Before creating our shields, we were first introduced with a health and safety briefing whereby we were taken around all the different machines and taught how to safely use them and when it is appropriate to use them. Another aspect covered in this Health and safety briefing was PPE. Whenever entering the workshop always wear steel capped boots and have safety goggles and ear defenders when using machines and a dust mask when cutting MDF. Also when using machines all lanyards and jewellery must be secured as well as long hair tied up to prevent anything being caught in machinery.
After this briefing, we could then move on to making the shields! The first thing we did was cut around the shield design using a band saw. I did enjoy using the band saw and it was actually a lot less intimidating than I thought it was going to be. As a result, I would say that I do feel confident to use that machine myself next time which I think is a very good thing.
The next piece of equipment we used was the sanders to refine band saw cutting skills. We used two different types of sanders: the bobbin sander and the plate sander. I used the plate sander for the outer curves (convex curves) with within the shields and the straight edges. I found the central part of the wheel the fastest part and therefore worked with that when sanding. I really enjoyed doing this although it was really tempting to over sand. I found this sander actually a lot easier to use than the bobbin sander which was used for the concave curve in the inner part of the shield. For this sander, it was hard to keep it symmetric. But after going back twice to sort it I think the end product was even and now I would say I do feel more confident on that sander than I did before.
I then used was the combination saw which I used to cut the supports for the shield. This was the most intimidating piece of equipment we used for this task and I really enjoyed it once I got the hang of it. It had quite a few different settings that you could use on it such as the straight cut, angle cut or combination cut. I just used the straight cut. One of the most important parts I learnt about this machinery was to secure the wood with the clamp and also wait until the blade is down to press on the second trigger on the saw to keep it safe.
Another piece of equipment we used was the domino cutter. This was the most exciting piece because I'd never seen anything like it. I didn't even know there is a machine that did this which I think made it even more exciting. The machine creates mortise and tenon joints. It comes with these dowels or dominoes and it cuts little jabs into wood so that you can link the wood up. I used the domino cutter or cutter/joiner in the supports to create a right angle behind the shield.
Lastly, I used the power tools such as a drill to attach all of these pieces together and also secured some pieces by using wood glue as well. I had found the drill is a lot harder than I thought they were going to be and but the reverse setting on the true drill was very useful.
All in all, I found this exercise very educational and also surprisingly fun which I thought was very refreshing. I would definitely now say that I feel a lot more confident on these machines do before. I think though before using any of these machines again I would look at the videos again just make sure I'm doing the safety precautions correctly.
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