Correlated courses in woodwork and mechanical drawing

by Ira Samuel Griffith

14. Maintenance.

By maintenance we refer to the cost of keeping a center running after it has once been fully equipped, exclusive of teachers’ salaries. This will be found to have several variable factors entering. A careless instructor can very quickly run the cost of maintenance to a point almost prohibitive. The loss of tools by theft, waste of lumber in getting out stock, etc., the careless planning of the work so that articles are made, requiring much lumber and little work, quickly makes inroads upon the appropriation for manual training purposes.

An allowance of ten per cent. for depreciation in equipment should be sufficient under all ordinary conditions. An allowance of one dollar per pupil per year should be ample where all material used is provided free. In fact, observation covering a period of several years shows that boys coming one-half day a week for the school year of ten months and making models similar to those in “Projects in Beginning Woodwork and Mechanical Drawing” cost the Board approximately seventy-six cents per pupil for maintenance. This center had very close supervision, however, and waste and breakage was reduced to a minimum.

The most prolific source of monetary outlay is caused by planning projects—it makes no difference whether they are small or large, a boy uses just as much lumber in a given amount of time,—that require little effort in their construction. For illustration, a boy may make a taboret with four solid sides and with butt joints where he should be making a taboret with grooved joints. The former construction has its place, but should not monopolize the whole scheme as it is so often allowed to do. A course properly planned will show that the cost of eighth grade work, such as taborets, etc., is no greater than that of the seventh grade which is composed of much smaller but more numerous projects.

Again, it is a mistake to plan many small projects consisting of small parts in the hope of effecting economy. The awkwardness of the average grammar school boy will make it necessary to discard much of such stock. Where the parts are of some size, it is possible in most every instance to give him a new but smaller set of dimensions and require him to continue to work on the piece originally given.

A scrap box for holding small pieces that remain after cutting out stock from the board, closely supervised so that the boys shall look over the pieces it contains before cutting a full board, is another source of economy. There should be comparatively little “kindling” for the janitor, if due care is taken by the instructor. Above all things, it should be understood and enforced that no boy is to discard a piece once he has worked upon it without the instructor’s permission. This he seldom needs to give for he can usually show the boy how to make further use of the piece in question by reducing its size.

While most schools provide the materials free, some do not, but require the pupils to pay the actual cost of the material used should they care to take the article home. There is something to be said in favor of each practice. The latter is not unjust as it provides the necessary training. It tends to make class distinction, however, in communities where pupils are not able to purchase their pieces. On the other hand, it discourages the taking of things that are not really wanted and permits a most economical administration—provided the supervisor uses judgment in the selection of his projects. It tends to make him resourceful in providing projects of interest, which is an advantage provided the projects selected are in harmony with the general plans of the course, which is supposed to provide for the orderly introduction of processes.

High school pupils, according to the course outlined herein, will have about the same amount of time in the half-year allotted to benchwork in wood as do the grammar school boys in the full school year. The cost of maintenance will therefore be approximately the same for the half year as is that of the grades for the year.

In purchasing supplies it is possible, where the courses are organized and the materials standardized as indicated herein, to save by ordering in quantity lots. The lumber can be purchased by the 1,000 feet of the various thicknesses wanted. Likewise the hardware can be got in quantity lots, with the assurance that next year’s work will call for any stock that may not be used the present year.

Short lengths in lumber are just as good as long for manual training purposes and are cheaper.