Fernando Valdivia – Week 2

Learning Objective

This week’s learning objective was to analyze and get familiar with different types of wood structure’s connections. Understand different types of loading scenarios and how joints and connections can vary depending on the situation and the type of loading. Students went to the wood lab and practiced making different types of joints with wood in order to get familiar with the lab and cutting machines.

The type of joint my partner and I were working on the woodshop was an open Mortis and Tenon joint, which can be considered one of the strongest woodworking joints according to Woodworkers Guild of America’s article “Wood Joints: Which woodworking joints should you use?” due to its simplicity and strength. The joint consists of two parts; a Tenon, which is a projection on the end of a piece of wood and a Mortise, which is a cavity cut into a piece of wood to receive the Tenon (WWGOA). We learned that precision is key in all woodwork and specially if we consider joints, for example: A difference of 1/8th between the Mortise and the Tenon can cause a loose joint, jeopardizing the integrity of the material by losing strength, it is important that both pieces are cut precisely and the joint remains tight.

Sources:
https://www.wwgoa.com/article/woodworking-joints-which-ones-should-you-use/

Reflection

The exercise in the woodshop was very interesting and really helpful for those students who don’t have much practice using different types of saw to build or shape wood according to different specifications. Getting familiar with the woodshop really helps you feel more comfortable around the shop and the work we are about to do throughout the term. Working with wood and planning our joints in a “hands-on” manner, really makes you realize the importance measurements and utilizing the equipment correctly, reflects on your final product.