperysallylikespenguins
10/24/2019 at 19:06

I like to think so.

shop-teacher > HammerheadFistpunch
10/24/2019 at 19:06

No idea, those things are scary. The only tool that truly frightens me though, are chain saws. I really don’t want anything to do with them.

shop-teacher > Kiltedpadre
10/24/2019 at 19:16

I like all the stuff we build, but the one I’m most proud of are the little battery powered cars we build. They have a sheet metal pan chassis that the students fabricate. T he wheels, motor mount, and pulleys they model in A utoCAD, and 3D print them . T hen they take their parts and assemble them with 6-32 threaded rod as axles. I give them a battery box and motor, and then they have to tune them until they can get their car to go in a straight(ish) line. If time allows, they alter the size of their pulleys to get enough torque to pull themselves up a ramp. It’s a really fun project, and I like that it combines old school sheet metal fabrication, with 3D modeled and printed parts.

Kiltedpadre > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 19:27

That sounds significantly cooler than anything I built in shop class. Granted the idea of 3D printing anything wasn’t exactly a normal thing in the Middle Ages.

I did build a small cabinet in HS shop that I still use as a printer stand.

HammerheadFistpunch > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 19:30

I don’t mind chainsaws, you just have to get used to their danger modes. Another good trick to avoiding death is to have them be on poles. I really want a battery one to carry in the truck though. impact gun first though,

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 21:45

Can open conferences with click-bait type opening sentences? Ex, we’re here to discuss why K aden doesn’t have a future in carpentry...

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > shop-teacher
10/24/2019 at 23:21

Oh man, would’ve loved that.

shop-teacher > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/24/2019 at 23:38

I think it would have been really good.

shop-teacher > HammerheadFistpunch
10/24/2019 at 23:42

I’m sure I could get used to a chain saw, but I have zero training with them. I wouldn’t be afraid to use one on a pole, but I don’t have a need for one.

I took the plunge on a battery powered impact a year or two ago ... It was a game changer. I sold all my air tools.

shop-teacher > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
10/24/2019 at 23:47

I could do that. I’ll be a kajillionaire.

Funny enough, I had a conference with Kaeden's mom tonight ... I think he could be a fine carpenter, if he chose that path ;)

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > shop-teacher
10/25/2019 at 09:42

This is fantastic.

shop-teacher > Kiltedpadre
10/25/2019 at 10:16

It’s a great little project. Because I teach middle school, I don’t have time for bigger projects like building a cabinet in my wood working class. We do make clocks, cell phone/tablet stands, and some other small things. My goal is to get kids interested, so they can take the more advanced classes in high school.

shop-teacher > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/25/2019 at 10:17

Thank you :)