Biomimicry Project - Process Journal

Journal Entry 1- Start! 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

January 10th 2011- Monday

I have started to make the project as I have planned on my Gantt Chart.

According to my Gantt chart, and my orthographic drawing, I will be using a
ply wood for the sides. However I used a thicker piece of timber for the
sides, M.D.F. M.D.F was thicker than the ply wood.

Marking out sides
I was given a very big piece of M.D.F to mark out my two sides. I used a
pencil, metal rule and a tri square to mark out my sides. I marked out my
sides near the corner of the M.D.F that I was given to not waste any
materials.
I have left a 5 mm gap between the two sides that I have marked out.

Cutting
After I have marked out the sides, I used a hand saw to cut out the pats of
the M.D.F that I am not using. Because it was a single period I wasn’t able
to do a lot.

Construction plan link
I think I am ok with the pace so far. I was able to start cutting the sides as I
predicted in the Gantt Chart I created. I think with this pace I will be able to
finish making my product as I predicted on the Gantt Chart.

Journal Entry 2 - Side+Side Blocks 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

11th January 2011-Tuesday

In today’s lesson, I have started with cutting out the two sides.

Cutting sides
I used a tenon saw to cut the two sides. First I got a bench hook, then I
have put the bench hook in the bench vice. After putting the bench hook, I
used the tenon saw. I placed the tenon saw beside the line that I wanted to
cut, then pulled back 3 times. Then I moved the saw back and forth to cut
the piece.

Side blocks
The next step of my project was to make the 10 side blocks for the sides. I
had side blocks with different thicknesses. There were 25mm, 30 mm,
35mm and 45mm. I had to search for pine that suited my measurements.

I have found a timber that was in exact thickness that I wanted. Therefore I
measure and marked out two of side block no.1. Then I started to cut the
side block no.1.

After cutting the side block no.1s out. I was looking for the timber that
suited my other side blocks. Because side block no.2 was a small piece, I
was able to find the pine that suited side block no. 2.

I measured and marked out 2 of side block no.2 with a pencil and a metal
rule, and cut them with a tenon saw.

In this period I have wasted too much time searching for the pine that suited
my measurements. When I found a timber that had the thickness that I
wanted, either the length or the width didn’t suited. Therefore I spent too
much time searching for the piece that was right, and yet I wasn’t able to
find the timber with the size that I wanted.

Construction Plan Link

I think I am a little bit ahead of my Gantt chart. I was able to start cutting
four out of the ten side blocks out although I wasn’t able to mark out of
them.
Next?
In the next period I will ask Mr. Anderson for a timber with the thickness of
either 30 or 35mm to measure and mark out the rest of the side blocks.
AOI/Learner Profile Link

Journal Entry 3 – Cutting Side Blocks 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

14th January 2011- Friday

In today’s double period I have started with asking Mr. Anderson for a
timber that had either thickness of 30 or 35 mm. I was able to get a pine
with thickness of 37mm

Measuring and marking Out + Cutting
I used a pencil, metal rule and a tri square to measure and mark out the
side blocks no.3,4, and 5 on one piece of pine. Mr. Anderson has helped me
to cut pieces. The side block no.3 and 5 had the same width, therefore he
was able to cut them for me within less than a minute. Because Mr.
Anderson helped me to cut the side blocks all I had to do was to cut some
parts that the bench saw couldn’t cut. I used a hand saw, tenon saw to cut
the parts where Mr. Anderson didn’t
cut using the bench saw.

The picture on the left is me cutting
the unnecessary part (part where
the bench saw couldn’t cut, usually
not wider than 50mm)

This picture on the left is me using
a Tenon saw to cut the
unnecessary part on the top of the
side block no.3

Cutting the Side approximately to the shape

I have drawn which part to cut for the sides. Because my sides are not a
square, I have approximately drew into the shape I want. I am thinking to
sand them into shape after I have glued the side blocks with the sides.
On the image above, red part shows how it will look like when I cut the sides
approximately to the shape.

I used a tenon saw to cut the side into approximate shape. I figured out that
there is a part on the tenon saw which holds the blade (the red circled part
on the picture on the bottom), and this stops me to cut further.

Therefore I had to use another tool
to cut further. The tool was “Pull
saw”
When I reach the limit with the tenon
saw, then I put the pull saw into the
carved line then start using it using
the same method as using other
saws.

The image on the right is me using a
pull saw to cut the unnecessary part
of the side.

After cutting the side approximately

to the shape it looked like this image on the left.

Emotion:
It was a very joyful period for me because I was able to get the pine that I
wanted which I couldn’t in the last period. I was happy that I was able to
keep up with what I have predicted in my Gantt chart. I was happy to learn
new tool like pull saw.

According to my Gantt chart I need to cut the side blocks up until next week
Tuesday. However I was able to finish really quick, quicker than what I have
thought.

Next?
According to my Gantt Chart I have to start measuring and marking out the
blocks for the mould.

Journal Entry 4- Shaping Side block 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

17th January 2011- Monday

Marking out the shape on Side blocks
In today’s lesson I got my sides and 10 side blocks and started with using a
pencil to mark out the shape of the side blocks. I got a pencil and a tri-
square to mark out the shape of the side blocks. First I drew a perpendicular
line on the two sides of the side blocks. Then I rounded one of the corners of
the side blocks.
Because I had to mark out on the two side of each of the side blocks, it took
quite a while for me to mark them all out. I had ten side blocks and I
marked out approximately for all the side blocks.

Cutting into shape
The tool I used to cut the curves of the side blocks was a coping saw. I have
put the side block in the bench vice and started cutting with the coping saw.
I first drew back three times with the coping saw then started to move the
saw back and forth.
Because the teeth of the coping saw were very small, it took fairly long time
to cut one piece out. Because it was a single period today, I couldn’t finish
cutting all of the side blocks approximately into shape.

I have some changes with the order of the Gantt Chart. According to my
Gantt chart I was going to start making the mould before I sanded the side
blocks into shape, however, I decided to finish it first, then cut the blocks for
the mould. I am sure that I am a little bit ahead of my plan because in the
previous lesson I was able to finish cutting all the side blocks, which I
thought it might take a week. I think I am ok with the pace so far and I
think I might be able to finish my product before the predicted date.

Next?
In the next period, I will continue on with cutting the side blocks into shape.
If I am able to finish cutting the side blocks into shape quickly, then I will
use a disc sander to sand the side block into shape.

Journal Entry 5 – Side Blocks 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

18th January 2011- Tuesday

In today’s lesson I continued on with what I was doing in the last period
Slow Coping saw
I got a coping saw and my side blocks. I put the side block in the wooden
vice and used a coping saw to cut. I pulled the saw three times backwards
and moved it back and forth. It took me more than 10 minutes to cut one
piece out.

I felt that I should find another way to cut the side block or else it would
take me a long time, making me way behind my Gantt Chart. I felt that
because I need to first cut approximately to shape then use a disc sander to
sand it, it would be okay if I Just cut diagonally near the corner.

I got a tenon saw and put the side block diagonally in the wooden vice, then
I pulled the tenon saw three times and cut the piece out. This was faster
than using the coping saw to cut
the side block into shape.

This is an image of a side block
that is cut using a tenon saw.
There is a diagonal cut at the
corner of the side block.

Sanding into shape
After cutting all the side blocks,
I was ready to disc sand the side
blocks into shape.
Before using the machine, I got a safety goggle and a mask for my safety.
When using machineries in the workshop we always have to consider our
safety.

Mr. Anderson showed me a new tool disc sander cleaner. This was used to
clean the disc sander that has been used too much. We turn on the disc
sander and let it go, then we use the disc sander cleaner and sand it on the

disc sander. Then the disc sander gets more cleaner, hence making it easier
to sand.

Disc Sanding the Side Block
When using a disc sander we always have to disc sand it on the left hand
side. Because the disc sander rotates rapidly in anticlockwise direction if we
sand it on the right hand side, the object might fly and cause injury.

I put the side block and sanded the corner round by turning the side block
while sanding it.

***************

Emotion:
I was bored because of the repetitive process. I had to cut the corner for 7
more side blocks in the first period. After cutting the corners, I had to start
using the disc sander. I liked it at first, but because it was very repetitive I
felt bored.

Although I didn’t start cutting the mould for the lampshade, I think I am
quite ahead of my plan. If cutting the side blocks into shape takes 10
minutes per block, I think the time it will take will be similar to the time I
have predicted.

Next?
In the next double period I will continue on with the disc sanding of the side
blocks. If I am finished with sanding with the disc sander I could either start
making the mould or start sanding the side blocks into the shape I want. I
prefer sanding the side block first.

The AOI that is always involved when we are in the workshop is Human
Ingenuity. Human Ingenuity involves creation, like creating an object. When
we are in the workshop we always make our product, therefore Human
Ingenuity is always involved.

I think the learner profile that involved in this lesson is risk taker. I was
introduced to a new tool, and I used some new ways to cut the timber.

Journal entry 6 – Sanding into shape 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

21st January 2011- Friday

In today’s lesson I continued on with
disc sanding the side block. In the
previous periods I finished disc sanding
half of the side blocks. I still had half to
finish.

Shaping the side blocks
After sanding the top of the side blocks.
I used a pencil to mark the shape that I
want the side block to be on the top of
the side blocks.
I drew the shape on to the
side block in to the shape that
I want the side block to be.
After marking them on, Mr.
Anderson helped me to cut the
corner off, like I did before
sanding the side blocks.

After cutting the corners, I
chose whether if I wanted the
side block to be rounded if we
saw from the back.
<- Like this)

I first drew the shape at the back to
see how it might look like. I felt that It
would be better if I rounded the corner
from the back also.
Before I cut the corners, I used a
smoothing plane to smooth the edges

of the side blocks (the parts where there are red lines in the image on the
right).

Using smoothing plane
It haven’t used a smoothing plane for a long time, since when I was grade 8.
I got the smoothing plane and grabbed it properly. Then I lay it on flat on to
the side block. Then I pushed the
smoothing from off the edge. I’m not
sure whether the wood was to stiff or
not, but it was hard for me to smooth
it.

Cutting
After using the smoothing plane, I had
to cut the corner of the side blocks
(shown
in red in the image on the right). I got a
coping saw and repeated the process before.
However, this time I was able to cut the
corners of the side blocks faster.

Sanding the side block
I got my safety materials (safety goggles)
and started using the disc sander. I disc
sanded the sides, but not the top.

I’ve disc sanded the side like the red line (on the bottom of the picture) on
the image above. I didn’t disc sanded the part where there is red circle on
the image above. I didn’t disc sand it because to shape it correctly to the
shape I wanted, it is best to use a rough sanding paper and a file.

Emotion:
I really liked making the side blocks although it was repetitive. I learnt the
way to sand the wood into a rounded shape (like a sphere).

Next?
In the next period I will continue on sanding the side blocks into shape by
using the disc sander. After I finish disc sanding I will be using very rough
sanding paper to sand the red circled part (on the image above).
AOI/Learner Profile link

Journal Entry 7 – Shaping Side Block 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

24th January 2011- Monday

In Today’s lesson I started disc sanding again with side block no 1s. I found
out that the curve wasn’t a curve, it had one 45˚ straight line and curves.
Therefore I used the disc sander to smooth it as curve.
(There was a straight line like the one in the image left)

Smoothing plane – Side block 3
The side block no.3 was too big to sand with a disc
sander. Therefore I had to use a smoothing plane to
smooth the edges.
To make curves with a smoothing plane, we first push it
flat on to the surface, then tilt it
and then push it. Repeating these
steps makes the curve in the edge.
The image on the right is me using
a smoothing plane to make the
curves on the side block.

The image on the left is he side block 3
curved by a smoothing plane.

Sanding into shape
After curving the edges of the

sideblocks, I had to sand the side blocks into shape. The tool I used to sand
the side blocks into shape was a rasp. Rasp was a tool very similar to a file.
However, rasp has a bigger teeth and less dense than the file I have used
before.

I put the side block on to the wooden vice and used the rasp and started
filing. When I push the rasp it files off the wood, but cery roughly. I pushed
the rasp back and forth to file the side blocks.

I was able to finish 4 side blocks (side block 1, 4)

Emotion:
I felt very excited when it came to sanding the side block into the shape,
because it was a new process to me. I’ve never tried sanding a wood into a
spherical shpae so I wondered how it was possible. But now I know, it made
me excited.
According to my Gantt Chart I should be continuing on with cutting the
blocks for the mould however, I have changed the plan on Monday (last
week). I think the speed of sanding the side block took longer than what I
have thought it will take. According to my plan I have to be finished in this
period, however sanding wasn’t over.
Next?
In the next period I will be continuing on with filing the side block with a
rasp. After I’m finished with this process I will sand the side block smoothly
with a smooth sanding paper then I will start gluing the side blocks and the
sides together. If I’m quick enough I will start making the lamp shade.

Journal Entry 8- Side block (Garnet paper) 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM
25th January 2011- Tuesday

In today’s lesson I continued on with using a rasp to shape the side blocks.
I’ve put the side block in the
wooden vice and used the rasp to
shape the side block. When using
the rasp, I had to file in the
direction where wood grains go. If I
file the opposite way, it might
make splinters.
(The image on the left is me using
a rasp to file the side block into

shape.)

The image on the left is before
filing, and the image on the
right is after filing with a rasp.

Shaping side block no.2
Side block no.2 was the block
which was the smallest piece. I
felt that it would be very hard
to use a rasp or a file to sand
the side block no.2 into shape.
Therefore I chose the method of sanding board. I’ve hold the side block with
one hand and pushed it on to the
sanding board, moving it back and
forth. I’ve changed angles to make
curves.
(This image on the left is me using a
sanding board to sand the side block
no.2 into shape)

Using rough Garnet Paper
Because Rasp had very less dense

teeth and big teeth, the surface that was filed with it had very rough texture.
Therefore I had to use a rough garnet paper to smooth them.
I’ve got a rough garnet paper on one hand and I’ve hold the side block on
the other. Then I’ve moved it back and forth quickly to sand the side block
smooth.
(The image on the left is me
sanding the side block smooth.)
In this lesson, I was able to finish
sanding them all.

This image on the
right is how it will
look like when I put
all the side block
together.

Emotion:
I was amazed with

what I have done so far. It really looks like it’s coming along together and I
am surprised to see that I was able to make this. Although it was lethargic
process, but I was happy to see the progress.

I am slower than what I have predicted. According to my Gantt chart I
should have finished sanding the side blocks in the previous period (Monday)
but I was able to finish sanding today (end of the period). However I don’t
think this has put me slower than what I have expected because I was able
to cut the side block faster than what I have predicted. I think the pace is as
I have predicted.

Next?
In the next period, I will be starting to glue the side blocks and the sides
together. After I’ve glued them, I will be starting to make the mould for the
lampshade.
Changes to my plan
I found out that I have made a mistake long time ago. The mistake was that
I have carved the side block in the same way that I have to change a little
bit. This caused my plan to change from symmetrical shape to a rotation of
the shape.
AOI/Learner Profile aspect
I think I was reflective and thinker in this period. I recalled all the tools that
I have used in DT and chose the most adequate method to do things
efficiently. I thought what method will be efficient in sanding a small piece.

Journal Entry 9- Gluing Side blocks 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

28th January 2011- Friday

In today’s lesson I wasn’t able to do much because we had only about an
hour to work in the workshop because of the semester report.

Gluing the Side and the Side blocks
In the previous lesson, I was able to finish sanding all the side blocks into
shape. Therefore I was able to start gluing the side and the side blocks
together. To start, I needed a P.V.A and a wet cloth. To glue the pieces
together tightly without moving
them, I needed a clamp.

(The picture on above: Left is a picture
of a PVA and a wet cloth. Right is a
picture of a Clamp to hold the pieces tight in place)

Gluing
To glue the pieces together, I need to put PVA on the place where I want
the piece to stick. Then I put it on to
the other piece. After putting it
together, I need to use a clamp to
hold it in place. The wet cloth is use
to wipe the PVA that oozes out when
I tight the pieces together.
The image on the right is me
spreading the PVA on the side block
no 3 to glue it together with the side.
I didn’t glue the side block no.2 first

because the piece was small. I felt that the small piece should be glued after
tightening the big pieces first.
Therefore I first glued the side
blocks no. 1,3,4,and 5. After putting
the pieces together, I found that
some of the PVA oozed out.
Therefore I got the wet cloth and
wiped them off. The image on the
left is me wiping the glue off.

Clamping
After putting the PVA on and putting the side blocks together with the side, I
had to use a clamp to tight them in place.

I felt that it was very hard to use the clamp to tighten the pieces together
because the side blocks moved a little bit when I tried to tighten them with
the clamp. For one of the sides I got help from others. They helped me to
hold the side up to tighten the clamp and held the side block so that it
doesn’t move. However the other side, I had to do it alone.
I decided to first to clamp the side
block no.1 and 4 (the ones on the
each side) because this way side
block no.3 will only move upwards
and downwards.
The image on the left is me
tightening the clamp for the side
block no 1.

Because when I put the side on the

table after clamping the side block no.1 it got tilted I’ve put the side on the
edge of the table and clamped the side block no.4.
The image on the left is me clamping the side block no.4 by putting the side
on the edge of the table.

After clamping the two ends, I
clamped the side block no.3 (the
longest piece in the middle). The
image on the left is me clamping the
side block no.3

Then I clamped the side block no.5.
when I clamped it together, I
realized that there were some PVA
oozing out the sides. Therefore I
took the wet cloth and wiped them out. The image on the bottom is me
wiping the PVA that oozed out on the
sides.

Gluing side block no.2
After clamping all the side blocks
except for no.2 I felt now it will be
easy to clamp the side block no.2 since
other blocks are firmly tightened.

I’ve put the PVA on the
side block no.2 and put
it on to the side. Then
I’ve clamped it together.

The image on the left is
how it looked like after
clamping.

Mould
After gluing the sides

together, the next step was to wait and make the base or to make the
mould for the lampshade. While I was looking back at my plan and the size
of the lampshade I found out that I might need to change some plan. I
found out that if I want to make a mould that has the diameter of 300mm
and height of 250 I won’t be able to use the vacuum former to make the
lampshade.

Therefore I had to find some way to make the lampshade or reduce the size
suitable for the vacuum former.

Despite these problems, I started marking out the blocks for mould. The
timber I got was very long. It’s height was about 45mm and it’s width was
approximately 80mm. Because I wanted the lampshade to be 300*300, I
got a metal rule and marked it out on the timber. I was able to mark 6 of it
in today’s lesson.

Emotion:
I felt that it was a very hard job to tighten the pieces together with the
clamps because the pieces moved off the place. Because the glue made the
surface slippery, it slid off the place when I tried to clamp it tight. I was
irritated when the piece was off the place.

I think I am ok with the speed of working. I was able to finish gluing the side
and the mould together before the Chinese New Year holiday. However, I
was slower than I have expected in gluing the side and the side blocks
together. Although I had only an hour to work in today’s double period
according to what I have predicted, I have to be finished with gluing in a
single period which is approximately 45 minutes.

Next?
In the next period, I will be starting to cut the wood blocks for the
lampshade moulds.

Changes to Plan

I might need to reduce the size of the lampshade a little bit or I need to use
different way to mould the lampshade. I could also divide the mould to parts
so that it fits inside the vacuum former.

Journal Entry 10 –cutting side to shape 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

7th February 2011- Monday

Today was a single period. In today’s period I decided to cut the side into
the shape. Before I started cutting, I got my sides clamped with g clamps. I
got them and unclamped the G clamps to start with. The image below is how
my sides looked like after gluing.
Marking out the shape
After unclamping the clamps, I
got a pencil to mark out the
shape of the side block on to
the side.

The image on the left is close view of my
side.

Cutting the side to shape
After marking out the lines on the side, I got a coping saw to cut it. I’ve put
the side block in the wood vice and started cutting with the coping saw.
The image on the left is me using
the coping saw to cut the side into
shape.

Sanding the bottom flat
After cutting the sides I found that
the bottom of the side wasn’t flat.
We could see in the first image that
the one shown in the left is tilted.

I was thinking what way will be best to flatten it. I thought that it will be
good to use a sanding board to flatten it. However the problem with sanding
boards is that I could flatten the bottom of the side but I could flatten it

while it is tilted to one side. The
image on the bottom is me
using a sanding board to flatten
the bottom of the side.

Emotion:
I think there wasn’t much
emotion to express. I was just
thinking nothing and doing the
next step. I wasn’t excited or
bored or tired. I just did it in
today’s lesson. I think this might be because of the atmosphere in the
workshop today. Not many people had their process journal ready so not
many people came into the workshop.

Journal Entry 11 – Mould Blocks 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

8th February 2011- Tuesday

In today’s double period I have continued on with sanding the bottom to
make the bottom levelled. The process was very repetitive. The only thing I
had to be careful of was to
make sure that the side was
as vertical as possible (near to
90˚). I continued on pushing it
until the side stood at nearly
90˚.

Making moulds
After making the two sides as
vertical as possible, I started
with cutting the blocks for the
mould. I got the timber and
the sliding clamp. Then I clamped the timber that I marked my moulds on
before the Chinese New Year Holiday on to the bench. I got the hand saw to
cut the timber. I pulled the saw
three times near the tri square line,
then pushed it back and forth. The
image on the left is me using the
hand saw to cut the blocks for the
mould.

Sanding the ends smooth (side)
After cutting the mould blocks, while
I was waiting for Mr. Anderson I

began smoothing the ends that I have approximately cut of the sides. I got a
safety goggle to protect my eyes from wood chips flying into my eyes. Then
I sanded the ends of the sides using the disc sander. The image on the left is
me using the disc sander to smooth the ends.
I figured out that there are parts that I cannot sand with the disc sander.
Therefore I am thinking to file it with the flat file.

Mould block shortage
After cutting the mould blocks and putting them together in a row, I found
that it was a little bit shorter than 300mm. Therefore I decided to add a little
bit more to make it 300.

I found a timber that was as long as 300 and thickness of 20. I measure and
marked out 80*300 on the timber. Then I got a clamp and a hand saw to cut
the piece out.

The image on the right
is the mould block lined
up together and on top
of it is a metal rule to
check whether it is as
long as 300 mm.

Gluing?
The next step was to
glue the mould blocks
together. Mr. Anderson
said to put a dowel
through the wood so that the blocks glue together very firmly. To do that I
had to draw a tri-square to mark
out where the dowel will go
through. The image on the left is
the mould blocks with two tri-
square lines, where dowels will
go through.

Journal Entry 12 - Doweling 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

11th February 2011- Friday

In today’s lesson, before I continued on with measuring the drill place for
the mould blocks’ dowel I first started with filing the ends of the sides.

Filing the ends of the sides
Because I used a coping saw to cut approximately to the shape and there
were parts where I cannot sand with a disc sander, I had to use a file to
sand it to the shape. On
the image on the right
is one of the parts that
was hard to sand with a
disc sander. I used a
half-round file to file the
ends. There wasn't
much of reason in
using a half-round file
than a flat file. I first
put the side in the wood
vice and started filing.
Like other hand tools I
fist pulled three times with the file and pushed it back and forth afterwards.
The image on the left is me using
the half-round file to file the ends

smoothly and to the shape. The image
on the right is how my sides looked
like after filing the sides to the shape.

Marking out for dowel
In the previous lesson, I was able to mark out two tri-square line on the top
of the mould blocks, and it was now time for me to mark where I will be
drilling on the side. I drew two tri-square line on the sides of all the mould
blocks. Then I measured 45 mm from the bottom and marked a line. Then I
drew a tri-square line
horizontally. The image on the
left is me marking out where
45mm is from the bottom.

Drilling holes
After marking out where I will
be drilling for all of the mould
blocks, I needed to start drilling.
The machinery that I used was
a “drill press”. Drill press helps
us to drill vertical holes. The drill bit I needed was a 10mm drill bit because
the diameter of the dowel was approximately 10mm. First of all I got the
drill bit and attached it on to the drill press. Then I’ve put one of my mould
blocks on to the “Machine Vice” then
I pulled the lever of the drill press to
check whether I have put the mould
block in place. Then I turned on the
drill press and pulled the lever down
slowly. The image on the right is me
checking whether I have put the
mould block in place.

While I was pulling the lever down, I
held the Machine Vice it firmly so that it didn’t move and drill off the place.

After pulling the lever down until the drill has completely drilled through, I
pulled the lever up again and turned it off. The image on the left is how the
mould block looked like after I have drilled one of the holes.

I drilled every holes that I have marked out on the mould blocks.
The image on the
left is my mould
blocks lined in one
place. The next
process after drilling
was to put PVA on
the sides evenly and
glue it together.
Then use a sliding
clamp to hold them
in place and put a
dowel through the
holes.

Gluing the mould
I used a PVA to glue the mould
blocks together. I’ve first laid the
mould blocks to one sides and put
PVA on the side of the mould
blocks. The image on the left is
how I have put the PVA on only
one side of the side block.

After putting the PVA on the one side
of the mould block, I’ve put the mould
block together. I tried to line the holes
but I figured out later that one of the
holes wasn’t in line. When I lined up
one hole of that one mould block, the

other hole wasn’t in place. I first ignored it and clamped the mould blocks
together. Then I got a dowel and a wooden mallet. I’ve put the dowel on the
hole and started hitting the other end with the wooden mallet. I’ve hit it until
it went through the other hole. The other hole, I’ve got help from Mr.
Anderson. He asked me to get a cordless drill (a portable drill) and the same
10mm drill bit. Then he helped me to line the hole up by drilling the hole
again.

Emotion:
During this lesson, I was
Next?
In the next period I will be starting to cut the mould into the shape. Then I
will cut a MDF that is the size that could cover the back of the side block
no.2. If I am quick enough I will be
Changes to Plan
AOI/Learner Profile link
In this lesson I was a risk taker because I learnt a new process. I’ve never
done doweling before. It was a completely new process for me. I learnt the
use of the dowel in gluing and attaching. Putting the dowel was a new
process to me therefore I was a risk taker.

Journal Entry 13 – Mould 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

14th February 2011- Monday

In today’s single period I’ve started with getting the clamped mould out. Mr.
Anderson helped me to put the dowel through on the other hole after the
lesson on Friday. The image on the right is
the mould with the two dowels through.

I first unclamped the mould to work. Then I
needed to start cutting the dowel off.

Drawing circle
Before I have cut the dowels off, I marked
out the line into the shape of my lampshade. Because I want the lampshade
to be in a domed shape I needed to draw the circle on. I used a compass to
draw the circle. Before I drew the circle I needed to find the mid point of the
mould. I used a metal rule to mark out the half way (150mm) then used a
tri-square to mark a straight line. Then I opened the compass wide to
145mm and drew the circle. The pictures on the bottom left is me using a
compass to mark the circle, and on the bottom right is the picture of my
mould with circle marked out.

Cutting the dowel
Because the dowel was very long, I needed to cut the parts where it sticks
out. The tool I used in this process was a pull saw. I tried to use a Tenon
Saw but I had the same problem when I first cut the side into the
approximate shape. The saw wouldn’t go any further. Therefore I used a pull

saw to cut the pieces off. The image on the bottom is me using the pull saw
to cut the dowel off. Cutting the
dowel was a very quick job to finish.

Cutting the mould
There are many different ways to
cut the mould, however, it is the
best to use a machinery to cut them.
Therefore Mr. Anderson has helped
me to cut the mould into the circle.
He did it because of the danger of
the saw.

The machinery he used was called a
Band Saw. The image on the right is
Mr. Anderson using a Band saw to
cut the mould into the circle.

The image on the bottom is how it
looked like after using the band saw
to cut the mould into the circle.

Rasping the Mould to shape
The next step was to use a rasp to
rasp the mould into the dome shape
I wanted. I felt it would take a long
time to rasp the mould into the
dome shape I wanted.

I’ve first started
with the ends of the circumference because I felt it was
the best place to start rasping to make the mould into a
dome shape. I used the rasp and pushed the rasp and
while I was pushing it I curved the rasp so that it made a

curve at the end. The image on the right is me using the rasp to rasp the
ends to make the mould into the dome shape.

Journal Entry 14 - Mould Rasping 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

15th February 2011- Tuesday

In today’s lesson I have continued on with rasping the mould into the shape.
The process was very repetitive. I had to push the rasp to rasp the mould
into the shape I want. In the last period I didn’t put the mould in place; I
just rasped the mould by holding it with my left and rasping with my right.
However in today’s lesson I have clamped it on to the bench using a sliding
clamp. Then I continued to rasp the mould into shape.

Hard
It was very hard to rasp parts of
the mould where I had to rasp
along with the wood grains. This
process was harder than rasping
perpendicular to the wood grain
because the rasp couldn’t rasp
away as much compared to rasping
perpendicularly on to the wood
grain.
The part where it is rasping
perpendicularly to the wood grain
is circled in red and the part
where I am rasping along with
the grain is circled in blue (in the
image on the left).

Emotion:
I felt it was a really frustrating
process because there weren’t
any machinery that could do the
job of rasping. Therefore I need

to continue rasping the mould into the shape until it is done. I felt it was
really tiring and my wrist started to ache as well.

Next?
I will be continuing on with rasping the mould into the shape until I am done
with it.

Journal Entry 15 – Mould Rasping (2) 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

18th February 2011- Friday

In today’s lesson I’ve continued on with rasping the mould. I started rasping
the mould by pushing the rasp in a curve. After I have started rasping for 20
minutes, I felt that I need to put guide lines so that I can rasp the mould
into the shape I want (dome).

I got a compass and marked out three circle lines to guide me when I am
rasping. I found out that I was rasping mostly on one side and the other side
wasn’t done much. The
image on the left is the
mould after 20 minutes
and marking out the guide
lines. The red part of the
image is the part where I
needed to rasp more.

As I have rasped more and
more the guide line started
to fade. I don’t know why it
started to fade away, but I
was able to still see them.

The two images on top are how

my mould looked like at the end of the double period.

Emotion:
I think I am not far from finish making the mould. I think it will take about 4
or 5 more period to finish making the mould. I feel very frustrating and
lethargic while I was rasping the mould. I was repeating the same process
over and over again. At least I am seeing the progress I am making.

Next?
In the next period I will be continuing with the rasping process. Because it
is a single period, I won’t be able to do other things.

AOI/ Learner Profile
I was a thinker and reflective. I thought what could help me to rasp the
mould into the shape I have wanted. Therefore I drew guidelines with a
compass. I was always reflecting on the shape that I have rasped to.

Journal Entry 16 – Mould Rasping (3) 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

21st February 2011- Monday

In today’s lesson I continued on with rasping the mould again. I first started
rasping the part that I didn’t rasp much in the last period (see the previous
journal entry). Because the lines were unclear, I rasped approximately to
the first circle (the circle guideline that is on the most outside) then used the
compass again to mark it on again.
The image on the left is my
mould at the end of the
period today.

AOI/ Learner Profile
The AOI that I always
consider is the Health and
Social Education. When I
am rasping I know that
there are many wood dusts
flying. The wood dusts
might get on my clothes,
which leads to bad hygiene
and cause some illness, but I wore apron during the whole period. I wanted
to use a mask, but I’ve lost it so it might have been a problem because I
might have inhaled some of the wood dusts.

Journal Entry 17- Mould Finish 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

22nd February 2011- Tuesday ~ 24th February 2011- Thursday lunch

February 22nd 2011-Tuesday
On Tuesday’s double period I started with continuing on with rasping the
mould. Because this was the 7th period working on with rasping, I was pretty
accustomed to doing it and I started to doing it like habit. While I was
rasping I marked the guidelines again using the compass to guide me while I
was rasping. After I have rasped for an about an hour, I decided to flatten
the level the middle of the mould.
As we could see in the picture on
the right, the middle of the mould is
unlevelled.

Levelling the middle
The tool I used to level the middle
part of the mould was a smoothing
plane. Smoothing plane helps to
smooth the timber by cutting out
thin layers of timbers when pushed. I first clamped the mould on to the
bench. I had to clamp the sliding clamp to the side so I can smooth the
other side. After clamping I used a smoothing plane and pushed it to smooth
the mould. I had to start from the end and push it until the smoothing plane
reached the other end. By repeating this process I smoothed one side of the
mould. The image on the bottom show me using the smoothing plane to
smooth one side of the mould. The red line shows the direction that I was
pushing the smoothing plane.

February 24th 2011- Thursday lunch

I felt that I was getting behind
therefore I decided to come in at
lunchtime to finish the mould.

I first continued on with using the
smoothing plane to level the middle. After I have levelled the middle of the

mould I found out that I have been rasping poorly. I found out that because
the middle was unlevelled I have been rasping a little bit off the lines.
Therefore I drew a compass line again to guide me when I am rasping. I
used the flat-head rasp to rasp the mould. After rasping the mould to the
shape (line) I checked whether the mould was in the shape I wanted. I felt
that it was good enough.

Sanding the mould
After rasping, the next step was sanding the mould smooth. I’ve first
decided to smooth the ends using the disc sander. I’ve disc-sanded only the
ends. Because I came in at lunchtime, there wasn’t much time for me to
work. Therefore I was only able to
sand the ends. The image on the left
is how the mould looked like at the
end of lunch.
The image on the bottom shows my
mould. The ends are smoothed using
the disc sander however the curves
(place where red circle is)need to be
sanded.

Next?
In the next period I will be sanding
the mould smoothly by using a
rough garnet paper. Because there
is no school on the Friday I think my
plan will be a little bit delayed.

Journal Entry 18 – Sanding Mould 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

28th February 2011 – Monday

In today’s lesson I first started with sanding the mould. Because I had the
mould rasped into shape during last week Thursday’s lunchtime I needed to
start sanding the mould smoothly. The tools I used to sand the mould was
Sanding block and a garnet paper. I used a rough garnet paper to sand the
mould. The image on the bottom is me using the sanding block to hold the
Garnet paper and sanding the
mould with the garnet paper.

Wood-filling the hole
Because one of the holes were
off the place before I have put
the dowel in Mr. Anderson
helped me to drill the hole again
so that the holes line up. Therefore I had a small hole near the place where
the dowel was. I had to fill the hole with the wood filler. I used my hands to
put the wood filler on any hole I had on my mould. If there are holes, when I
actually melt the plastic on the mould,
the shape might look odd. The image
on the right is me putting the wood
filler in the hole that was created near
the dowel. I smudged the wood filler
on the mould to put the wood filler on.

Sanding
After I have put the wood filler, I
waited a while for it to be dry. After
waiting for a while, I sanded the

mould again to make the mould smooth again.

Next?
In the next period I will be starting to actually moulding the plastic. I will cut
out a sheet of plastic in the size I want and start moulding it.

In this period the AOI that linked with my project was as always Human
Ingenuity. Human Ingenuity is involved in my project because it involves me
in making the object to solve one problem that I have stated at the
investigate stage.

Journal Entry 19 – Side & Plastic 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

1st March 2011 – Tuesday

In today’s double period I couldn’t start moulding the plastic because the
tool I needed to use wasn’t ready yet. Therefore I had to work on other
things. I found that I had to cut a small pieces of MDF to put it at the back of
the side block no.2. The part where red line
is circled on the image on the right is the
part I had to cut a small piece of MDF.

Measuring and Marking out MDF
I’ve got a piece of MDF and a pencil. I’ve
first put the MDF on the place where the
back was missing (the circled part on the
image on the right) then approximately
marked the lines. After marking the pieces
out, I used a gents saw and a bench vice to
cut it out.
Filing the small piece
Because the small pieces I have cut out didn’t fit exactly on the back of the
side block no.2 I had to use a file to file it to the shape. Because I felt very
difficult to file the pieces, I used a very
small file to file them. The image on the
right is me using the small file to file the
small piece into the shape that fits at
the back of the side block no.2.

Gluing the piece on
After I have filed the small pieces, I
tested if it fits at the back of the side
block no.2. After I’ve checked it fits at the back, I’ve got a PVA to glue the

pieces together. After putting the piece together, I’ve got a g-clamp to
clamp the piece in place.
The image on the left is after I’ve put the PVA on the back of the side block
no.2 and put it together.

Measuring and marking out the plastic
Although I couldn’t mould the plastic, I could still measure and mark out the
size of the plastic I want. I’ve put the mould on the plastic and measured
approximately 105mm away from each ends. Because I wanted to have one
end longer than the others, I’ve marked a line 210mm away from the mould.
Then I marked a tri-square line. After I marked it, Mr. Anderson has helped
me to cut the plastic. After I’ve got the plastic in the size that I’ve wanted, I
needed to smooth the edges using a file. I’ve got a flat-head file and a
sliding clamp to do this. I’ve first clamped the plastic on to the bench. Then
I’ve pushed the file (as I did doing the mould) from a perpendicular position
and curved (like shown
in the picture on the
right). The image on the
right is me using the file
to smooth the edges.

After I did one side, I
turned over the plastic
to do the other side.
Because of lack of time,
I couldn’t finish
smoothing all the edges.

The image on the left is me filing
the edges using the flat file after
turning the plastic over.

Journal Entry 20 – side, base 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

4th March 2011- Friday

In today’s lesson I’ve first stared with filing the edges of the plastic. I just
had two side left to file. I’ve
got a flat-head file and started
filing the two side I’ve got left.
The red circled part on the
image on the left is the two
sides where I needed to file.

Cutting the unnecessary
part of the back of side
block no.2
Because the MDF piece that I
have glued at the back of the
side block 2 was larger than the size of the side block no.2 I decided to cut
the surplus part of the MDF by using the gents saw. While I was cutting with
the gents saw, one of the pieces has broken. I think this was because the
part that it broke didn’t got any
PVA under it to stick it to the
back of the side block no.2. The
image on the left shows the part
where it broke. I decided to
wood fill the gap later.

Filing the back
After I’ve cut the surplus of the
back of the side block no.2 I’ve
got a flat-head file and started
filing the back into the shape.
Smoothing the edges
After I have filed the back of the side block no.2 into the shape I’ve got a
rough garnet paper and a sanding block to sand the edges smooth. I’ve put
the garnet paper on the sanding block and held them together. Then I’ve
sanded the edges of the sides. I didn’t sanded the edges of the bottom part
because I will be gluing these two sides on to a base. The image on the

bottom left is me using the garnet paper and the sanding block to smooth
the edges. The object pointed with blue line is the sanding block, the object
pointed in yellow is the garnet paper and the green lines are the edges that I
have smoothed.
Wood filling
After I have sanded the edges, I
got the wood filler to fill the part
where it broke and any other
gaps.
I’ve put a lot of wood filler on to
the place where it broke. The
image on the bottom is how the
place it broke looked like after
wood filling.

After wood filling I had to wait until it
dried. Because of the wood filler, I
couldn’t sand the side to make it smooth.
I had to wait a while to sand them. I
wasn’t able to sand them in today’s period.

Measuring the size of the base
I’ve measured that the width of the base
will be 205 [170+30(macbook size)] by
195. I’ve measured this by measuring the width and the length of the sides
put together.

Base
Mr. Anderson has helped me to cut the base. The material I used was a
plywood (10mm thickness). He cut the base into 205 by 195, however it
seemed a little bit smaller than what I’ve measured. I’ve made a pencil line
mark on the base of where the side will be glued. I wasn’t able to glue the
base and the sides together because it was the end of the period.

Journal Entry 21 – Base (cutting & drilling) 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM
7th March 2011- Monday

In today’s lesson I started with sanding the sides smooth. Because the
wood-filler was dry now I was able to file the sides. I used a flat-head file to
file the side where the back broke and I had to fill it up with the wood filler.
The image on the left is me using the flat-head
file to file the side.

The image on the bottom right is how the side
looked like after I have filed with the flat-head
file. On the left is before I have wood filled it.

Cutting the base
The next process I did was
marking out the place where I
will cut (the unnecessary part)
out of the base. I used a tri
square and a pencil to do this.
using the tri square and the
pencil to mark out where I will be
cutting.

After I have marked out where I wanted to cut, I got a tenon saw to cut the
part out. I’ve put the base in the wood vice and used the tenon saw to cut.
The image on the left is my base after
I’ve cut the parts with the tenon saw.

Drilling hole for screws
Before I glued the base and the sides
together, I had to drill 3 holes for the
screws for each sides. I had to do this
to glue the base and the sides firmly.

I marked the places where I
wanted to drill approximately on
the bottom of the base.
The image on the right is the
picture of the bottom of the base
which I marked the places where
I wanted to drill holes on (circled
in red).

The tool I used to drill the hole
was a cordless drill. I had to find
the drill bit that best fit the screw that I wanted to use. The screw that I
wanted to use was 35mm long. I’ve used a drill bit that had countersink-bit

together with the normal bit.

On the image on the top, the object that is in the yellow lines is the cordless
drill. The part where it has red
arrows is the countersink-bit part
of the drill bit that I used.

I tried to hold the cordless drill
90˚ as possible on to the base. I
turned on the cordless drill and
started drilling.

After I drilled through the base, I
turned the cordless drill in circles
to make the countersink on the

base. I had to do this because of the head of the drill.
The image on the top right is me using the cordless drill to drill through the
base. The red line shows the direction that I have turned the cordless drill
after I have drilled through the base.

Journal Entry 22 – Gluing Base 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

8th March 2011- Tuesday

In today’s lesson I continued on with drilling the holes for the screws on the
base. I used the cordless drill with a drill bit that had a drill and a
countersink bit together to drill the holes. I drilled the hole and checked if
the screw sunk in the countersink. I found that some of them didn’t sink
completely, therefore I got a countersink bit and a cordless drill to make the
countersink bigger. The image on
the right is me using the cordless
drill with a countersink bit on. I
turned the cordless drill in anti-
clockwise direction to make the
countersink bigger. After I made
the countersink larger, I checked if
the screw sunk completely.

Sanding the base to shape
After I was done with drilling I
needed to cut and sand the base into the marked shape. Before I sanded the
base, I had to cut some part off. The place circled in red in the picture below
is the part where I needed
to cut. I used a tenon saw
to cut the parts off.

The image on top right is

how the base looked after cutting the unnecessary parts of the base.

The next step was to disc sand the base into the shape. I got a safety goggle
to protect my eyes while I was sanding. Some parts of the base was very
difficult to disc sand. The place where
circled in red on the image on the right
is the part which was difficult to disc
sand The solution to this problem was
to mark the same lines on the back and
disc sand it. However there were still
some parts where I couldn’t disc sand.
For these parts I used a flat-head file
to file it to the shape.

Gluing the base
This part of the process was a very difficult process to do it alone. To glue
the base and screw the screws in, the tools I used were wooden vice, nail,
hammer, cordless drill, PVA, screw, screwdriver and a wet cloth. For one of
the sides, I first put the PVA on and
started screwing. Before screwing I
used a nail and a hammer to mark the
position where the screws will go. After
I have put the side and the base in the
correct position, I nailed the nail a little
bit in and pulled it out. I did it for the
other two holes also.
Then the next step was to drill the hole
in a little bit with a smaller drill bit than the screw. The I put the screws in
the right position and screw
them in with a screwdriver. The
image on the left is me using
the screwdriver to screw the
screws in.

Journal Entry 23 – Sanding, wood-filling 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM


In today’s lesson I’ve started to file the base to the shape. In the previous
lesson, I was able to glue the base and the two sides together. I saw that
some part of the base was not in the correct shape, therefore I had to use a
flat-head file to file the base to the shape. The circled part of the image on
the left is the part where I
had to use a flat-head file to
file the base to the shape.
Because the side and the
base was too big to put it in
the wood vice I had to hold
on to it and file it. It took
me a long time to file them
to the shape. There were no
other ways to shape the
base into shape other than
filing.
Wood filling the base
I wanted to wood fill the countersunk part of the base because I didn’t want
the screws showing. I could use lump of paint to cover up the screws but I
wanted to first fill the hole with the wood filler and then use a garnet paper
to sand it smooth, then put paint over it. I got a wood filler and filled the
hole and the part where the base
was shorter than the side up. The
image on the right is the base after
I have put wood fillers on. The
circled part on the image on the
right is where the base was shorter
than the side.

Emotion:
I felt today was very tiring and
boring double period because I was

able to do only two process. I was only able to do filing and wood filling. I
wasn’t able to mould the lampshade because the burner wasn’t ready yet.
Next?
In the next period, I will first start with sanding all the edges smooth for the
base and the sides. If I am quick enough I could start painting the base and
the sides.

AOI/Learner Profile
In today’s period I was a thinker and

Journal Entry 24 –Sanding body 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM


In today’s lesson I have started with sanding the base with a garnet paper
and sanding block. In the previous lesson, I had my body (the base and the
two sides) put in the wood vice. Because the wood-filler was dry I was able
to sand them. The image on the
right is picture of me using the
garnet paper and the sanding
block to sand the bottom.

Sanding the edges
After I have sanded the bottom
of the body I had to sand the
edges. I also used the garnet
paper and the sanding block to
sand the edges smooth. I had
some difficulty sanding the corners (circled part in the image above). To
sand those part, I simply got away the sanding block and used only the
garnet paper to sand it. The image
on the left is me using only the
garnet paper to sand the corners.

Wood filling
I thought that I was done with wood
filling in the previous lesson but I
found out that the parts where I had
rasped had some rough texture.
Because the rasps had very big
teeth, it didn’t rasp the object smoothly. I also found there were some gaps.
Therefore I got the wood filler to fill
them. The image on the left is me
wood filling the part where I have
rasped before.

Because I couldn’t sand the parts
where I have wood filled until it was

dry, there were nothing else I could do.

Next?
In the next double period I will start with sanding the body smoothly using a
very smooth garnet paper. After I have sanded the body smoothly I will then
start Painting. If I am able to start moulding the plastic, I will start moulding
it as soon as possible.

Journal Entry 25 - painting 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM


In today’s lesson I started with sanding the bottom. I’ve got the roughest
garnet paper and a sanding block to sand the bottom. After I have sanded
the bottom smoothly, I got a medium density garnet paper and started to
sand the body smoothly. I sanded all the sides smoothly with a medium
garnet paper. Then the next process was to use a very smooth garnet paper
to sand the body very smoothly before I painted it. The image on the left is
the smooth garnet paper that I
used at the end to sand the body
very smoothly.

Painting
After I have sanded all the sides
and ends smoothly, the next
step was to paint the body. The
color that I wanted to use to
paint the body was brown. I
wanted to have it as brown
because of the biomimic connection. Because the biomimic connection of the
body was the rock in the ocean I
wanted to paint it in brown (the color
of the rock.) I got a brown paint and a
purple paint to mix it together to make
darker brown. I started to paint with
dark brown. The image on the right is
the color that I have started with. Mr.

Anderson has told me to start with a
lighter color. I changed my mind and
started to paint lighter brown fist,
then mix some darker brown on it.
On the image on the left the right

part of the painted area is darker than the left.
I first painted the body in the light color.
I was able to paint the most of side block no 3 for both sides and some other
areas.

Emotion:
I was happy to see me progress. I was glad that I feel like close to finishing
the product. I am not sure whether I have to make a supportive part to hold
the body in place. In my orthographic drawing, I have added an supportive
object to make the body safe from being unbalanced because of the large
lampshade. I hope that I will finish with only the body that I have now.
Next?
In the next period I will be continuing on with painting the body. If the
burner that could mould the plastic is ready, then I will mould the plastic
into shape. If not I will first paint the body with light brown. Then I will add
gradient. I will darken the color. Then if I have time I will add dark green to
express the see weeds or moss.

Journal Entry 26 – Painting (Finish) 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

What I did
In today’s lesson I have continued on with painting the body. I got a reddish
brown paint and purple paint to start with. Because I was able to first paint
with reddish brown paint I started to make the bottom of the body (near the
base) with brown mixed with purple.
painting with a reddish brown paint
in the gap between the blocks. In
the last period I was able to paint
the red circled parts also in a
reddish brown paint. However I
didn’t paint the insides (the sides
where the laptop will go). Because I
painted the reddish brown color
down to the blue line on the image on the right I decided to paint the bottom
with darker color.
Darker part
I got a purple paint and mixed it with the reddish brown paint and started
painting below the blue line shown in the image above. I painted only the
ones that are short (which is all the blocks excluding no 3, however I didn’t
paint the side block no 2 the smallest one). I painted half way up the side
blocks with the brown mixed with purple paint. After I painted it with purple
paint mixed with reddish brown, I painted the block again to create a
gradient effect. I changed the proportion of the reddish brown paint and the
purple paint to create the gradient effect.

Painting the base

After I have given the gradient effect for the sides, I got a dark brown paint
and purple paint to paint the
bottom. I wanted to paint the
bottom of the body because it
looked odd when I lifted up and
there were scratches from the
nailed block. I mixed the brown
with black paint also. I first
painted the middle of the base
with black mixed with dark
brown. The image on the left is
me painting the middle of the
base. Near the sides, I painted with the paint mixed with purple to look
similar on the edges.

Next
In the next period I will start moulding the plastic. If the burner is not ready,
then I will try to make the legs for the plastic mould if possible.

Journal Entry 27 – Lampshade 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

21st March 2011-Monday

In today’s lesson I have started with marking out the four hole for the
lampshade. I’ve put the four legs where it will fit in the body then I got the
plastic out. I had to drill the four holes that the legs would attach to. I’ve put
the body in the middle of the circle that I have marked out previously. Then
I have measured the distance between the four legs and started to mark out
the place where the four legs will be. I used a board marker to mark where
the four legs would be attached to.
Because it would be hard to drill after
I have moulded the plastic, I had to
drill it before I moulded the plastic.
The image on the right is the plastic
after I have marked out the places for
the four legs.

Drilling
I used the cordless drill to drill the
four holes. I got a drill bit of the size
of the four legs. I’ve put the plastic on the table and opened the wood vice. I
opened it up just to help me in drilling. I’ve put the part where I want to drill
in between the wood vice and
started drilling. The image on the
left is me using the cordless drill
to drill the four holes on the
plastic. After drilling it I have
tested if the holes were drilled in
the right position. I’ve put the

four legs on the body and put the plastic
through it. I checked it was in the correct
position. The image on the right shows

how it looked like after putting the plastic through.

Remarking the shape
I felt that the plastic was a little bit large, therefore I decided to make the
one side which was longer a little bit shorter. I have rounded the corners
also. The image on the bottom is how I have re-marked out the shape of the
plastic that I wanted to be.

Cutting the four legs
I got a whiteboard marker
and marked the four legs to
the size I wanted. There
were two lengths, two long
ones and two short ones. I
decided to cut the long ones
to the size of the short one.
I marked the place where I
will cut on the leg. Then I
got a hack saw and started cutting it. I’ve put the leg in the metal vice and
got a hack saw. Like using other
kind of saws, I pulled the hack
saw three times backwards and
started cutting by pushing the
hack saw back and forth.

I’ve cut the four legs into the
same length.

Next?
Mr. Anderson has helped me to
cut the plastic into the shape that
I have marked out using a band saw. I had to file the edges smooth again.

Journal Entry 28 – molding plastic 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

22nd March 2011- Tuesday

In today’s lesson I have first started off with smoothing the edges of the
plastic with a file. I go t a flat-head file and a sliding clamp for this process. I
clamped the plastic on to the bench with the sliding clamp then I used the
file to smooth the edges.

Test

After I have smoothed all the edges, I tried a test piece before I actually
start moulding my lampshade. I got the piece that was cut out when I was
re-marking and cutting the plastic. I peeled the plastic off and got my mould
and the Bunsen burner. Because it was a first trial I wasn’t sure how to do it.
We tried clamping the plastic on the mould and firing with the Bunsen
burner. However, the problem with this method was the mould started to
burn. The image on the right is
me with Mr. Anderson trying to
mould the plastic by clamping it
on to the mould. We saw some
smoke from the mould so we
stopped. However we did still try
bending the plastic.

After this test we decided to first
heat the plastic then putting it on
to the mould to shape it. I drew whiteboard marker lines on the plastic on
the plastic to guide me where to heat the
plastic. I used a whiteboard marker because
it was erasable. The image on the left is the
test piece with whiteboard marker lines on it.
The method of heating the plastic first then
putting it on the mould was successful.

Marking the position
Because I will be getting the plastic away from the mould and on to it again,
I had to have the plastic on the mould in the exact position each time.

Therefore I marked the places where
the four holes will go on the mould with
a pencil. I’ve put the plastic into the
position and used a pencil to mark
where the four holes were. After I have
marked out the position of the plastic I
started to peel the plastic. The image
on the right is me peeling the plastic
off.

After I have peeled the plastic off, I’ve put it on the position on the mould.
Then I got a whiteboard marker and
marked the lines to guide me where
to heat the plastic up. After I have
marked with the whiteboard marker
I’ve put the plastic near the edge of
the bench. The image on the bottom
is before I started to mould the
plastic.

Because I had to mould the plastic by
pushing it to the mould I had to be very
careful of burning my fingers. Mr.
Anderson has gave me one side of a
glove so that the burner doesn’t slip off
when I am using it and I don’t get burn
while moulding the plastic.

Moulding the plastic
I’ve turned the Bunsen burner on. I
had the Bunsen burner as blue flame to
heat the plastic up. I’ve hold the
Bunsen burner with two hands and
started heating it underneath. When

the plastic started to get wobbly I took it off and put it on to the mould. The
image on the right is me using the Bunsen burner to heat up the plastic.
There is the whiteboard marker line to guide me in heating the plastic. For a
start, I only heated the red part of
the image above. After heating the
plastic I’ve put it over the mould. I
lined up the four holes with the
places that I have marked on the
mould. Then I pushed the plastic
downwards to make it into the shape
of the mould. I had to hold the
plastic until it started to cool down
and maintain its form. The plastic
was very hot even though I was wearing the glove to protect my hand from
burning.

Then I started to heat the next section. I’ve heated the plastic up and lined
the four holes again and started to push the plastic to mould it. In the
process of pushing it, it created a crack on the plastic. Luckily the crack
wasn’t too big.

Journal Entry 29 – molding plastic 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM


In today’s period I have continued on with moulding the plastic using the
Bunsen burner. I got my mould, Bunsen burner and a lighter to start with. I
got a glove to make sure that I didn’t get any burns in the process of
moulding the plastic. Because almost third of the plastic was moulded, it was
hard to actually heat the plastic away from the mould and put the plastic on
to the mould to mould the plastic. Therefore I used a box to higher the
height of the mould so that when I moulded the plastic it doesn’t hit the
bench and used a sliding clamp to clamp the mould in place. I’ve put a piece
of wood between the clamp and the plastic.

Then I turned lit the Bunsen burner with the lighter and turned the flame
into a blue flame. I heated the plastic slowly in small sections. When the
plastic was soft enough, I tried to push the plastic down to mould it. During
the process of heating the plastic, the mould started to burn a little bit. I
noticed that it was inevitable for the mould to burn a little bit when I was
heating up the plastic very close to the mould. With the help of Mr. Anderson
I was able to quickly go around and heat the mould into shape. Because the
plastic was too hot even with the gloves on, I used a wooden stick to press
the plastic down.

After I have moulded the plastic, I took the plastic off from the mould and
tried to put it on the four legs. Before I have put the mould on the legs I got
four nuts and put it on the legs to prevent the plastic to go in all the way.
I’ve put the plastic on and used another nuts to tighten the plastics on the
legs.

Emotion:
I was not really satisfied with the look of the plastic after I have moulded. I
wanted the plastic to really droop more and I don’t think it is possible with
the method that I am currently using. If I can I want to try to really make
the plastic droop down. I am glad that I was able to go around the circle and
heat up the plastic and mould it into the basic shape I wanted.

Next?

In the next period I will be exploring where to attach the light fitting on the
plastic. After I have decided with the position that the light fitting would go I
would start to attach the light fitting on to the plastic. If I can get the
drooping effect on the plastic, I will re-mould the plastic.

AOI/Learner Profile
The AOI involved in today’s lesson was Human Ingenuity and Health & Social
Education. Human Ingenuity is always involved in every lesson when I go to
the workshop. Health & Social Education is also one of the AOIs that is
always involved when I went to the workshop. In today’s lesson I wore a
glove to prevent my hands from getting burns.

Biomimicry connection
The biomimicry connection of my lampshade is that the lampshade has a
shape of a jellyfish. Not only my lampshade has a shape of a jellyfish but
also some jellyfish glows therefore

Journal Entry 30 – light fitting 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM


In today’s single period I have started off with getting a light fitting. When I
got the light fitting I had to choose where it would go. The two image on the
left is the top and the bottom
view of the light fitting. The left
one is the top and the right is the
bottom.
I decided to attach the light
fitting near the middle of the
plastic. The reason why I chose it
was because it would look the
best compared to other position
and the middle part of the plastic was the flattest. The red part of the image
on the left shows where I
decided to put the light fitting
on.

After deciding where to put it I
had to find a bolt that was the
adequate size for the light
fitting. I found two very small
bolts with same size. Then I
found a nut that would fit in.
After I have found the bolts, I
had to find a drill bit that was a little bit bigger than the size of the bolt.

After I have found the bolt I used a whiteboard marker to mark out where I
wanted the holes to be to attach the light fitting.

Drilling

After I have got the drill bit of the right size, I have put my product on the
floor and got a cordless drill. I used a cordless drill to drill the hole. I drilled
one hole and checked if the bolts fits. Then I drilled the next hole. I had to
be very careful and not press too hard. If I did press hard the plastic might

have broken and had to do the
moulding process all over.
Luckily I didn’t have any
cracks made in the process of
drilling the holes. The image
on the left is how the
lampshade looked like after I
have drilled the two holes for
the light fitting. Although it is
unclear on the picture the
place where I have drilled is
the red circled part of the
picture on the left.

Bio-mimicry connection
The bio-mimicry connection for the body (where the laptop will be held) is
the rocks under the sea. First of all rocks have a characteristic of strong and
firm. To hold objects the body has to be very firm and strong. The shape of
the body also has a bio-mimicry connection. The shape of the body is the
shape of a rock that we could find in the oceans.
The bio-mimicry connection of the lampshade is the shape of the lampshade.
The lampshade is similar to the shape of a Jellyfish. The lampshade is see
though and lights are emitted. Some jellyfishes under water can glow in the
dark because there are less light coming to the deep oceans.

AOI/Learner Profile
I was a Thinker in today’s period. I was a thinker because I was thinking the
best way and the best position for the light fitting to be attached to. I have
thought about variety of positions that the light fitting could be put and I
chose the best position out of all the possible positions that I have thought
of.

Journal Entry 31- Other Base 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM


In today’s lesson I wasn’t sure of what to start with. What I had to do was to
install the light fitting. However, the cord wasn’t ready. I decided to use a
2M cord for the light because sometimes the electricity source are far away
from the lights.

Base
After I have chosen the length of the wire (cord) I have decided to make a
base for the lampshade when I take it off the laptop holder. Because the
four legs are not firm enough to stand on the desk on its own, I decided to
make a base that could hold the lamp shade when it is taken off the laptop
holder (body).

First I have measured the diagonal distance of the four legs. The distance of
approximately 150. I just added 25mm for each side and marked it out as
the length of the base. I have marked out two blocks. After I have marked
out the length of the base with a pencil and a tri-square, I used a hand saw
to cut the block. The image on the
left is me using the hand saw to cut
the blocks.

Drilling
I had to drill two holes on the side
of these two blocks because of how
I wanted to glue them together.
The joint I wanted to use for these

two blocks was a dowel joint, where
dowels are used to help the joint
become firm.

I have used a tri-square and a pencil
to mark out where to drill the two
holes for the dowels. I used a 10mm
drill bit to drill the holes. I wasn’t sure

whether I had to drill all the way or not therefore I just drilled all the way
through. The image on the top is me using the drill press to drill the holes
for the dowels.

Gluing
After drilling all the holes. I have used a PVA and put it in the hole, then I
have put the dowel in. I used a wooden mallet to hammer in the dowels.
Then I have put the other block together and clamped it with a sliding clamp.

Journal Entry 32 11. 1. 17. 7:58 PM

1st April 2011- Friday

In today’s period I have continued on with the base. I first measured the
distances of the four legs. The length was 120 mm and the width was
100mm and the diagonal length was approximately 155mm. I have
measured the length and the width of the base and marked the four holes in
the middle of the base. Because I wanted to have equal distance for each
sides of the holes I measured
the base’s length and width. The
lines with the same color on the
picture on left shows the equal
distances (The yellows are same
lengths and the reds are same
lengths).

Sanding
After I have measured and
marked out where the holes will
be drilled. I have used a disc sander to round the ends. I drew a line to
guide me when I am rounding the edges.
However I didn’t sand up till the lines. The
image on the left is the base after I have
rounded the ends. After I have rounded
the ends I found out that the two blocks
were not levelled. Therefore I got a
sanding board and started to sand the
base and level it. It took a long time for
me to level the base because I had to
continuously
push the base back and forth on the sanding
board.

Drilling
After I have sanded the base and levelled it I
used the drill press to drill the hole. The image
on the left is me using the drill press to drill the

four holes for the four legs.

After I have drilled the four holes, I have sanded the corners of the base.
After I have sanded the corners and the edges of the base I have checked if
the lampshade stood on the
base. The image on the right
is the lampshade on the base.

Next?
The next thing I will do is
either install the light fitting
or to continue on with the
base. I should start painting
the base in the next period if
I am not putting the light
fitting on.

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