Industrial Arts Teacher Looking for help with curriculum

[danwsmith7]

I am an industrial arts teacher and I am looking for highschool curriculum for a machining program. We currently have two lathes and a shoddy mill but are gearing up to purchase some very good used machines. (I am very lucky to be part of this growing program.) I am very knowledgeable about teaching and fairly knowledgeable about the machines. I am looking for examples of curriculum to help me write a program that fits the needs of our students. ANY help would be very appreciated. -Dan

 

[chip_slinger]

I am an industrial arts teacher and I am looking for highschool curriculum for a machining program. We currently have two lathes and a shoddy mill but are gearing up to purchase some very good used machines. (I am very lucky to be part of this growing program.) I am very knowledgeable about teaching and fairly knowledgeable about the machines. I am looking for examples of curriculum to help me write a program that fits the needs of our students. ANY help would be very appreciated. -Dan

Hi Dan,

My experience is that students learn these skills best by doing. And, by building projects with pieces that interrelate. I have taken classes where the projects were very loose, like turn your own top to any dimensions you want. That doesn't teach skills - students aren't aiming for dimensions, checking, using their measuring tools, doing math, adjusting, etc. Good projects consist of several parts that have to fit together to work, like an air motor. This is what I do as I teach intro machining classes for adult ed. With a project like this, each part that is built is an opportunity for teaching specific skills. Like in the air motor, you could start with the base. Say it is 2" x 4" x 1/2". Teach them to cut a rough piece from stock that already is to thickness and one dimension, say the 2", and teach roughing and climb milling to the 4" dimension. Then, teach edge finding one axis, and two edge center edge finding the other. Then you get to teach proper drilling technique, including center drilling. Now on to creating a counterbore. Ooh, and the counterbore has to be to a certain depth, and that's new too. Then you do the next part, and this time they have to use their skills to start with a rough piece that needs four sides brought to spec. And maybe it has a tapped hole. And a reamed hole. And a blind hole. And at every one of these operations, you can digress for five minutes to introduce feeds, or speeds, or another way to set a z depth, or why it's important to use coolant, or that you can tap a straight hole crooked, no really, and this is how you should do it. Wow, what a ramble. Anyway, that's how I've found it to be effective. Keep it project based, with each part more complicated or utilizing a new skill.

 

[LEEQ]

ISBN 0-471-84343-1 Machine Tool Practices. That is the course book my father used in Hillyards machinist course. It might give you some ideas. Projects that include several key skills help drive the point home. A ball peen hammer would include a head turned to diameter. Radii, internal and external threading and knurling. A small arbor press would have some milling skills as well as turning skills, it would also introduce gear cutting with the rack and spur. Good luck and Congratulations on the new program!! So glad to hear of a new course like this instead of another one being phased out.

 

[d.brown]

I am very knowledgeable about teaching and fairly knowledgeable about the machines.

I guess I don't understand the concept of *industrial arts*. Admittedly I attended high school in the mid 60's but the teacher was required to be a journeyman in his trade in order to teach it. Being *fairly* knowledge with the machines sounds a little dangerous. Is the class an academic exercise.....kind of a light overview or are you expecting to get the kids started off in the machinist trade?

David

 

[Ray C]

This is not an uncommon situation. I volunteer about once a month at a local high school that has a simple wood-shop program and a robotics class. They only have about 2-3 basic wood working courses and it's just enough to teach kids how to use basic carpentry equipment and make very simple things. The robotics class is a little more advanced where they have a simple lathe, mill, bandsaw etc. The wood shop teacher did not know how to use the metal working equipment so, I spent a couple weeks and taught him the basics. I go there about once a month to make the things that are outside their ability. I try to show them and the wood-shop teacher as much as possible.

It's not like what I had when I was in high school... At my high school (in the 70's) we had state-of-the-art auto mechanics bays, tools etc -same thing for the machine shop and welding programs. By senior year, you were ready to take entrance tests for on the job placement. I earned my NIASE in automotive areas by the time I graduated. Things have changed now and the certifications for being a shop teacher are not as rigid as they used to be and those folks need all the help and support they can get.

Ray

I guess I don't understand the concept of *industrial arts*. Admittedly I attended high school in the mid 60's but the teacher was required to be a journeyman in his trade in order to teach it. Being *fairly* knowledge with the machines sounds a little dangerous. Is the class an academic exercise.....kind of a light overview or are you expecting to get the kids started off in the machinist trade?

David

 

[12bolts]

Agree with everything everyone posted so far.

...... And, by building projects with pieces that interrelate. .....

My 0.02 is try and find something they can also relate to. When I started my apprenticeship we built a surface gauge from scratch. In 35 years I have never used it. It was a great learning project, and makes for an impressive paperweight, but thats all.
I dont have an answer for a project for you but if its something they can use at the end of the day then it will make it seem more worthwhile.

Cheers Phil

 

[ScrapMetal]

If you can get a copy of South Bend's "Machine Shop Projects" - http://www.amazon.com/Machine-Shop-Projects-South-Lathe/dp/1559182482 there are a number of progressively more difficult (and inter-related) projects to work with. Here is a link to an old flyer for the book - http://www.wswells.com/data/catalog/1930_Bltn_No.55/1930_Bltn_No.55.pdf If you scroll down to the sixth page it lists the projects available in the book.

Hope that helps,

-Ron

 

[engine ear]

Hi Dan,
You might be interested in what the Univ of Maine did. Check this out:

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/f12/university-maines-bsmet-steam-engine-22564/

Cheers,
Phil

 

[Hotbluechips]

We made a Ball Pein hammer in metalshop class.
The head screwed on , had a tapered handle for about half of the length then straight that was knurled and hollow with a screw in cap.
Did it all in the lathe.
Taught a lot of fundamentals of lathe operation.
turning, boring, taper turning, single point threading,I.D and O.D., Knurling, tapping, grinding cutting and form tools.
Still have mine made in 1977.
Looks pretty rough when I look at it now, but I thought it was pretty cool back then.

 

[twraska]

When I was in college we made a brass hammer. Turned the head from a piece of round stock, put a chamfer(sp) on the ends. Then drilled & tapped the head, with a blind hole, for the handle to screw into. Turned the handle, rounded the end, knurled it and threaded it to fit the head. Got to start with 'forgiving' brass, then went to steel for the handle. Got to drill, tap, thread, turn, knurl, cut a taper & square edge, all in one lesson. I used that hammer for about 30 years until a gremlin in the shop snapped the handle off. Had to be a gremlin as no one ever admitted to using it! LOL

Grade was based on how close you got your tolerances, fit and finish. Good thing, is if you were off on almost anything, you still had a hammer to use.