New Improvements to the WoodShop
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In 2020, when the COVID pandemic started, and we had to close the schoolhouse down, we decided to take advantage of the closure and make some much needed improvements. We wont cover all of the changes, but here some of the most impactful ones. The work was completed by Andrew Riiska and Jazz Gonzalez, with the help of Board member Ed Forte, contractors, and other members of the Eliot School community. The Clean Air system was installed thanks to generous donors to the Clean Air Campaign. Creating a clean-air, safe environment was the motivation behind most of the changes, but they made improvements also to make storing, setting up, and using tools and materials much easier.
1. Aluminum Vent Ducts and the Return Grate
To reopen safely, we installed a new indoor air system that pumps in clean air from outdoors while cleaning the air indoors. Here you can see some of the new aluminum vent ducts and the return grate that help to circulate the air. You’ll see the air filter unit when we go downstairs.
2. Specially Designed Storage Spaces Built for Function
Well-designed, new storage features make using the tools much easier. Take a look at this new storage cabinet that contains a tool sharpener that slides out for use. Mobile carts are used to wheel the lathes over to your workspace.
3. Dust Collection System Moved Under the Floor
Of course in a woodshop there is a lot of sawdust. Dust collectors used to sit beside each saw to collect that dust. But now the footprint of this room has changed because the dust collection hoses attached to each of these saws runs down through the floor down to two huge Tornado dust collectors downstairs. Now there’s no debris that goes flying in the air when you turn on the machine.
4. New Felder Jointer Planer Cleaner
This jointer planer cleaner is a very high end tool used to create flat surfaces and 90 degree angles on wood. It can also plane the wood down to the right width. There is a digital gage that allows you to plane wood down to a precise width.
5. LifeBreath Air Purifier
The air purifier uses a four-stage filtration process including HEPA filters and an ionizer to reduce dust and contaminants in the air.
6. Tornado Dust Collectors
There are two huge Tornado dust collectors downstairs. With 5-horse power motors, the dust collectors are very powerful, so really nothing gets dispersed into the air. They are super efficient. The air is much cleaner. There’s a light indicator that let’s us know that the dust bin is now full of sawdust. We recycle it. We have a lot of gardeners in this area that actually come collect it for composting, gardening, or even hamsters.
7. Upholstery Platform Tables
For our upholstery classes, Jazz and Andrew built these platform tables to hold furniture while students work.
This is just one several creations (shelves, storage areas, and closets) that were designed and built to store and access art materials and tools with ease---improving the classroom experience for our students and teachers.
