If you’ve been keeping up with the blog you know that this last week of the semester has consisted of wrapping up a couple of projects with the main focus being on Frierson Elementary. Monday we installed the countertop, sink, shelves, and a few door handles. With no surprise, we stumbled upon a little bump in the road; some of our paired door handles were facing the same direction. With there being only one day between then and the ribbon cutting we had to fix this problem as quickly as possible. 
Once we identified the pieces we needed to alter and the ones we needed to weld over again, a group of us headed to the shop. Whether you’ve worked with steel before or have seen someone work in a metal shop you know that it is anything but quick. The cool thing about the CommunityBUILD studio is that after one lesson from David and brief refresher from a classmate you’re basically a professional in that trade. By the end of a semester you’re a Jack/Jackie of all trades. 
Before this project, I had only ever practiced welding last summer. In the past four days I have learned how to cut steel, weld, and grind so I’m basically a tradeswoman at this point. Through this experience I learned that you can’t be afraid of the sparks flying off the metal and as much as you may want to look at what the person across from you is welding, only do so while wearing a welding helmet.
To avoid staying at the metal shop all night, though we still didn’t finish until 1 am, we worked nonstop so I wasn’t able to take pictures of this process but here are a couple pictures to show the finished product of what we were tasked with.
Lastly, since we’re on the topic of doors, I had the opportunity to cut the steel plates on the bandsaw for the door hinges. If you want really strong forearms and sore thumbs I suggest cutting ⅛” thick steel angles on a bandsaw. However, I wouldn’t recommend the metal shop unless you don’t like to hear your own thoughts.
Today is the day of the long awaited ribbon cutting ceremony! Witnessing the gratitude from each faculty member and student will be worth the time and effort put into it. Though my class cannot take full credit for the project, we’re happy to be a part of it.