Thursday, May 17, Fred taught me how to change the jigsaw blade. When I exchanged the blade, I started to cut the chair arms with the jigsaw, and Fred started to cut chair backs. I also used a chop saw to help make the chair arms. We finished all the chair arms and chair backs at 12:25 pm. Then Fred introduced me to the chair plans, and we will make the chair rails tomorrow.
Using the chop saw to make chair arms
River Ye
Today, May 16, I went to Fred’s house at 9 am. When I arrived at his house, he started to introduce me to the tools we would be using to build Adirondack chairs: table saw, power planer, chop saw, jig saw, and drill press. Then he taught me how to change a the table saw blade. Also, I exchanged three new blades for the power planer. When I finished it, I started to make slates for the chair seats by turning 2x4s and 4x4s into 1x4s with the table saw. I then ran these boards through a planer.
River Ye
using the planer
David Waldron and Fred Yonkers will be my mentors for my Spring Street International School Internship.
David attended Willamette University and the University of Washington. He started work as an architect in 1968, and he worked in Seattle until 1978. In 1979, David started working as a self-employed architect and received his architectural registration in 1980.
Fred , in 1970, he enrolled in the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey “Clown College” and spent six years touring with the RBB&B show and smaller circuses. He came to Spring Street International School after 19 years of teaching and drama coaching at Friday Harbor Middle and High School. A jack of all trades, Fred is also a carpenter. I will be helping Fred build a number of Adirondack chairs for the Spring Street campus.
My internship is about building design and carpentry. I will learn the design process with David and build chairs for SISS with Fred. I want to do the internship for of three reasons: first, I want to design my own house or my own room in the future; second, I want to learn about my father’s job as he works in building design and construction; lastly, I like to use my hands to build models and other thing because that can make me feel happy.
River Ye