Help in building crack box

[crackuser]

Hi, I live in a small town and am having difficulty finding someone to build the box that I need for my upgraded crack amp. I would do it myself but due to an  injury I can no longer use those kinds of tools. I have seen some great woodworking skills from members here and I hope I am not breaking forum rules for trying to make contact with someone who would not mind taking a project on such as mine.
 I have drawn up some plans in MS Paint to show what I would need:




If anyone is interested could you email me to talk specifics(price) at:  [email protected]



 

 

[crackuser]

I asked if the local woodshop at the high school would like to give the amp box a shot and there going to do it. They said that they could use the money there getting for supplies for the kids. No better way to spend the money, support your local school and all that. Thanks all.

 

[[email protected]]

You are lucky that your local school still has a wood shop.  That is something that a lot of schools are dropping.

Great idea to have them do it.  Show some pictures when it is done.

 

[Grainger49]

I didn't know they still existed.  You might find the wood for them if you want something really flashy looking and supply it so it doesn't cost them anything but the time.

 

[crackuser]

Yes the agreement was I would supply the wood and they would do the work. I got a piece of tiger stripe maple today and am having it shipped to the teacher.

 

[Grainger49]

Cool!  Post pictures when it is finished.

 

[SteveH]

I didn't know they still existed.

Interesting comment.  I've just read an interesting book called "Shop Class as Soul Craft" by Matthew Crawford wherein he discusses (among many things) the decline in shop classes across the U.S.  I can't remember where I first saw the book referenced (maybe here), but I'm sure it was on a DIY forum somewhere.

http://www.amazon.com/Shop-Class-Soulcraft-Inquiry-Value/dp/1594202230

Things aren't much better here in Canada.  My son is in 10th grade (Sophomore year in the States) and his 'tech' class is a joke.  They have very few machines, and those they do have are so poorly maintained that they aren't safe to use.  He won't be taking another tech class at high school.  We can do better at home...

Nevertheless, I hope your experience getting the box built for your Crack is good.  I look forward to pictures. 

SteveH

 

[Grainger49]

Steve,

In my high school, graduated in 1967, we had a "shop, somewhere." It might have been metal or wood, I haven't the foggiest.  As a result of not finding out I am a wood butcher (I really mean that).  My brother took an "electronics" class and he is responsible for my, our, first kit in 1965.

But I didn't know that there was a HS left anywhere with a real wood shop in it.  Wouldn't most of the tools be considered a weapon?  No one would be allowed to use them... PC nation that we have become.

Sorry, didn't mean to get all political on you.

 

[SteveH]

Well, I went to high school in southwestern Ontario in the late seventies.  We had an entire wing of shops - wood, sheet metal, machine, electrical (mostly industrial and house wiring stuff) and auto.  Now, I know the other high schools in town had a lesser level of shops since they were older building, but ours were the envy of some local industry.  I haven't been back since I graduated in 81, so I have no idea of the state of the shops there now.

Funny you should mention weapons.  I remember the guys in sheet metal class making sets of 'throwing stars' when the teacher wasn't paying attention...

It will be interesting to see the output of the OPs project with his local HS shop.

SteveH

 

[Doc B]

My high school did not have a shop, the excuse being it was an "academic" high school. My first semester of college was spent at San Francisco State University, known as the college for shop teachers. Learned how to arc and gas weld, forge, cast, do sheet metal forming and run a lathe. It was awesome.

We have a high school student doing in internship with us this fall. Kyle has learned about system setup for a trade show, schematic layout, packaging, comparison of different source media, and he's finishing up by building a Quickie with a headphone output to demo at his class presentation. I think we have both had a great time of it, and I think we will continue to offer an internship each semester. If more manufacturers take on this kind of responsibility we can offset the loss of these kinds of programs in schools.

 

[[email protected]]

To be fair, High Schools are adapting in the best way they can under budget constraints.  The one I teach at doesn't have a wood shop like I remember from my late 70s experience, but we do have a strong FFA and we have an Agricultural Structures class where the kids build things that are useful around the farm.  Last year, chicken coops were the big projects.

I graduated in '80 and I took drafting and typing in HS.  Now we have keyboarding and computer applications (which doesn't include cad/cam).  These will be the skills that are more likely needed when they graduate.

You hate to see old traditions fade away but they do.  Still nice to know that folks like us keep those old skills alive and share them with the next generation.

 

[crackuser]

In my high school we had electronics,auto shop,ag shop,wood shop,welding, and mechanical drawing.(1970's) I live in a small farming community so I think they still have the budgets to offer some of these trade classes.(lots of land taxes without budget outlays not related to education from a high population) What worries me is that private schools are coming into the area and they offer none of these skills except keyboards and computer screens. No one will come out of these type of schools with any marketable,high income, middle class blue collar skills. There are lots of these blue collar jobs that can't be "offshored" and are an advantage to learn in this economic climate. But now these kids coming out of these private schools have to get into student debt to go to for-profit trade schools if they want to learn these life skills. This draws capitol away from the family unit for things like, well, food,clothing and shelter. The private schools here are also drawing much needed capitol away from the public schools who do offer these classes. This is the danger we face that I think could get these trade classes cut.
And we all can't be bankers,retail clerks, lawyers, or secretary's. (no personal offense intended for retail clerks or secretary's)
:^)

 

[SteveH]

I also grew up in a predominately agriculture area, although one of the other high schools in town was considered the 'farmers school' since it taught more of the agriculture courses.  There was also a pretty strong industrial base at the time, which is now much stronger (anybody who drives a Toyota Rav4 - it was probably made in my home town).

I watched a discussion panel on our national news channel (CBC) the other night where a bunch of economists from various labour and banking institutions talked about the pending slide back into recession.  One of the key points made by all was the fact that even though there is a huge demand for skilled trades-people, there aren't many programs available to those who want to enter the trades.  In particular, the point was made that students get no hands-on technical training when they are teenagers, technical college programs are underfunded and industry wants the tradespeople, but aren't willing to help pay for them (i.e. through apprenticeship programs, etc).  It's a paradigm that needs to shift...

And kudos to Doc B., your high school internship progam is exactly what our collective economies need!

SteveH

 

[crackuser]

Employers that are contracted with unions still pay for apprenticeship programs to make sure that a new generation is able to fill our seats. I think in mine it was about a nickel per man hour, but I have been retired for a few years so I don't know what it is now. It's the only way that I know of that employers are paying for training in the trades.

 

[Doc B]

I didn't mean to say that all schools are in the same boat. In fact Colin took a shop class in high school in which he made a ruler with a CNC machine. So there schools out there that still have shop programs. But there is hardly a great necessity these days for people trained in the skill of hand wiring a tube amp. What I was really trying to get at was that the more traditional, hands on, pre-computer control type skills are becoming more or less artisanal skills that may be harder to find training in these days.

 

[magnafuzz]

Good work supporting the local school. I like that.

My high school had pretty awesome facilities, wood, metal, electronics and a computer lab dedicated to drafting and design. I learned some good stuff there soldering skills being one of them (built a portable siren... my sister absolutely loved how she was woken up the next morning haha). Unfortunately, not enough of the students took advantage of the resources. The ones that did learned some great skills. The funding was an issue only in that our one shop teacher was stretched thin sometimes teaching 2 or more courses simultaneously... but he made it work so i'd say we were lucky. Student interest was the biggest problem at my old school, many people i knew only took the shop courses since it was an easy credit. We were very lucky to have the facilities we did.

As for building weapons... me and my friends somehow convinced our shop teacher to let us do a "self guided tech studies" course in our final year where we basically did whatever we wanted. we spent the year building a trebuchet and doing the fun parts of a design course we already completed the past year. Some other guys built a potato cannon. the trebuchet was hardly mobile at ~25ft tall but the potato cannon was just plain dangerous. It got shut down pretty quick after they demonstrated it on someones fence from about 300+ yards..

I certainly hope the shop program is still going strong, i definitely got a lot out of it. As someone who has done some university internships over the past few years i can say that apprentice/internships are highly, highly valuable forms of education and to keep it up!

 

[InfernoSTi]

When talking to potential corporations looking at moving into our area, it is interesting how important a skilled workforce is.  They want some engineers, sure, but what the really want are smart, skilled folks who can think about detail, work machines, solve math problems, and do QA/QC.  If you can weld a square, assemble a circuit, and fabricate with tools, you make us more competitive.  I recently spoke with a [major international tractor manufacturer] rep who was concerned about creating the long term work force for his plant.  We need skills you learn in shop....

John

 

[jrebman]

Things sure have changed... when I was in school (60s and 70s) I was fortunate enough to go to private schools through 8th grade where it was mandatory for everybody to learn woodworking (started in 1st grade), mechanical drawing (no CAD at that time), pottery, jewelry making, welding, graphic arts and printing, and plenty more woodwork.  In fact from 4th grade on, the main wood shop teacher was a master Austrian cabinetmaker -- cranky, impatient, a bit of a bully, but underneath he was totally dedicated to teaching the students and pushing everybody to doing their best.  Between him and my dad, I learned most of what I still use today.

In 9th grade I was sentenced to a catholic school and that was like going to prison -- they had only mechanical drawing to  offer, and I took it for 3 or my 4 years, but the class was an absolute joke.  There was nothing else even remotely resembling a shop or such in that school.

-- Jim

 

[Laudanum]

Things sure have changed... when I was in school (60s and 70s) I was fortunate enough to go to private schools through 8th grade where it was mandatory for everybody to learn woodworking (started in 1st grade), mechanical drawing (no CAD at that time), pottery, jewelry making, welding, graphic arts and printing, and plenty more woodwork.  In fact from 4th grade on, the main wood shop teacher was a master Austrian cabinetmaker -- cranky, impatient, a bit of a bully, but underneath he was totally dedicated to teaching the students and pushing everybody to doing their best.  Between him and my dad, I learned most of what I still use today.

In 9th grade I was sentenced to a catholic school and that was like going to prison -- they had only mechanical drawing to  offer, and I took it for 3 or my 4 years, but the class was an absolute joke.  There was nothing else even remotely resembling a shop or such in that school.

-- Jim

Strange considering Noah was a carpenter and Jesus probably was as well

 

[mchurch]

I was fortunate enough to go to high school where there was both a good wood shop and teacher as well as a great technical drawing class. As far as using the tools as weapons it was never even thought of. In fact when I took chemistry we had the makings of a good bomb shop.  Ammonium Nitrate, Sodium, all Kinds of Nitric and Sulphuric acids. We learned how to make a number of nasty things that today would be considered chemical agents. No one ever considered the negative uses of any of this, its kind of sad how much things have changed for the worse.

Mike