Sunday, September 28, 2008

Bug Stuff

Working on the seat mounts for the dune buggy project. Cuzzin Ricky's been spending money on parts like there was no tomorrow, so we need to see some progress. I'm ready to start bending tubing for the roll cage and the students want to get involved as well. Since I don't have a power bender, they'll be involved. I've got a big footballer in the class who can bench 300 - just the guy you need on the handle of the Hossfeld. When we get the cage done most of our part of the project will be done. Hopefully we'll have a little something bent up next week.

I've been working with my vocational class on the required math for figuring out the bends on the roll cage. I got a whole lot of the deer in the headlights look. It's amazing that they can take math every year in school but when they are juniors and seniors in high school and you give them a practical problem to solve, they either shout out the first number that comes to them or they roll over and play dead. Either way, they still don't have the answer. I'm real glad I had Mr. O'Brien for high school geometry. He was probably the best teacher I've ever had at either the high school or college level. That class has served me very well over the years. With a good solid understanding of right triangle geometry and a little trig there isn't much math a welder, or any tradesman for that matter, can't handle. Let that be a lesson for you youngsters at home.

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