THE LAST TASK, THE LAST DAY!

II brought home all the different pieces of my surfing board so that I can work on it over the weekend and finish it off! It was only the main surfing board and the long handle which was in school. The main holding handle was at home. The only things that I had left to do now was to paint the designs and stick the different parts together. I also came up with an additional idea that will make the quality of my product better! Initially the plan of attaching the long stick joint to the triangular pad was through drilling some nails. But then I realized that this is something that cannot be achieved easily. Then, I had decided to glue it directly. But I had to modify this idea after many people told me that it will be weak and not durable if I use the butt joint method. This got me thinking and i finally came to a conclusion that I should make a small depression on the triangular pad so that the joint fits in better and is more strong. But this was also not an easy job. However fortunately I had a hammer and a nail at home and I used these two tools to make the depression. I obviously took help from my brother and my father and then I continued. It was pretty even and smooth although I did not use a sander. After making the depression, I stuck the main handle to the long stick of the handle and let it dry. While it was drying, I began drawing the marine designs on the surfing board. This was a difficult job because at that moment, I was not able to think of any creative way to depict the marine life. So I googled it and found a few results, however, I was quite unhappy and not satisfied. But I drew the best one and improvised and added my imagination and creativity, here and there. But I came up with a pretty cool design and even before it was painted, it look very good. Surprisingly, it did not as long as I had expected it to take. Drawing was fun and now it was time to move on to the painting. I painted the animals with utmost care because I needed to maintain the detail and the beauty of the creatures. I used a variety sizes of paintbrushes. I was quite happy with the final look. However, I realized that something was missing and for a very long time I was unable to figure out what it was. Then it struck to me that I should outline everything with a black marker and when I did it, it looked fabulous. But I also realized that I had crowded the animals too much. Maybe if I had not drawn an animal or two here and there, it might have looked much better. But anyway, I am very happy with the outcome and I am very proud of myself. By the time I was done painting, the glue had dried on the other part and the two pieces were tightly stuck together. Then I stuck the whole handle into the depression that I had made and left it to dry. When everything was dry and done, my product looked fabulous. When school reopens, I will be varnishing it and then will hand in my product. But overall, I have had an amazing experience because I have learnt many thing, faced many challenges and overcame them and most importantly had a lot of fun! Here are some pictures of the my final product.:

                                       RE- MAKE THE JOINT AND SAND IT 

Today I made uo my mind that at any cost, I have to finish making the joint today. Just when I was about to cut the long stick part of this joint, my friend came and showed me a long stick that she found. It was already the shape and the size that I needed. I was so thankful and grateful of her because she made my work much easier. So I took that stick and cut it into the appropriate size because it was much wider and longer that I needed. So I trimmed it into the required size and began sanding it. I was not able to immediately sand it because the sander was being used by another student at that moment, So I had to wait until he finished. That person took a very long time which was annoying me. Even when he clearly knew that I needed to finish this during the lesson and that I was waiting, he was taking his sweet time, talking to friends and even letting some people use the sander. This annoyed me a lot because it was unfair for him to let his friends use the machine when clearly, I was after him. When he began doing such things, I did not hesitate to raise my voice against him. I told him that he ha no right to do that and that I had been waiting since half an hour. That is when he began speeding up. When it was around 20 minutes to the next class, he gave me the sander. I knew that I will not be able to finish making the whole joint during this lesson because I had only 20 minutes left and I needed to make the smaller part of the joint too. But I proved myself wrong and I was very proud about it because I finished making the joint during this lesson itself. I finished sanding the long stick in around 5 minutes because I was very focused and did not get distracted at all. I had challenged myself to finish this task during this lesson and I had to do it at any cost. I liked the way I sanded the long stick because it has a rounded and a blunt edges making it look for cylindrical. It felt very smooth and fine however it was not very even. I could not make it very even because of lack of time. Then I went on and cut the smaller part of the joint. I could not have managed to sand it but I made it smooth using the scroll saw. Then I drilled the hole into the two parts of the and I was one step away from finishing today's challenge. Now all I had to do was take out the nail that I had put in my pencil case from last time, and insert it into this hole! When I did it, I felt a sense of relief flush through me! I felt even better when I moved the joint and folded it and it was still intact. I was very proud of myself for not giving up even when I had failed 3 times! I am very happy that I am done. 

                            DAY 10: PUT THE NAIL FOR THE JOINT AND SECURE IT 

Today I was supposed to put the nail inside the hole that I had made using the drill for the joint. The purpose of the joint is to make the handle of the surfing board fold able making it more portable! The lessons began as usual. I entered the class a little late today because there was no need for me to run and grab an equipment that was in demand. All I needed was the hammer! I had put the nail that I found in the DT lab carefully in the pencil case so that I do not loose it and can use it today. I valued it a lot because fortunately I had found a perfect nail that perfectly fits into the hole I had made. If I had not found it, I would have been forced to buy one which would have taken around a week. But today's lesson has put me even further behind in my plan. It was the most disastrous lesson I have even had since DT has began! When I got my nail and the two parts of the joints, I was excited because I was about finish one of the most difficult tasks in my plan which would take me many steps closer to finishing my product! When I put the nail inside I clamped it and started gently hammering it. I was extremely gentle and careful because I definitely did not want to mess up during this time. I was very gently doing and it took me around 5-10 minutes to do this only. Now one can imagine how slowly and gently I was doing this! I was almost done with it when I took it out of the clamp and wanted to test it before I hit the nail one last time and make it secure and never look back at it again! But I never got an opportunity to do this because when I got it out of the clamp and bent ti to check if it is all right, the handle broke near the joint! Yes! This is the second time the handle itself is breaking. When this, I broke down into tears and wanted to give up that very second. I was very stressed and frustrated because of this and did not know what to do. When I put myself back together, i went to the teacher and showed it to him. He was also surprised because the same thing happened a few weeks ago! He had the same reaction! He told me to do it again but using another material of wood! I told him that I wanted to give up and he said no don't! So I did not and decided to give it another try. I drew it during this lesson and kept it aside because my mood for working was gone because of the incident. Here is a picture of the disaster:

DAY 9: Stick the handles and the triangle pad to the surfing board and drill a hole for the joint

Today was an easy but a productive lesson. It was a cool and an easy lesson because I did not stress myself and fight with myself like I did in almost all the lessons. I planned my lessons well and set specific targets that I would achieve in those two lessons. My targets for the double lessons was to sand the two handles evenly and stick them, to stick the triangular pad to the surfing board, sand the two foot depressions on the surfing board and to drill to a hole through the long stick and the short stick so that I make the handle fold able. I achieved all my goals and did them properly without compromising anywhere. I gave my best in all the tasks that I did which I why I got satisfying results. I am essentially done with all the difficult and major parts of building this surfing board. The most difficult part that I was most scared of was making the two depressions. Actually, it was not as complicated and difficult as I thought it would be! But maybe this is because sir did this for me. Nevertheless, I watched closely and saw how he was doing it. If I was asked to make two more depressions, I would confidently assist that person. When I got into the classroom, I realized that the two handles were not even and smooth. Which is why I clamped both the pieces together and sanded them together to make sure they are even and regular.  This was quite challenging because even if I had used two clamps, the two pieces kept moving and I was not able to sand them properly. But I somehow managed and did it to the best of my ability. Then I glued the two handles together and kept them for drying. I also sanded the two pieces of handle after gluing them because it was now stuck together and easier for me to sand. While the handles were drying, I got out the long stick and the shorter section of the wooden stick of the surfing board and began working on it. What I had to do with these was to drill a hole through the two parts, so that I can put in a metal rod and make it a joint. This joint will allow the handle to be folded making it more portable and easy to carry around. I was nervous before drilling the hole because I could not afford to make a mistake here! So I marked the area I wanted to drill, with a pencil. The drill that was available at that time had a big pin and I needed a smaller one. When I asked sir, the first thing he said that I was very lucky because he got the fresh new pins of smaller size, just that morning. I was very happy to hear this and considered myself very lucky. After drilling the hole, I was very happy and satisfied because the outcome was just the way that I wanted to it be. Then I started looking for a pin that would fit through that hole and support it to make it a joint. I tried many different pins only to find out that none of them were suitable and appropriate. Then sir suggested that I should get one from home. I got a shock because I knew that I will not find a nail/pin at home which would perfectly fit through this. Just when I was about to go back to my place, dissapointed, Sir called me a gave me a nail that he had found on a table. And Voila! The nail perfectly fit inside the hole. Since it was a long nail, I would have to bend it to make sure it stays in place and does not slip out! After doing all this, I realized for the rest of the lesson. I also got a good news today that the product is due after the mid term holidays. I had planned to finish my product before the mid term holidays and I am pretty sure that even if he had to extended the due date, i would have been able to finish making my surfboard!

                        DAY 8: Make the two depressions on the surfing board where the surfer can comfortably                                                                                    place his/her foot inside.

Today's ACSU time was a very productive time and I was able to do many things. I began with helping out my friend bringing her heavy product into the room, helping her take pictures and many other things. I thought I would be wasting time, helping her. But I enjoyed and felt nice because if I want her to help me, then I will have to help her! It was also my duty to do so! Previous lesson, when I asked sir how I could make the two depression, he said that there is a machine that could do it. Initially, my idea was to do it with a chisel and a hammer, if there was no such equipment available. But fortunately, there is and it is called the router. But he said that I could not use it during the regular lesson because it would cause a lot of dust and make a lot of noise. Which is why he told me to drop in today to do that. At the beginning of ACSU time, he was busy with some other students DP students and told me to wait. Until then, I continued with making the outline of the footprints using hammer and chisel so that it would be easier for him to follow the footprint and cut accordingly! I felt lazy and pointless doing the hammer and chisel part because I felt that it would not really make Mr.Mr. Wafula's life an easier. Nevertheless, I finished one of the foot and began with the other when Mr Wafula arrived and started setting up the tool! I had imaged the tool to be a big and a complicated one, but then I saw him picking up one of the tools that has been lying around in the room since a very long time. Even though I had seen it many times, I did not know how it worked. But when Mr Wafula started the process, I realized that it is like a circular thing that spins very fast, kind of sanding the wood. I was surprised at the beginning because it was not anything like what I had imagined it to be! It gave out a lot of dust which made me feel very breathless and made me sneeze a lot. But I had to take pictures and could not leave the room because if I do, I will look like an arrogant person. It would look as though I gave the teacher to do my work and am enjoying myself outside. Moreover, i was very curious to know how the equipment worked! I stayed away and watched him make the two depressions very neatly. Once he was done, I took pictures of that and thought that he was finished! When I was about to remove the clamp the board, Mr. Wafula came out with another similar looking equipment. When I asked him what it was, he said that it will make the transition area from the main board to the actual depression, very smooth. In other words, the depressions on my surfing board will be smooth and gradual so that the surfer feels comfortable and making it easier for the foot to placed and removed from the depressions. He tried doing it, but the results were no what I had expected. The tool did not work that well in giving me the results that both, I and Mr. Wafula had expected. Nevertheless, I did not give up and started thinking of other ways! I thought of using the chisel and the hammer. But then I realized that i will be taking a big risk by trying to do something. So therefore, i left it the way it is and sanded it a little using the sand paper because the edges were really sharp and could cut the surfer. When I was sanding it, Mr wafula came to me and said that it will not be enough. So he got out his tool box and started looking for some other pins that could work on the machine and give me the results that I needed. Unfortunately, he could not find one. i was not very sad by this because I was very happy that I was bale to  make the depression. Initially, I was under the impression that making the two depressions will be a long procedure and might not be possible. But i was wrong! However, the foot sizes and not equal which might be one of the drawbacks of my surfing board. But i am happy about the fact that my foot perfectly and comfortably fits into the depressions! Here are some pictures of the work done today!:

    DAY 7: Sand all the 5 wooden pieces perfectly until they are very smooth.

Since today was a single lesson, I was not able to do much work. Nevertheless, today's lesson was very productive and I am proud about the fact that I used my time well today and did not get distracted. Usually I get very distracted while working, but today I stuck to my task and worked until I accomplished it! I was the first one to enter class because I wanted the disk sander. So I went and held on to it until I finished my job which took me around 20 minutes. This job was sanding the longer stick. Initially, I thought I might break the stick if i use such a sander on it. But then my friend told me that as long as I clamp it well and provide it with all the support that it needs, it will not break. And that is what I did- I took 3 clamps and tightly clamped the stick and slowly and gently sanded it! It took a very long time for me to finish sanding the long stick only because first of all, I needed to go slow and gentle and make sure the stick does not get damaged or break because to be honest, I do not want to go through what I did, day before yesterday! Secondly, I had cut this long stick using the scroll saw which gave it many cuts and curves and made it look very unprofessional and straight. That is the reason why i had to sand every edge, side and face of it! I faced a major challenge when I was working, which was pressure by my other class mates. My peers also needed to use the sander and they kept pestering me to hurry up and kept complaining that it was not fair that I was wasting their time. Even though, I understood that they needed the sander too, I did not bother much because I hurried myself and booked the sander first. Additionally, there was no way I could compromise on the quality of my work, taking into consideration, the disaster that occurred day before yesterday! Eventually, they stopped complaining and found other equipment that they could use! I admit that I was being selfish today, but I needed to me selfish because I was already falling behind schedule after my long stick  broke. Nevertheless, I feel guilty and bad about what I did today and will make sure I do not behave the same way I did today. After sanding the long stick, I tore out a small piece of sand paper from a sander which was not working. Then I started manually sanding the smaller piece of the stick. I could not sand the smaller piece using the electric sander because it is too fast and could break it! Therefore, I had to sand it manually using my hands. I had expected it to be very difficult, but I was able to finish it within 5-10 minutes. After that, I started figuring out a way in which I could make the depression on my surfing board. i started doing it with a chisel and a hammer when I realized that I was going nowhere by doing so. That is why i consulted the teacher and asked hum if there was anything that I could use. He said there is something called the router. But he said that we will not be able to use it during the lesson time, which is why he asked me to come tomorrow during ACSU time. Here are some pictures of my work today:

 

          DAY 6: Cut the two wooden small sticks and the two long wooden sticks, exactly following the outline on the plywood board

Today was not a very successful lesson, however, I am very proud of myself for succeeding as an individual. Most of the things that I did today did not end up or go the way I wanted it to. But I tried very hard and succeeded quite a lot and I am very happy about that. I faced a major challenge today that almost made me give up. But I did not a did the whole thing again. Today's lesson began by me drawing the longer stick of the surfing board. I did this as accurately as possible and the end product was also satisfactory. However, there were a few areas where the stick looked wider than it is actually supposed to be. I corrected it here and there and did not erase the whole drawing. I felt guilty ignoring it, but I had to because this was my only opportunity to go grad the jig saw since no one was using it. I began by using the jig saw, when someone said that using the scroll saw will be better for this. I thought about it and went to the scroll saw and cut  as much as I could. I could not cut much because the scroll saw is small and my wooden piece is extremely long. After I cut as much as I could, The jig saw was free again. I took up this precious opportunity and began cutting it. Everything was moving smoothly and I kept moving forward much quicker than last time. But suddenly a disaster occurred! My wood broke because: 1) I had not placed the wood in the correct direction and 2) because I did not clamp my wood piece properly. I was heartbroken by this! I had come so far and now I had to begin all over again. I started thinking of what I could do to save my wooden stick. I also came up with the idea that I can stick the two broken piece together. But unfortunately sir did not like this idea because it would make the sticks very weak, thus also reducing the quality and durability of my product. I was very saddened and sat on my table for a very long time, thinking about what I should do next. Suddenly I realized that I am wasting my time thinking about what to do next and sympathizing myself! I should get up, get another piece of wood and begin! And that is exactly what I did! I got my other piece of wood, drew the outline of the longer stick, drew the joint and checked if it was accurate by placing the smaller stick. I went to the jig saw, called one of my stronger friend to help me clamp the wood and also her to do it the right way. She suggested a right direction and I was happy and shocked about why I had not thought of that! She kept the wooden plank horizontally while I had kept to vertically. The horizontal position definitely gave more support and prevented it from breaking! I successfully cut it and I am very happy about that! However, I was not able to sand my pieces because they were too delicate to be handled by a sander. Therefore, I will have to look for sand paper which I will be able to use! Another modification that I made today was that in my plan I had written that i will be using two layers of this to make the handle. but I could not do that because this will make drilling the joint difficult! Here are some pictures of me working, the disaster and the end product of today's hard work:

change made about 2 stciks