Canned Food Drive

The GBS Canned Food Drive has been going on for approximately a month. Recently, we were informed that the school was far below the target requirement of donations. In response, Block 3 STEM IED was granted a deal. Mr. Sinde told us that if we were able to produce about $125 worth of cans as a class, we would be able to take our Unit 3 test at home. Our class includes 25 students, meaning each of us had to contribute at least $5. The way we produced this amount was open-ended. Some students raised money through hosting a penny hockey tournament during a lunch period. Some students donated cash, and some brought in actual cans. Michelle Barsukov, Will Okuno, and I helped manage the collection of funds. We created a spreadsheet to keep track of who brought in what. Together, Block 3 raised $202 cash plus 30 additional cans.

Penny Hockey Fabrication Day 5

Today was the last day of our Penny Hockey fabrication. For me, the steps after laser engraving went very quickly. The first thing I did was use the drill press to make the goals. I used clamps to hold down the board as I pulled the drill downwards. 

Me using the drill press

Here is a picture of what my board looked like after I finished drilling the goals. They were both one inch away from the edge.

My penny hockey set after I drilled the goalies

The next thing I did was mark where my defenders would go. With a similar process to marking the goals, I based the defenders' positions off of research done earlier. Here is a mapping of where the marks went.

Penny hockey set after drilling holes and marking defender positions

After this, I was originally supposed to drill where I marked, but the line for the hand drill was too long. To save time, I decided to nail the border in place. Out of all the tools I got to use, the nail gun was the most difficult. It was hard to find a place on my piece where I could grip it tightly. I had to always make sure my hand was at least six inches away from the direction the gun was pointed in. A couple of times, I accidentally inserted the nail too high up, causing it to come through the top of the board. Fortunately, I was able to correct the mistake.

Me using a nail gun for borders

This next picture shows me drilling in the holes for the defenders. I had to make sure the drill stayed perpendicular to the surface I was drilling in, or the dowels wouldn't insert all the way later on. I kept the rule "righty tighty, lefty loosy" in my mind throughout the process. I needed to switch back and forth between right and left rotations in order to drill through the surface or to take the drill out.

Me using hand drill for defenders' holes

I inserted the dowel defenders last -- a fairly easy step. Below is my completed penny hockey project. I wanted to glue the border's outside with pennies, but unfortunately, time did not permit. Either way, my final product was successful.

My final penny hockey set

Lastly, here are some pictures of my engineering notebook. This is a picture of the first two pages, which include my design brief, research, materials list, and tools list.

Engineering notebook research

These pages include my concept sketches. There is an isometric view, top view, front view, and side view.

Engineering notebook concept sketches

The next three pages show my design process. They include pictures that I have inserted in previous blog posts.

Engineering notebook design process pictures

Engineering notebook design process pictures (cont.)

Overall, I had a great time taking part the penny hockey project. My favorite part of fabrication was using the laser engraver, while my least favorite was using the nail gun. I thought that this project was a clever way to give all students the change to use the tools we are provided with. I learned a lot about how to create something entirely new using raw materials, and this will greatly benefit me in future projects.

Penny Hockey Fabrication Day 4

Today I finally got to laser engrave. Below shows what my logo looked like before being printed. I decided to use this logo instead of the one previously mentioned because it seemed like every person I spoke to outside of STEM did not know what a penny hockey set was.

Penny hockey logo I designed 

Here is a picture of the laser engraver setup. It works just like a normal paper printer. I connected a PC to the laser engraver, then copied and pasted the logo into Adobe Illustrator. I adjusted the dimensions in the program so the logo would be centered when it was printed. I also adjusted the speed and strength of the laser to accompany the material it was engraving. Simply select File, Print to send a message to the engraver. The laser engraver is much easier to use than I had expected. I was even able to help classmates who were not familiar with how to operate it.

GBS Makerspace laser engraver 

This is what my vinyl tile looked like once I printed the logo. I purposely designed it so that there would be space on the ends to drill the goals. The back of the tile was adhesive, so I was able to easily place it onto the base board.

Vinyl tile after I laser engraved the logo into it

The next thing I did was mark where the goals and defenders would be placed. I based the positions off of previous research conducted in the beginning of the project. I marked the goals 1" away from the edge of each end to provide maximum playing space. I plan on placing defenders evenly across the board to make the game challenging but not impossible.

Me measuring goalie placement

For the next class, I will use the drill press based off the marks I made. I will also need to nail on the boundaries.

Penny Hockey Fabrication Day 3

Today I planned on laser engraving a logo into the vinyl tile I cut. Below is a picture of the 8.5in x 12in black vinyl tile. While printing, the engraver started producing an unusually large amount of smoke. It filled the entire Makerspace with the stench of burning plastic. The engraver stopped halfway through printing someone's logo. Later we found out that the laser engraver's filter needed to be changed. No one was able to do so at the moment, so unfortunately, laser engraving for everyone in line was delayed.

8in x 12in vinyl tile

Since the laser engraver was temporarily out of order, I worked on completing my engineering notebook instead. I finished my research and determined where I would place the defenders and goals on the set. I also began my concept sketches. I plan on including an isometric sketch using isometric paper, and a front, side, and top view using orthographic paper.

Me working on my engineering notebook

Because of multiple setbacks, the due date of the project was moved back to November 12th. Hopefully the laser engraver's filter will be changed by the next class, and everyone will be able to continue with their projects.

Penny Hockey Fabrication Day 2

Today I got a chance to use the miter saw. The 1" x 1-1/4" common board provided in the previous class is what would be used as the border of the penny hockey set. I marked the 4' board before making the final cuts. I left 1/16 inch spaces between each marking for the miter saw blade. I kept my hand a safe six inches away from the blade as I used it. I used the sander to smooth the wood pieces' rough edges so they will line up when I nail them around the base. Surprisingly, compared to the miter saw, I found the sander difficult to use. Unlike most tools in the Makerspace, the sander does not allow you to use exact measurements. I had to be very weary while smoothing the edges of wood so as not to shave off too much. The pictures following display me using the miter saw and the final common board pieces in comparison to the base piece.

Me using the miter saw

Final common board pieces

The next thing I did was cut the 1' x 1' vinyl tile. Every person had a choice between a white and a black colored tile. I chose black because I thought that my logo would contrast well with it. Here is a sample of what one of my logos looks like; however, I am still trying to decide if this is the one I will actually engrave on the final product.

STEM Learning Community Logo I designed

To cut the tile, I marked the 8.5in point because that's the same width as the base piece. I ran several light passes along the tile with a box cutter to divide it.

In the next class, I plan on completing the project because I do not have an SRT to work on it. I still need to laser engrave my logo into the tile, cut the dowel rod into smaller pegs, and nail the whole thing together.

Penny Hockey Fabrication Day 1

Today we began our penny hockey set fabrication. We have been given a week to complete the project, including building and documenting our progress. The requirements for our engineer notebooks are the same as requirements for Blogger posts.

My design brief consists of the following:

• Client Company: Toys R us

• Target Consumer: Ages 10 and up

• Designer: Katheryn Woo

• Problem Statement: Identifying a unique gift for each of my younger cousins is quite a difficult task.

• Design Statement: Individually design, test, and build a penny hockey set using standard measurements for playing surface to create a fun game for ages 10 and up. 

• Constraints: 

• Individual work must be produced and submitted

• Design using standard measurements for playing surface

• Additional materials must be submitted for teacher approval via annotated concept sketches

• One week time constraint 

Some research included pictures of penny hockey sets other people have created. Here are a couple that I've found. These versions of the project gave me a better idea of what my final product may turn out as. 

"Mike's Wood Toys By Design." Mike's Wood Toys By Design. Web. 01 Nov. 2014. 

"SolidWorks 2012 Penny Hockey Tutorials." Cudacountry. Web. 30 Oct. 2014. 

A few of the first materials given to us today were a 1' x 1' piece if a 1/2" MDF board and a 4' long 1" x 1-1/4" common board. I cut the 1' x 1' boards into 8.5 inch by 12 inch ones. A real hockey rink is 200' x 85', so I was able to calculate the dimensions of my own hockey set. When cutting with the table saw, I made sure to push the stock against the fence with my right hand, and guide the piece with my left hand, giving me a clean, straight cut. The photo on the bottom shows the board after I cut it. 

Table saw

8" x 12" MDF board

Here is a photo of the 4' long 1" x 1-1/4" common board and what it was originally cut from. This is what will be used for the border of the penny hockey rink.

 4' long 1" x 1-1/4" common board

For the next day, I am going to cut the rest of the materials I will need for the final product. If I am able to prepare all the materials at once, it will make it easier for me to put everything together.

Penny Hockey Introduction

The project we have just been assigned is the construction of penny hockey sets. This project will give us a chance to use almost all of the tools provided in the Makerspace. However, before we begin the actual fabrication process, it is important that we understand what materials we have been given.

The first material introduced was a 1/2" MDF Board (1' x 1'). We will use the table saw to cut this to the desired dimensions for our penny hockey set base.

The second material was the 1" x 1-1/4" Common Board (4' length). We will use the miter saw to cut these into separate pieces for the boundaries of the set.

The third material was a 1' x 1' Vinyl Tile. We are provided with the choice of either a black or white tile. We will use the laser engraver to personalize the tile which will cover the base of the set.

The fourth material was the 1/4" Dowel Rod (1' in length). We will most likely use the bandsaw to cut these for our penny hockey set's defenders.

Finally, there was the 1-1/4" Finishing Nails. We'll use the nail gun to nail the final product together.

I am very excited for this project. The first step towards creating my penny hockey set is using the table saw to cut the MDF Board for my base, which I plan to accomplish in the next class.