2014 was a great year for the Brownwood chapter of the Skills USA organization. The Brownwood Chapter took 5 projects to the state conference to compete in 4 different categories. They won best of show in 3 of these 4 categories.
Projects entered by the chapter members ranged from a speaker box (pictured below) to a wooden canoe (pictured at top).
A custom truck speaker box was built by seniors Levi Collins and Wade Holden.
“Levi and Wade did a great job on this little project. Taking time to make certain all dimensions were correct, and building a very professional piece,” said Building Trades teacher Cody Smith. “They spent some extra time on the scroll saw to add the detail on the sides.”
A beautiful poker style table was built by juniors Sean Ludlow, Jesse “Carlos” Garcia, Michael Livingston, and Devon Williams required more than just knowing how to use woodworking tools.
“These are some really smart and hard working young men. As you might imagine a lot of geometry and hard work goes into a table like this,” stated Smith. “The center column of this table is made up of 34 – 1&1/16th inch pieces cut on a 6-degree bevel glued together and then sanded to be round. I was most proud of their perseverance; the first design for attaching the feet to the center column of the table failed but these young men looked at their options, engineered a new design and did a great job executing it.”
The Ship’s Wheel was built by senior Brandon Muenzler who has shown much patience and craftsmanship during the making of this project, winning best of show in the innovative design category.
“I cannot say enough about this project or this young man. Brandon has worked on this project on and off over the course of two school years,” said Smith. “He has singlehandedly produced a bit of craftsmanship that must be seen in person to truly appreciate.”
Smith explained that Brandon challenged himself and his instructor with this project, “His hard work and perseverance have left him with a piece that he can be proud of for many different reasons,” said Smith.
The wooden canoe was built by seniors Mackey Gibson, John Gies, Steven Arceneaux, Jaime Hernandez, Alexis Garcia, Irene Sanchez and sophomore Bryan Bautista.
“All I can say about this project is wow. They started in mid-January and consistently worked hard through the entire process,” said Smith. “Like the ship’s wheel, this one must be seen in person to realize the amount of work it takes to build.”
Smith explained that the canoe is made up of 1/4” X 3/4” strips of cedar and basswood and capped with ash inwhales and outwhales. The plans for the canoe were purchased by the department’s activities account through bearmountainboats.com. The process of building this project included activities such as steaming wood, lots of gluing and innovative clamping, and working with fiberglass and epoxy. These young men and ladies learned a lot about woodworking, patience, and determination throughout this process, according to Smith.
The last project was the first project made by Brownwood Middle School students that the local chapter has ever taken to the state competition, according to Smith. Three 8th graders built an impressive coffee table with a custom etched glass centerpiece.
“This year we added a project built by three students in the woodshop program at Brownwood Middle School. Led by teacher James “Cody” Canon; 8th graders Hunter Mares, Ryland Reagan, and Wyatt Jacobs did a fabulous job on this project,” said Smith. “The design and finish of this project make it obvious that these are some dedicated and hard working young men. Mr. Canon and these boys have a lot to be proud of.”
Smith stated that all of the projects are available for purchase. To inquire about these items, please contact Cody Smith at 325-642-1860.
