Academy students are putting the new Design, Technology and Engineering Lab in the Mary Kawena Pukui Learning Commons to work, gaining hands-on experience with the tools and technology available in the space.
Students in Punahou’s Ke Kilohana Circular Economy course recently designed and fabricated their own wooden pickleball paddles as an introduction to the DTE Lab. The project gave students an opportunity to learn shop safety, become familiar with new equipment and build foundational fabrication skills they can use throughout the semester.
Students began by researching paddle dimensions and shapes before creating digital designs on their laptops using Onshape, a computer-aided design program. From there, they worked through each stage of fabrication, learning to safely operate a miter saw, new xTool laser cutter, belt and disc sander, band saw, drill press, hand power drill and oscillating sander.
They first cut the wood with the miter saw before using the xTool laser cutter to cut their digital paddle designs. They shaped and beveled pieces for the handles with the belt and disc sander, glued them to the paddles and reinforced them with pins cut on the band saw and secured through holes made with the drill press and hand power drill. Students then used the oscillating sander and sandpaper to complete the shaping and applied either a wipe-on polyurethane finish or Danish oil.
The project allowed students to experience the process of taking an idea from a digital design to a finished, functional object while building confidence with the DTE Lab’s tools and equipment.
With their paddles complete, students headed outside to put their handiwork to the test with games of pickleball.
———————-
Ke Kilohana: This Social Studies course enables students to apply their skills and knowledge in service to a community of practice. In their senior year, students select from various Ke Kilohana courses that emphasize applied learning across disciplines. They engage in collective service opportunities and identify a community need to create an individual service project, culminating in a public product, presentation, or performance. This is a semester-long course worth half a credit and satisfies the Social Studies graduation requirement.
