Just Plane Ol' Fun!

Here is your weekly shop class report - try to contain your overwhelming excitement!  Did you know there are six steps to squaring up a board?  Ha, I knew it!  Well, up to this point, I only know three of them {bummer}.  Here are the first three steps in abbreviated detail of course:

• Step ONE - Make one face flat and smooth by using the Jointer.  Basically this machine shaves the crap off of the bottom face of raw lumber and spits out these shavings perfect for the hamster cage.

• Step TWO - Make the other face flat, smooth, parallel, and to the correct thickness on the PLANER {the mammoth machine in the pic above}.  The rough wood on the top face never stands a chance once it goes through this fine machine to make it smooth as a baby's bottom - ok, it does take multiple passes and possibly a bit of sanding at the end to really get it super-duper smooth.  However, you put the rough splinter-filled lumber in on one end and something very Willy Wonkaesque happens to where this gorgeous rich smooth piece of wood comes out the other end.  It's magic.

• Step THREE - Make one edge flat, smooth, and perpendicular to both faces on the {nope, wrong guess}, on the JOINTER again.  Do you see where I'm going with this?  Well, I don't because I don't know what Step Four is, aaaahhhh the agony.

Anyway, next week we are finishing up the remaining three steps, then starting our project planning and will incorporate wood techniques as needed like dove tail joining, turning wood for legs, FUN, FUN, FUN!  The best part?  I'm gonna have skills AND I get to buy safety glasses this weekend, jealous are you?

image courtesty of WW Thayer