MAKING A BALLROARER 🌲🍂

Ancient ball roarers from Africa.

Our third and final project this term we made was a bull roarer. It was anciently used as a musical instrument and for communicating over long distance due to the loud, roaring sound it makes when spun at a rapid pace. 

Ball roarers date back to Ukraine, Africa, Australia, Asia, Native North America, and New Zealand; in which it was made out of bone, wood, or stone and was believed to generate rain or to heal sick people. 

The instrument is most well known for it's use in Australian Aboriginal times. 

Did you know that ball roarers translate to "groaning stick, sounding wood," or "making cold" in ancient languages? 

For our project, we had to use rulers to measure out the correct layout of the ball roarer. This is a recreation of the diagram we went by in order to make them.

As you can see, we used the sanding machine to make a curved edge at one end of the ball roarer. Then, using drills, we drilled the holes for where the rope was to be tied at the other end. We used a length of neon green string that we tied around, ensuring that both ends were knotted to prevent fraying.

Finally, to finish off the project we used a smoothing plane around the sides. This was optional, but this affected the sound the ball roarer made when spun around. The sound can be described as a low rumbling sound that sounds a bit like what a tornado would sound like. 

I'm really proud of this project but next time I would want it to be curved around all the edges. I am wondering what other factors would change the sound of the ball roarer. 

TECH: DIY SPINNER TOY 📝

The second wood project we started on this term was a paperfuge. This is a children's toy that over the years has adapted to complex tasks like separating blood plasma in hospitals, like the paper version of a centrifuge. It's simple design provided a good project for us to complete. They can spin up to 125,000 times per minute!

First of all we started off with a square of wood, which, again with the band saw, cut down to a circle shape. 

Then, measuring accurately with a ruler, we marked out where we had to drill small holes to provide space for the string. 

We drilled one hole in the very centre and then two approximately 5mm to the side of the centre hole. We were then able to cut a length of string and loop it around the holes to finish the spinner toy.

A paper centrifuge being used to separate blood plasma.

I was happy with how mine turned out but I wish I had taken the opportunity to make a handle for it. The handles are made of thick wooden dowels which we drill a hole in to loop the string around in. This allows you to play with the spinner without your fingers or hands getting sore from the string. 

Below is a video of how the paperfuge is helping to save thousands of lives around the world, including in third-world countries like Africa. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5ppD07DMKQ

MAKING A MU TORERE BOARD 🎯

This term we have been working towards the completion of some small projects made out of wood.

A diagram of what
the board looks like.

Our first project was making a Mu Torere board, an adaption of a Maori board game. 

The wooden board was shaped in a circle, which we used the bandsaw to cut out. 

Next we measured and marked out where all the peg holes had to be; there had to be nine of them and were to be evenly spaced around the board.

Using a drill we drilled the holes, ensuring we didn't drill it all the way through and provided space for a peg to fit into. 

The next thing we did is measure some wooden dowels into small pieces about 5 cm in length. 

Since the dowels were too thick to fit into the holes we drilled, we used sandpaper to sand them down to the correct size. 
That was where the board finished, but I used twink and a vivid to add some embellishments to my board. I used twink to make four pegs white and vivid to make four pegs black. 

My board was a little messed up because I rushed it to make it in one lesson. There is an extra hole and the pegs are not evenly spaced. Next time I will use a ruler to get more even holes and ensure I measure it accurately prior to drilling.

To learn how to play this Maori board game, which I find to be really fun, search up 'Mu Torere' on the app store. It's free, but it takes some getting used to. 

STRUCTURES 🏢

What is a structure?
The Google dictionary definition of a structure is "a building or other object constructed from several parts." In simpler terms, this could be something that has been built from several pieces of timber that can stand itself up. The medium or materials used to generate structures could be anything from wood and metal to brick and rock.  Examples of structures include houses, trees, and skyscrapers.

Did you know that there are four different types of structures?

The first type is called a Shell Structure. The materials used in Shell structures are thin and curved, and may include mediums such as concrete and mesh. An example of a shell structure is the body of an aircraft: they are curved and made of thin, lightweight aluminium. Another example would be the hull (front) of a ship; as it is curved. 

The second type is called a Frame Structure. A Frame structure is a building or object supported by a frame of beams and columns to help it stand rigid. Examples of Frame structures are houses. Notice that when you see one being built, there is commonly a wooden or steel framing where the walls, ceiling, and foundations are going to built. 

Honeycomb, which is made by bees,
consists of small yet stable hexagons built up together
 to support loads of honey.

The third type of structure is a Natural Structure. These structures are formed in nature and are not man made. You see natural structures everywhere; for example trees. Their canopy (leaves, branches) are held up by a trunk and roots deep in the ground. Trees are natural structures. Buildings are not natural structures. 

Famous structures
There are many famous examples of structures in history. Some famous structures in New Zealand include the Sky Tower up in Auckland, or the enormous sculpture of assorted fruits down in Cromwell. 

Famous sculptures across the world are some of the most well known buildings of all times. Examples include The Leaning Tower of Pissa in Italy, or the Twin Tower that used to stand tall in New York.

There are a lot of terms surrounding structures that buildings, architects, and engineers need to understand and study well before making or designing one. 

Failure - the falling or collapse of a structure.
Compression - to make two things press together firmly.
Tension - pulling one object from each end, to make it very tight and tense.

MAKING AN ALUMINIUM DOGTAG 🏅

For the past few weeks we have been working towards completing an aluminium dog/name tag in technology. 

Our end product was to be 50mm long by 25mm wide. 

In our first period I used a ruler and right angle to measure out the correct length. Using some blue ink and a scribe, we drew a line on the aluminium to ensure our cutting would be accurate. Then, using a hacksaw and vice I cut off the excess length of the aluminium leaving approximately 2mm of aluminium extra. 

I used a smoothing file to file away the excess until it was the accurate 50mm length. Then, using an emery cloth, I smoothed away any rough edges. At this point I also used the emery cloth to round out the edges of the tag. 

Next, I measured out the centre of the tag to punch out a guideline for where I required to drill. The equipment I used for this task was a hammer and a hole punch tool. It is important for you only to tap the hole punch once with the hammer to achieve the desired guideline. 

Here is my friend using the hacksaw to get rid of the excess aluminium length.

For the next part, we were to use a hand drill to drill the holes for the dog tag. Using a hand drill instead of the drill press ensured we could have the task completed in a less amount of time.

When we got the drill going, we put on the mandatory safety gear (safety goggles, hair tied back, sleeves rolled up, jackets off). We learned that we could use our partner to ensure the drill was not positioned at an angle. 

We got our holes drilled quickly and then moved on to remove the excess ink we used. For this task we used a piece of emery cloth, and positioned the aluminium tag in the vice. 

One thing that is important to know is that aluminium is a soft metal, so tightening the vise too tight can leave 'jaw marks' on the surface which will not contribute to a good finished product.

Using the emery cloth we sanded away the ink until the surface was smooth and shinier. The next task was to use the buffing machine to get a polished finish on the aluminium. 

This next step was optional, but we used a hole punch tool with letters in them to imbelish letters into our dog tags. For mine, I wrote my initials 'J L B'. Again, it is important for you to only use one tap with the hammer. 

A visor was mandatory while using the buffing machine so we ensured we were wearing it properly before starting.


It was important to hold the aluminium correctly. If we positioned it at an incorrect angle the machine could send it flying. 
It was also essential that there was enough polish on the buffing machine without any excess product. 
Since there was a lot of friction acting on the machine wheel and the aluminium there was a bucket of water to dip our hands into. 

This is my finished product! I'm proud of how it turned out. I think next time I would try and make my hole a little more centre because it would make it more attractive. But I really enjoyed making it and looked forward to every Friday to do it. 

Below is a presentation we made of what aluminium is and what it is used in. 

Safety Signage At Work Sites

For the past two weeks we have been learning about safety signage in the Tech workshop. We learned that there are three common types of safety signs and what they mean while in a work site.

• Hazard sign - yellow triangle with a black outline. They indicate that there is a hazard in the area which may cause harm (bruising, broken bones, or head injuries) or significant harm (death). An action that could be taken is minimising and isolating the hazard, e.g putting up a barrier to deter people from the hazard or prohibiting access to the area (isolating), or cleaning, or removing it to minimise the hazard. Examples of hazard signs including wet surfaces or electrical faults. 

Prohibition sign.

Hazard sign.

• Mandatory sign - blue coloured circle. They indicate that there is certain safety equipment required to work and be safe on the site. An action that should be taken is to wear the instructed safety equipment. Examples of mandatory signs include wearing eye-protection and earmuffs on worksites.

Mandatory sign.

Danger sign.

• Danger sign - black and red. They indicate there is a hazard that may be life-threatening and cause significant harm. The action taken should be to be either take extreme caution or do not enter the area if the sign instructs to do so. Examples of danger signs include at the entrance of rooms if there is a significant hazard in the room, or at the entrance to mines if there is a gas leak.

• Prohibition sign - red with a line through it. They indicate certain items you cannot use/take into the site or do on the site. The action taken is to follow the sign and do not take the restricted item on to the site - it could create a hazard. Examples of prohibition signs include no smoking in office buildings and no cellphone use on airport tarmacs.

We were then given the task to create our own signs to display in the workshop.

I decided to create a mandatory sign (blue circle) instructing people to turn the extraction fan on while welding.

I think it is an important rule as the consequence of not doing so could lead to dust and soot getting into your lungs and having negative effects later in life.  

Here is the sign I made. I used Google Drawing for this, which proved to be difficult since I couldn't make my own shapes. I am proud of my overall end result. 

Click the following video to learn a little bit more about safety in the workplace :)