Woodworking ideas for an Arts Camp

[Brian Kent]

I just got a request to be a teacher at an arts camp. I would have Junior High to Senior High students doing woodworking for 5 days. I have heard they have a shop, so I'll assume a bench, a drill press, and some kind of power saw.

I do not want to bring a lathe because I am so new at turning. I could not teach them enough about safety.

So that leaves me with the Neanderthal approach. I have the basic beginner / intermediate hobbyist tools.

What could I teach them in a week that they would get a kick out of? What could we make? I can think of a lot of skills, but would like them to have a project to complete and take home (not an ash tray and not a Maloof Rocker). I also do not have any carving experience.

[Jim Matthews]

Mother's Day presents.

Perhaps something designed to hang in a window, like stained glass?
Small boxes, with dowelled joinery?

[Sean Hughto]

A dovetailed box. It's a skill that tranlates to drawers and carcases etc., so once they can do it, they can make many other bigger projects.

[Brian Kent]

That means I have to practice, Sean :)

It was watching Frank Klausz making dovetails that inspired me to try handtool work.

[Bob Glenn]

Oval shaker boxes are a great multi day project. I taught my 87 year old father. His quality wasn't the best, but the joy of hearing him say "I can't blieve I made these" is one of my fondest memories now that he is gone.

Contact Jon Wilson in Charlotte Michigan for further information and supplies.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Brian I would strongly second Bob Glenn's suggestion on the Shaker Boxes. Each person coujld make several different sizes in 4-5 days dependant only on the size of the class and the available number of soaking/steaming setups.

[Joe A Faulkner]

Here's a little project by Jeffrey Bailey posted here in the projects section that might fit the bill for you.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?196914-Christmas-Box

[John Sidwell]

I'd suggest some type shelf. I still have one I made when I was in summer camp during my elementary school years; It was one of my favorites craft projects. For an older age group, I think you could make it a bit nicer, with actual joinery rather than just nailed butt joints, but it all depends on how much time you have available.

http://i.imgur.com/XHiqvks.jpg

[Pat Barry]

Obligatory birdhouse or bird feeder. Hey - they are at art camp, lets see their creativity with something they can give their mother.

[Mel Fulks]

I favor the approach of teaching concepts over completing a project to take home.Some will like simple chip carving or whittling and continue to practice at home without even having to buy anything.Others might like using a coping saw. I know an artist who was asked to teach to teach some middle school students how to make a paper mâché mask after modeling in clay. She said most had little concept of making anything three dimensional and pounded the clay into a paper like flatness and stuck on Mr Potatohead features. She didn't make sculptors out of any of them but she did insist they grasp the concept of light and shadow on objects and better understand the spacial.

[Prashun Patel]

I vote for a box of some sort. IMHO dovetails are a little ambitious for the beginner. I'd go with a locking rabbet or box joint. They're strong and straightforward to make, so they'll look good. You can even do splines on the tablesaw.

I think project camps don't give enough focus to the finishing stages (prep, topcoat). I suggest finishing in oil/wax. It's something that's impossible to mess up, is forgiving of mistakes in prep, and can be completed in a single day.

[Gabe Shackle]

What about just giving them all a fixed set of starting materials and have them build whatever they can think of from it? The first day could be spent designing and discussing the practical construction methods for each project. The other 4 would be spent building it out.

[jamie shard]

Basic tool tote, either nailed together or dovetailed. Use screws to attach the bottom.

[Fitzhugh Freeman]

It's funny, I was just thinking about the woodworking class I took in 7th grade. The instructor had all the tools in great shape - I had no idea until a couple years ago that handplanes don't all just work the way his did! I'd mention the need to set up the tools nicely but try to be sure they are all ready to actually be used before they show up for class. Assuming you're using their tools this can be a real issue.

Same with materials. Don't hesitate to precut wood to some degree or even prepare kits ahead of time.

You might consider a very simple cigar box guitar. They'd have fun making noise with them, they can be made very cheaply, and if you want to go very inexpensively, you can successfully use eyebolts as the tuners. Three strings is plenty and with the right tuning and only the frets that sound good they're actually easy to sound OK on, even for novices. There's a lot of info out there, but I'll help you plan it if you like.

I don't know how much teaching experience you have, but a few suggestions from an ex teacher: plan your lessons out in detail, don't expect to wing it off of just a concept. Even if you don't follow the plans very closely they'll provide a foundation in your mind. Don't expect things to move as fast as you like. Keep in mind you will probably have to work with individual campers to show them how to do things as you go.

[Jacob Nothstine]

Folding chair.

http://ana-white.com/2011/06/wood-folding-sling-chair-deck-chair-or-beach-chair-adult-size
Check out her web page for other great ideas.