adult shop class recommendations?

[Erik Paulson]

Hi all - 

I was hoping to get some recommendations on what I guess would be an adult version of high school shop classes. 

I am self-aware enough to recognize that I am both clumsy and impatient, and with that combo I've always been cautious about doing anything with tools and mostly avoid them because I don't know how to use them safely. 

I'm looking for a good way to get a well-rounded intro to the basics, like a high school shop class would cover - a little bit of woodworking, a little bit of metal machining and cutting, a bit of soldering, 3d printing (which was not a thing when I was in high school but hopefully they teach it now), etc.

I'm starting sufficiently far back that I don't want to take a "just join sector and ask people to show you" - at some point yes, but I think I would do better with something structured for a while.

A semester overview course at MATC would be awesome, but I'd be fine if it's a 2 or 3 semester sequence. 

I don't have very grand ambitions - building a nice set of custom mountings for LED lights for DIY indoor gardening or knowing the tricks of the trade to properly clamp things to cut some sheetmetal or drill through metals. 

Thanks for any pointers you can share!

-Erik

[Sector67 Team]

I just got a physical copy of the course guide in the mail yesterday, they have it online as well:

https://madisoncollege.edu/academics/search?f%5B0%5D=category%3AConstruction%2C+Manufacturing+and+Maintenance

For a lot of the reasons you're describing I:

• Require anyone signing up for a membership to have a specific project to start with - this is so they have a reason to be here working on something and we have an excuse to learn how to use tools
• Nobody is ever "fully trained" (including me) - all of the equipment here can be used very generically or very specifically and the practices that apply to either end of that scale might be vastly different.  The example I often give is if you find a Youtuber who has a table saw in their garage then everything they do is a "table saw project" whether it's the best/safest tool for the job or not.

Pursuing coursework at Madison College is a possible option to gain experience, I'd suggest in parallel looking at projects/interests that would overlap with the course you're taking so you have relevance/background to absorb your coursework more effectively.  Without context/reason to learn it's hard to remember things, but this is very much a chicken and egg problem. You don't have context/reason to learn without experience to guide :-)  I don't think you'll find a suitable overview course but you might find niches that their catalog can fill your interests.  The career you're describing is a maintenance mechanic - someone who's responsible for building maintenance that covers all of the mechanical systems in a building and how to keep them working.

Another possible pursuit is to hunt down old carpentry/machining/etc books, they're sometimes well illustrated and provide both a broad overview and deep dive into an area of tools/equipment.

Chris

Chris Meyer
Director
Sector67

608-241-4605
http://sector67.org

56 Corry St
Madison, WI  53704

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[charles meyer]

Hi Erik,

I'm looking for those shop teachers as well.

If you discover any leads, I would so appreciate  you sharing any.

I agree the kids are not learning any of these basics so even if they watch a YT video they have no idea how to solder.

Thank you,

Charles.

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