Author: riveryessis

Through this internship, I learned much about the different tools carpenters: table saws; planers; drills; various sanders. In building the Adirondack chairs with Fred, I learned how to use all of these tools.  When I was working with David, I learned more about the computer design process of building using SketchUp’s features, a computer program I was familiar with from my Pre-Calculus class.  Among other things, David taught me about dimensions of doors, guardrails, and stairs. Also, he told me that every house should have a walkway. Therefore, Fred helped me deepen my understanding of woodworking and the use of machinery, and David taught me the history of many houses and the rules for designing homes. I think this internship is distinctive experience in my life.  These are skills I never would have learned in China.

Thank you David and Fred.

River Ye

May 31

Afternoon – I assembled three chair bases.

June 4

I built arm supports and back supports and sanded them. Also, I assembled other chair bases

June 5

I painted teak oil on all the chair backs. Then, I tried to assemble a chair, but we found some problems with our angles. Therefore, we didn’t assemble the chairs. Then, I ran some wood, back support, through the planer to correct or mistakes.

June 6 and 7

I cut all the chair supports because we found some more problems, and then I assembled all the chair supports on chairs with a drill.  I almost finished all the work, but I haven’t put my chair backs yet.

June 8

I finished all the work.

River Ye

May 30

Today, my mentor David showed me his boathouse, and then we went to visit his house, where he is living now.  

In the afternoon, I worked with my mentor Fred and sanded the chairs bases and painted them.

River Ye

May 24

I started to use the SketchUp to draw my tree house, and . . .

I cut the chairs bases with a jigsaw.

River Ye

May 29

My mentor David looked over my internship project, and he showed me how a designer should draw buildings for customers.  Also, he taught me how to draw stairs railing and step with SketchUp.

I also worked with my mentor Fred and cut chairs slat braces made from 1×4 treated wood with a jigsaw and glued some of them with bases.

River Ye

May 25

Today, my mentor David taught me how to draw stairs with SketchUp.

River Ye

May 22

I cleaned excess glue off the wood that I glued together the day before. Then I ran the some other boards for chairs backs through a planner, and I used a rotary sander to make chairs backs smoother.

 My mentor, Fred, instructing me.

 The planner we are using for the Adirondack chairs.

River Ye

May 23

David took me on a walk around downtown, and he introduced me some history of various houses and the materials used to build them. Therefore, I know Saloon Best is the oldest house because it was built in 1879s, and I saw how the little park and the end of Spring Street changed.  

The little park at the end of Spring Street before and after.

Then David sent me information about my internship project.  Using SketchUp, I will design a tree house.  David gave me the following directions:

1. Imagine that the treehouse is your place to live.
2. It must be at least 10’ above the ground. It could be more than one story, and there could be a deck on the roof.
3. It needs a bathroom (toilet, sink, shower).
4. It needs a kitchen (small refrigerator and stove, kitchen sink, counter space for food preparation).
5. It needs a bed, clothes storage, a table with 2 chairs and a sitting area with 2 living room chairs.
6. It needs a deck that gets lots of sun.
7. It would be nice if the sun came into the living/dining/kitchen area.
8. It needs a ladder or stairway to get between ground and treehouse.

In the afternoon I started work with Fred. I sanded some of the wood for the Adirondack chairs with a rotary sander and glued some of the wood for the chair bases.

 sanding and . . .

 gluing

River Ye

May 21

I arrived at David Waldron’s office at 9 am. After I arrived, David started to introduce me to SketchUp, a program used to design buildings. I had already learned some information about SketchUp from the internet, and I have been using it for a project (making a model of the Spring Street dormitory) for my Pre-Calculus class.   I showed my project to David, and he helped me solve some problems with my dormitory model, including how to make a door knob.

 My mentor, David Waldron, working with SketchUp.

River Ye

Today, May 18, when I arrived at Fred’s house, I started to run the chair arms through the planer.  Then while I finished them, Fred and I began to pack up woodworking tools and set up these woodworking tools behind Spring Street’s dorm.

  chairs arms prior to running through the planer

 chair arms after running them through the planer

  “wood shop” outside Spring Street’s dorm

River Ye