Want to develop your handy skills but don’t know where to start? Improving your home should feel accessible, fun, and enriching.
Let's break into the wide ranging world of "Do-It-Yourself" with something simple, a shelf! Through its simplicity, a shelf offers a clear and straightforward on-ramp for examining the fundamentals of our constructed environment and provides a low-pressure opportunity for practicing the handling of power tools and raw material (in this case a variety of salvaged lumber).
But first, let’s orient ourselves with a discussion that can answer the following questions: what is DIY, where did it come from, and why should I care?”
Session 1 begins as a lecture / discussion (Open to anyone, even people not signing up for the full course) establishing the history and cultural context of “DIY” ideologies, plus locating the practical applications of “DIY skills”. This will be a fun exploration into the history of how people have related to the construction of objects and the customization of their surroundings. As we approach contemporary DIY, we’ll examine how our current climate of global markets, overproduction, overconsumption, aesthetic fetishization and excessive waste should weigh heavily on our relation to craft. With this context in place, we’ll move to a practical examination of space, structure, and building techniques.
Students participating in the longer DIY course will leave the lecture/discussion with the assignment of analyzing their own space and locating where or what they can optimize through the design of a “shelf”. (Quotes because our discussion will expand our conception of what qualifies as a shelf)
Session 2 will cover the design process. We will collectively explore each student’s reflections on their use of space and help each other in the process of designing uncomplicated custom shelving solutions! We will consider the limitations of skill and material (and maybe landlord restrictions!), but also explore the breadth of possibilities we can invent with our creativity.
Sessions 3 and 4 will be our opportunity for hands-on exercise with power tools and raw material as we begin the fabrication of your designs. Together we’ll warm up to some of the most commonly used tools in construction: miter saw, table saw, drill and driver. Remember all of this is exercise- our finished shelves do not need to gleam with aesthetic or technical perfection! Comfort in handling power tools can be a drastic learning curve, but that’s no problem. If students are feeling strained by the learning curve and shop-session time constraints, projects can be worked on further during fireweed’s open-shop nights!
The materials fee for this class is $20 and is included in the admission cost.
*** We do require masking indoors, whatever your vaccination status***
__________________________
Taught by Hibs
