high school mini bike build
- Thread starter electrathon
- Start date
Here are the pics of the bike I built as a pattern for the kids to follow. I have a frame jig that I made that all of the bikes are built off of. We bent the tubing as a group, then each kid assembled and welded up their bike. The flat parts were cut on the plasma table. I had the kids come over to my house and learn to sew well enough to build their own seat. The entire project cost about $235 all in. That takes into account donated material (vinyl and foam for the seats were scraps from a upholstery shop), discounts at Harbor Freight and scrounged small parts (brake levers, buts and bolts).
Thank you everyone! The schools in this area are guilty of not having proper shop classes like so many other places. Only a small number of school shops left in the Portland area. We do this as an after school club. The students must pay or fund raise their own materials money. They can work on their own bikes at the club meetings or during shop class. We encourage the kids parents to come in and participate too, I have had a Dad comment how much he was learning while helping his son.
Neighboring school. I went to SBHS in the 70's. Some of my friends went to Centennial. Always "had" a progressive educational program in the Gresham District. I had five periods of various shop classes my senior year. Sad to see those classes went by the wayside. Good job offering an after school program. Looks very successful.
I expect we'll start seeing Industrial Arts classes coming back in HS.
I expect we'll start seeing Industrial Arts classes coming back in HS.
This is great to see. We need so much more of this in the school systems. I taught Auto Shop at Middleton High School in Charleston, SC the 85 - 86 school year. Substituted for my old shop teacher the last half of the 84 - 85 school year. So a year and a half in the classroom. We had a principal with a doctorate in English. She would stand up at a teachers meeting and tell you that everyone of HER students were going to college. That's how disillusioned she was. Dumb as dirt in my book with a piece of paper hanging on the wall. She had 2 assistant principles and a female teacher sent a boy to one only to see the assistant principle bring the child back to class and proceed to tell her that she was wrong and the student was right.... IN THE CLASSROOM.... in front of the class. That was the end of it for me. I finished the year out for my students but I was done. Went back to tinting windows full time. Made about 10 times the money... We had a good shop with good equipment but she wanted all of anything vocational gone from her school.
Its sad that the school systems don't recognize that there are students out there that are interested in working with there hands. They are talented and end up making very good money when they get the opportunity to go through a program like the GM ASEP backed program that Greenville Tech teaches. When they graduate from Tech they have a position at the local GM dealer and go straight to work at an advanced position. It gives them incentive to bust there butt's and reap the benefits. The top students are certified as Corvette techs and that is a privilege not a job that just any line mechanic can attain. They class is full with a waiting list every semester.
Keep them interested [MENTION=56215]electrathon[/MENTION]. I have been in your shoes and it is a daily challenge.....
Doug
Its sad that the school systems don't recognize that there are students out there that are interested in working with there hands. They are talented and end up making very good money when they get the opportunity to go through a program like the GM ASEP backed program that Greenville Tech teaches. When they graduate from Tech they have a position at the local GM dealer and go straight to work at an advanced position. It gives them incentive to bust there butt's and reap the benefits. The top students are certified as Corvette techs and that is a privilege not a job that just any line mechanic can attain. They class is full with a waiting list every semester.
Keep them interested [MENTION=56215]electrathon[/MENTION]. I have been in your shoes and it is a daily challenge.....
Doug
Thx. I was in Sunset High School class of 1975, out in Beaverton. We had great shop programs. I loved auto shop. There were also classes that prepared me to become a college graduate. I have made a 35-year career in a position where candidates were required to have a college degree and an understanding of automobile technology. My buddy's kid recently graduated from Corbett High School. He said they have no shop classes. The young man is as smart as a whip and is in his freshman year of college, but I think he missed an experience that would broaden his base of knowledge.
Very cool! it's great to see the kids wanting to do something with their hands besides playing video games. Years from now someone is going to end up here in the "What is it" section with one of those bikes wondering who the manufacturer was and how rare they are. I'll have to remember this post so I can tell them that they were built by a bunch of High School kids. :thumbsup: