Science and Submarines

 The Philadelphia Science Festival, which began last weekend with a fair on the parkway, continues through this upcoming weekend and has brought with it many exciting activities to our museum. Down at our docks we have the AJ MeerWald of the Bayshore Discovery Project taking students out for educational sailing trips, and to accompany them we have guests from the Rozalia Project giving hands on lessons in environmental science.
Today, while our students from Urban Promise were here at the shop, they were able to go on our dock on the Delaware river and learn about the hazards of waterborn litter and the efforts that the Rozalia Project and others are doing to remediate them. Rozalia's remotely operated submarine is a great introduction for any student to marine technologies and environmental remediation. This certainly is a lesson they will not soon forget.

Rudders, steam, and milling wood! -Urban Promise

Today we learned about steambending. We also learned about the rudder of a boat and how it helps steer. We put wood through the planer to make it smooth and then drew on the pattern for the rudder.
-Danielle

Trebuchet you say! -CHAD

Today, we learned how to build a mini version of a trebuchet. We used cut blocks of wood, a ruler, screws, and a drill to help put it all together. Along the way we made numerous mistakes, but the question is will the mistakes effect the ability of the catapult? If you perfect a smaller model you can perfect a bigger version.

-Alexis DiBella

Solving Problems -CHAD

Marking the waterline with the help of a laser level.

Today, we we put a level waterline on a curved surface. We used a level, tape measures, pencils, batons, and a laser. It was awesome! We learned that in life you come across problems that you must solve.
-Jasmine Parker

Filling in the voids. -Urban Promise

This week we used putty to fill in the seams of the boat. We also used a mix of beeswax and rosin powder to fill in all the screw holes. We accomplished a lot by our strong effort of teamwork. I had a blast! :)
-Tiana

The whole team working together to fill the screw holes and seams.

Late Winter Row! -CHAD

The CHAD seniors joined us yesterday to take advatage our unseasonably warm Monday afternoon for a late winter row. Getting out in the fresh air did everyone a world of good and made for a nice introduction to the world of rowing.

 The day also marked the unofficial launch of our new dory which was powered by oars made by Wooden Boat Factory Students.




New Cheasepeake Light Craft Team Dory on its first voyage!

Caulking the seams. -Urban Promise

Brandon caulking a seam.

We learned about caulking the seams of boats with cotton and how to tie a bowline knot to help tie down boats or to tie a rescue knot.
                                                            -Brandon Benitez

 

Newt the Movie Star - Urban Promise

Tiana and I discovered that Newt looks like the guy from the movie UP! Also, we did a steam bending lesson where we learned about how lignum is the glue that holds wood together. We all learned that it is tannic acid in the wood that makes it smell when we steam it.

-KL

Tapering Oak ribs on the table saw.

In the shop today I learned how to steam bend wooden ribs for the whale boat. With steam and a bit of force you can bend oak. Also I learned how to taper the pieces using the saw in preperation for steaming.

Bending Oak -CHAD

We had a smaller group today due to college visitations this week. We still managed to fulfill our tasks. We learned to bend wood which is simple except when knots break the wood. My gosh I love the smell of steamed wood. It should be put on steak or hamburgers, or if you're adventerous enough, worn as perfume! I like the way it smells in here, cedar, determination, hard work, and steak sauce.

-Adun

Ancient Wisdom

Remember 'Back to the Future' when they set the time on the Dolorian to the future? We're past that date. Still we continue to learn and use techniques, tactics, logic, and knowledge that is ancient as some of the earliest humans. I am thankful that this knowledge lives and that we continue to expand upon it.

Urban Promise Students Helping Bruce Hang a Plank

I am a 'volunteer' a 'helper' but I am learning more or as much as everyone here. For instance, "it's not the mistakes you make, it's the way you back out of them."

Thanks for sharing ancient wisdom.

-Maria Tranbuch

Applying our lesson in spiling. -CHAD

Today, the students from CHAD came in and applied the lesson on spiling that we had gone over last week. We set them up with the tools they needed and with very little assistance they had the fourth plank spiled and ready to be laid out by the end of the session.

Spiling the 3rd Plank

Practicing with the Screw Gun -Urban Promise

Today at the boat shop we screwed nails in a block of wood for practice. Tabitha was afraid to screw so they made her put 400 screws in a piece of wood! Our whale boat is coming along great, and I am super excited to see the finished boat! PS: We also talked about grits.

-Tiana

Building for the Camera -CHAD

A film crew came by today to record our lesson and it will be broadcast sometime next week on PHL 17. We learned how to spile a boat and how the method is similar to finding longitude and latitude. Fitting the boards rely greatly on how fair the lines are. If they're not fair, the boards won't fit and there could be leaking in the boat. -Leona Chelsea Legarte

Hanging the Garboard -CHAD

Today we spread dolfinite on the wood where the first blank meets the keel to help prevent leaking. We also learned about spiling and how to shape an oar from a square block to round. -Steve

Preparing the planks!

I learned a lot today! I have learned how to cut wood and make sure that the lines are fair. We are building whale boats and I am overly excited to come back in two weeks.

Starting the oars!

Today we vacuumed the sand and dirt out of the whale boat so it could be prepared for painting. Then we milled and glued boards up to make oars from. By using wood glue and clamps we were able to laminate the wood together. It was cool!

The Whale Boat Takes Shape

Today, we welcomed a new group of students from Wooden Boat Factory into our shop. They will be working with us throughout the spring on the new whale boat and its accompanying oars. Having come to us with some previous experience they quickly acclimated to the shop and dove right into setting up the whale boat molds with time to spare to laminate spruce planks for a set of oars. We certainly look forward to working with them in the weeks to come.

Learning Curves -Urban Promise

Today we learned about fair curves and lofting, and then put together a saw horse with a nail gun and glue. I look forward to coming back in two weeks.
-Danielle

Nuetral Buoyancy -CHAD

We have learned today on January 14th, 2013 more on density. We learned about the Seaperch, and how we will be making one towards the end of the year. We dealt with the controls and how to move it back and forward/up and down/spinning/propelling through the water, and picking up rings. We demonstrated today by making our own submarine with a drill and saw out of PVC pipes. By connecting a tube and filling it with water, we learned that by blowing into it that it will start to float. With just enough air it will stand straight up, also known as neutral buoyancy.

-Alexis Dibella

Seaperch testing. -CHAD

Today we took a look at what our submarines will look like. We also got a chance to operate and get a feel for what we'll be doing. We were put into groups with our partners to start discussing and coming up with our ideas for submarines.

Rubber Band Boats! -Urban Promise

Today we made a miniature boat powered by a rubber band to test which boat shapes go the fastest.

We tested them in the sink and then used them in the new pool in the lobby.