major project for GCSE... :S

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thomaskennedy

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hi all,
just wanting a few ideas on what i could do for my upcoming GCSE project... :S scary thought!!

well it has to be fairly small, and also to be done on v. basic tools! and thats about it really, oh yeah and i have got to try and include metal, plastic and wood.

Thanks

Tom

ps. i was thinking a kind of small display unit with small tapered feet and a panelled door? with maybe some lighting inside aswell!
 
Hi Tom,

I've just noticed your post. My son's just finished his GCSE's. When do you have to start your project?

Ike
 
Tom..

it's been my experience that project complexity seldom has anything to do with it's physical size.. bigger only makes it harder to move around the shop.
You say that you're limited to using very basic tools; I tried browsing your web page to get a feel for what tooling you have but got no farther than the home page due to script errors.
The process I normally go through is something like...

what function should the finished piece serve; where's it gonna be located?

with the budget, tooling and skill levels available, what would the most suitable materials be?

will the materials require any additional safety equipment that I don't already have, i.e. ear/eye protection, face mask, work gloves, disposable gloves, boots/coveralls etc

does the design require any techniques/processes I'd need to learn?

do the processes need any additional tooling?

what backup is available should I need help i.e. books, mags, forums, additional hands etc?

how much time is available for design, manufacture, finishing, presentation; will the resourses I need be available when I need them?

during construction, will the piece be secure during the times that I can't work on it...?? (based on lessons learned when my nephew went through the exact same project as yourself)

remember... the #1 rule is when in doubt, ASK... don't be shy
 
speaking as an ex-pro exam sitter (seems like that ALL I`ve ever done in my education) and with about 140-150 exams under my belt, the best advice I can give for any exam or course work is to get a copy of the syllabus.

This states EXACTLY what the examiner can test/mark you on.

I know its sort of games-man-ship, but I always had a copy of the syllabus before I started any course-work / revision.

you can`t go wrong then 8) just make sure that your project covers all of the points listed in the syllabus

regards

steve
 
thanks for the replies! i thought no-one noticed me! i had a virus and had to format my PC so i must have missed this post!

well, ive actually started my project now, im making a small display unit,

midnight, thanks for pointing my website out, i think i forgot to add the new pages i made :oops: !! oh yeah, theres a problem, im not sure if i can use the tools i have, 'cos at school they've got 4 bits of machinery, a drill press, sanding machine, scroll saw and a lathe, so there isnt much in the way of routers etc. :p but im going to sneak some bits home and do them at home!

ill do some initial sketches and scan them in for you to see what i mean!

Ta,

Tom
 
here is the sketch, WOW that was quick :p

thomaskennedy-displayunit.JPG
 
looks like a fine project for school..

how are you fixing the centre shelf?

re glazing the door... proper divided lights. or are you tempted to cheat..

<keepin quiet as to what I'd do...
 
Good stuff, Tom. A word of warning though - be careful about doing work at home unauthorized by your DT teacher. The GCSE moderator will be very thorough when assessing your project at the end, both in asking you and your teacher on how it has been made. Hopefully, your teacher will allow you to do some of it at home as did my sons teacher.

Play it safe and do it in agreement with your teacher.

good luck

Ike
 
well this is what i plan to do,
use the schools hand routers :shock: (no plugs for these :( ) to rebate the shelf in place,

erm, don't quite understand the last bit of your post midnight :?

ike, thanks for the tip, i dont want to do a great project and then end up getting 0 marks for it do i :? , ill have to have a word with him the next time i see him!

Ta

Tom[/b]
 
thomaskennedy":sla4mbne said:
well this is what i plan to do,
use the schools hand routers :shock: (no plugs for these :( )
Gosh really? Perhaps there's hope for this country's education system after all. :roll: A small tip though; the hand router is best for cleaning up, rather than cutting the entire housing like its powered cousin. Take out the waste with a couple of saw cuts and a chisel first, shy of the finished depth, and level off with the router. But then maybe you already knew that, 'pologies if so.

Cheers, Alf
 
How are you going to incorprate the metal element? Or are you covered with metal fixings?
Otherwise an alternative to the front panel would be fine aluminium mesh or thin aluminium sheet with a design formed by a series of holes punched into it.

Cheers,
Barry
 
divided lights..?

no prob.. I'll explain..

your door is split into 4 quarters; each piece of glazing material is referred to as a light. Proper divided lights have a cruciform structure (muttons) that divides the area to be glazed, each quadrant of the structure having rebates to set the glazing material into. The material is secured from the inner face of the door with retaining strips (normally secured with small pins for easy removal should a light ever need replacing).

A fake divided light is when only the door frame has the rebates to holds a single piece of glazing material which is large enough to span the whole door. Muttons are still required to complete the illusion; in this case they serve only a decorative function.
 
thanks fir that midnight,
yeah, im just going to cheat, one large piece of either acrilic or glass, then with 'muttons' to dress it up a bit :p

Barry,
i think we have to make our own bit made from metal, we also have to use CAD CAM, so i will use thieir CAD CAM things to proably make some handles or something!

Ta

Tom
 
Mutton
Word often misused to refer to mullions. The only difference between Muttons and Mullions are that Muttons visually separate glazed areas, where Mullions structurally separate them.
Mullion
A structural separation between glazed areas or glazed area and door area. May occur both horizontally or vertically.
They are fabricated from a piece of standard frame material and a piece of mullion insert material. These pieces are screwed together back to back, making a closed frame section.

So you want muttons, but if you were using 4 seperate lights, they'd be mullions.

But personally I've always called them muntins :roll:

Cheers, Alf
 
I never could tell the difference Alf..
The book I was using as a guide is written in Americanese.. go figure..
 

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