Showing posts with label carpentry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label carpentry. Show all posts

Friday 1 November 2013

Our Carpentry Projects: The Final Post

I realise, going through my hard drive on this fine rainy morning, that I never put up a final post about our carpentry projects.

My classmate Nicolaj took some lovely pictures of our final day, right before we smashed everything up (it was really good fun).

We found out on that last day, as we were sitting around on the picnic benches we made ourselves having breakfast, that ours would be the last CDC Basic course run at the school.

At first we were shocked that they were cancelling the programme, then a little angry when we found out the reasons behind it.

Bureaucracy can ruin a lot of things, and sadly it means that no more non-Danes will get to experience a basic Danish carpentry education the way we did. It's a shame, but at least we had such a good experience, and left the course with some valuable skills and experiences.







This was my project!





Any questions about the projects or about the course, just ask!

Friday 7 June 2013

A Carpentry Update

The reason I came to Denmark, of course, was to do a carpentry course, and I realise now that I've spoken very little about it in the past couple of months. So, here goes. 

For far longer than I'd care to acknowledge, we worked at making miniature wooden framed houses. I started off working alone, as did my partner (incidentally, my real life partner), and we each made half of the basic frame, as illustrated below.


When we joined forces, the fun started. We argued like cats and dogs and my difficulty with understanding this new world of carpentry, coupled with Leo's desire to get on with the work on his own, spelt a few weeks spent in frustration and wishing it was just over.

Both sides of the frame joined, and a floor added
Tar-paper as a basic insulator and rafters, the beginning of a roof
Somewhere along the way we got a scaffolding qualification (Where's Wally?)

To complete the project we also put cladding on the walls of our house and did more work on the roof, and we now have a basic tiny house which is for sale along with the two others that were completed in the class.



For the past week, and for the remaining 3/4, we are free to work on our own informal projects with the guidance of the teacher. I'm working on a to-scale size of what my final project will be, a fire wood holder (don't steal my idea!). 

~ ~ ~ ~

Here's the bit when I reflect on my experiences and maybe even talk a little about my feelings.
The woodworking experience so far has been a lot of ups and downs. Lately, it's been on the up, and I'm really enjoying the experience now. But once I got over the initial few weeks, and the not knowing if I was going to be rubbish forever or just a slow learner, everything seemed to be impossible. 

There wasn't a huge amount of class cohesion and the teaching was sporadic. I wanted one-to-one attention but didn't want to draw attention to how far behind I felt. Besides the course, I hadn't managed to find a job yet and my confidence was a bit low as a result. 

Luckily, since we finished with our tiny houses, a project which was exhausted and at times unsatisfying, things have really improved. I was feeling really useless for a few weeks, but I went back to basics, designed a basic model of my own in SketchUp, and started working on it. I've been making simple mortise and tenon joints this week, and next week I'll move on.

Because of a competition, work, illness etc. I was actually the only person in my class today, and it was really wonderful. Not only did I get a chance to work in quiet and without inhibition (aren't we all self conscious when doing new things?), but I had a chance to talk in-depth with my teacher. He's a really great guy, and we had coffee, talked about his experience moving to Denmark and starting a woodworking education, my plans, how I'm finding the class, and most importantly, how to chisel out a mortise properly. 

Every day now I feel like I learn so much. Before I was stuck in a rut, but now I notice a distinct improvement in the accuracy of my cuts, of my markings, how easily I sharpen my chisel, and how to use it carefully and skilfully. It's amazing how much my mood has improved, I look forward to spending time in class and I find myself thinking about carpentry in my free time. 

Thanks for taking the time to read, I won't bore you with carpentry talk for a few more weeks!

Monday 11 March 2013

Long Time Passing

I know, I know, the blog posts are coming few and far between these days. The truth is, it takes such a long time to put a post together, and a lot of the time I'd rather be playing my flute or reading than sitting at the computer. That being said, this is my only written record of what I'm up to over here, so I have to keep up with it.

I've just finished my Monday joinery class. We cut wood to start a project, of which I shall explain more later. I had the best weekend; my friends from home visited, and I haven't giggled (or been thrown about by the wind) so much in months. It was the coldest weekend, because of the wind chill, that I've endured since moving here, for sure. I think we need to work backwards to go forwards, so I'll start where I left off, and update you on last week before going on about this weekend.

Pedagogically, last week was not the best, and I was a little disheartened because of it. Our lessons were, at times, unstructured, and there was a lot of being left to our own devices, with too little wood and tools that were in need of a good sharpening. The problem is I want to spend absolutely days, if not weeks, practicing the one joint over and over, but because of the nature of the course that's just not possible. So instead it feels like we're racing through things, and it makes me a little sad/frustrated that I can't get the most out of my time.

I made a promise to myself to stop comparing my progression to others in the class, to just go at my own speed, and to try and make less mistakes. Lots of tiny mistakes lead to an overall mediocre finished product. This week has started so much better. I'm making a flute box as a project, so I got my dimensions planned today, practiced a dovetail joint (disaster, but hopefully tomorrow will be better), got some wood and learned how to use the saw and planing machines properly in a small group.

Outside the world of woodwork, last week was a bit of a mixed bag. My ballet class went very well and I'm noticing some improvements in my posture. Our budgetting is going swimmingly, and I love how little we're spending here. I finished reading Slaughterhouse-5, which is definitely the most enjoyable book I've read in a long time. Unfortunately, the job I thought I would definitely have didn't quite work out. The langauge barrier was too big of an issue, and so I have to look elsewhere for employent. I'm going to go to the local Irish bars, where it's presumed you're an English speaker.

So, onwards to this weekend I think, as my dinner is waiting for me downstairs. The girls were delayed by a couple of hours at Dublin airport, but no harm done, as I met up with a friend who goes back home from the airport every day. I also really enjoyed the buzz of the Arrivals hall. I love airports, so I was more than happy to sit nearby with a coffee and watch the kids wave Danish flags and wait for their dads to get home. I also had a Danish flag, and at the modest hour of 22.00, some two hours after their expected arrival, two of my best friends arrived at my new home.

We took a train back to my apartment, giggling and joking the whole time. I don't think I've laughed so much in a long time. We took in the usual sights, the Little Mermaid and Hans Christian Andersen on his self-named street. We also ate a lot of cake, had delicious brunch, and went to a decidedly Twin Peaks-y karaoke bar. I couldn't believe how quickly the weekend flew by, but luckily just four days ago I booked flights home for Easter, a glorious 8 day trip. I am honestly so excited to go home and see all of my friends and family.

Ok, I'm going to wrap it up here, I'm off to eat some dinner before getting down to some future life planning I have to do. I'll post some pictures soon.

Sunday 3 March 2013

Some Pictures from Last Week

The frame for the screen printing press I am making
I (we) made a bench!


The first sunny day since we arrived

This bark had grown around the gate

The Swastika is one of Carlsberg's official logos, they just don't use it anymore for obvious reasons.
 Leo hugging a dubiously clothed elephant.
Wood outside a ridiculously expensive organised food co-operative



The story behind the McDonalds picture is that I became a militant vegetarian at the ago of 12. One whole decade later I turned back to meat, and now follow a diet which makes me very happy. In the past, I liked to cling to ideologies that defined me, or that inhibited me to really enjoy myself. It's taken literally 10 years, but I finally decided that at some point you have to stop being defined by ideological aboslutism. It's ok to eat a hamburger every once in a while. I had a Happy Meal, and I damn well enjoyed it. 


This was the single greatest cafe experience of my life.
I cannot wait to bring my lady friends here next weekend.


She was eating that ice like an ice pop!

Master of Snow








Thursday 7 February 2013

In Which I Chisel Things

Here's a picture to give you an idea of the environment I've been learning/working in. We've been split into groups to design and build something to sit on, so my group is making a star-shaped chair. I'm glad everyone is getting on and just getting it done. I feel a bit useless because I haven't done any technical drawing before and I'm a little out of my depth in that respect, but carrying wood about and chiseling stuff is the most fun.
I'll post more substantially when I have something substantial to show.

And there's a picture of the lad. Sher didn't he only go and quit his job and start this course, what a guy!





Field Trip the First

Our second day of school was spent, most novally, on a field trip. Perhaps one of the most enjoyable field trips I have been on. It started with meeting half an hour early (DANES), drinking coffee outside and walking up an indoor ramp that a King once brought his horse up. Yeah, I know. 

The Round Tower is a beautiful old building that leads to some magnificent views of Copenhagen below. The main reason for going there was to see an exhibition on forests, sustainability and ethically sourced wood. Naturally, as potential carpenters, how forests are sustained should be of huge significance. I found some of the us/them developing/developed discourses a bit dodgy, but other than that I really enjoyed the concept, the photography and the woods that you could examine. 


                       

                       


Our next stop was the Design Museum , which was meant to inspire us for our project beginning the next day, designing and constructing a piece of furniture. Here are some of the things I particularly liked:


                                                  





In the evening came the obligatory IKEA trip, where cheap things were purchased and kottbulle and cinammon buns were consumed. When in Sweden.


Danish Design-Probably the best design tradition in the world
                         

Back to School


It feels nice rather than strange to be back at school. it's especially nice that I'm at a technical college, the equivalent of a PLC college in Ireland, as my own education thus far has been completely academic, mostly in buildings that take themselves and their history very seriously.

In case I didn't make it clear as to why I'm in Denmark, I'm doing a course in Carpentry and Design at Kobenhavs Tekniske Scole. It's a 6 month introduction to the basic principles of carpentry, joinery and design. So far it's going very well, but I'll make a separate post about the course content, I want this to just be about my acclimatisation in Denmark.

Sadly without bikes, we've been walking the 4 or so miles to the college daily. It's getting tiresome, walking is irritating when you know biking would take a third of the time, but the walk along frozen lakes in the snow is very pleasant.

Our first day of 'school' (funny going back, funnier for Leo who has worked at a bank for a few years) was very laid back, we just did some short introductions, drank coffee and got basic course materials. Then Leo and I had to run off to an administrative office in some unknown part of town to register in 'The System'.

As anyone who arrives here for an extended stay will work out, you can do nothing without a CPR number. As European Union citizens arriving here is fairly simple-you get a residency permit and after filling out a form they process you and issue you with a number. This number entitles you to open a bank account, join a library, get a mobile phone contract. But until then, you're stuck in limbo. I'm hoping my number comes next week.

Wednesday 6 February 2013

Copenhagen: The First Sunday



I'm on Day 4 of my new adventure of living in Copenhagen, and so far I'm having a jolly good time. I have a journal that I usually write in fairly regularly, at least when exciting things happen, but I've decided to just jot down briefly here what I've been up to, as it's about 20 gazillion times faster to type than it is to write. I'm going to go backwards in time and begin at the beginning.

Sunday


Checking out of one's hotel is made difficult when one must drag one's entire life down two flights of winding stairs, due to all the lazy weekenders hogging the lifts. But you must let it wash over you. Check out we eventually did. We then explored a small bit of Copenhagen. I was glad to see most of the shops and restaurants were shut. As a hospitality worker, I appreciate Denmark's commitment to giving at least some of  the hardest working, precariously employed and poorly paid workers a break.

Gladly, however, Cafe Paludan was open for business, and we indulged in the largest omelettes (I swear, at least five eggs) of our short lives. Better still, the place is not only a cafe with delicious coffee, but a book shop, library and study hall. The international students talking loudly to hide their awkwardness (I feel your pain) were the only distraction. We spent a couple of lovely hours there, then headed further afield.






Due to the Sunday-ness of the day, our search for bicycle shops, bedding stores and really any shop we needed to set us up for our new life was lacking. We whiled away a few hours and wandered through the swankier part of town. As soon as the clock struck 16:00 we headed off to our accommodation to unpack and get ready for, you know, beginning a carpentry course the next day.

So essentially we're living in dormitories, where food is provided, the rooms are nicely heated and there is even a sauna. The monthly rent is VERY reasonable. The food is shockingly bad, the coffee tastes perpetually burnt, but lucky for me I have a coffee perculator and a bag of Bewley's Panama roast, as well as lots of nice things to eat in my room (I mean pickles, berries and mackerel, I need to get my nutrition somewhere). 

The pictures below are an indication of the average-ish view from our window, in rain and in snow. As you can see, it is not amazing, but it's far from terrible, and for the price I am more than happy to spend the next few months here while my earning capacity is stunted.





Unpacking complete, we settled into our first night in our new home. Failing to turn off the radiator (faulty knob), it was absolutely sweltering hot. A good time was had by all.