Plotter Pen holder

[myxpykalix]

I think the volume of things produced in a school shop class and sold won't ever compete with anyone out here so i wouldn't worry

Besides, not only are they being taught a trade but they are learning how to be capitalists, and that's a good thing. They are learning to be productive members of society...makers, not takers They learn to make something, how to sell it and then get rewarded in pay for their efforts so I say more power to them!

They may grow up to be the next AJ Coholic, or Brian Harnett, or any number of quality craftsmen we have here so I say go for it!

And Bob is right about school funding....I see year after year people come out and say we need to fund our schools, ect and people blindly agree to have their taxes raised for this but you never see things improve in the classroom or shopclasses expanded or graduation rates increase but you always see teacher raises to 3% or more a year and pensions paid....

[Xray]

I don't understand why publicly funded schools feel they have the need or the right to compete with private industry for customer dollars. Training young people to have skills and an entrepenuerial spirit are lofty goals and I applaud them, but next they will be selling signs and furniture and whatever in the name of fundraising or community spirit and I can't agree with that. Bob

Well, what gives girl scouts the right to compete with walmarts selling cookies ?
Of course they have the right, so long as they do it legally like everyone else.
I don't understand what problem you would have if they did start selling signs, furniture, brooms or toothpicks, perhaps you could elaborate. Publicly funded jails use slave labor to make license plates and many other things.
You think it is unfair competition because they are publicly funded ?

[hh_woodworking]

[QUOTE=myxpykalix;162033

And Bob is right about school funding....I see year after year people come out and say we need to fund our schools, ect and people blindly agree to have their taxes raised for this but you never see things improve in the classroom or shop classes expanded or graduation rates increase but you always see teacher raises to 3% or more a year and pensions paid....[/QUOTE]


Jack,
Be careful about blanket statements.. As a teacher 6 years ago I took a $6,000/year pay cut and my wife also took a $8,000 pay cut. I have received a raise of $400.00/ year for 3 years and the last 2 years no raise at all. We pay 14.5% of our salary for our pension plan. (fyi my salary is $36,000 22 years teaching)

Bob,
As far as the fund raiser.. I do use Items that we make as fundraisers. I would much rather do that and sell the cheap fund raiser items for 25% of the sale. My fund raiser average 90% profit. I have also taught a entrepreneurship class that the students had to decide as a group on the project, sale stock in the company, create production charts build jigs ect. They built proto types models. Keep balance sheets and control waste. They were the ones that bought most of the company stock but the stock was open to any one at the school to buy. The profit was paid to the stockholders based on shares held. 1/2 of the profit was returned to the shop for purchase of new tools.

Ed

[myxpykalix]

Ed,
I'll concede that is a fair point. I should have pointed out that, this is what i see in my community. I suppose as with all things we see the waste and abuse of our tax dollars especially in the school system but rarely see the individual good teachers (of whom you and your wife are ones!) so let me add this caveat..."present company excluded" to my staement
Thanks for the correction

[Red F]

I think this plotter pen is a great project for students to take on. I also am very happy if the students in this school system are able and allowed to sell them. I thinks that whatever price that the students and instructor decide to sell them for is fine. Thank goodness there are still tech class in the school systems!

This goes against my normal quiet disposition.

I really appreciate all of the posts and incites from everyone on this board. But I have to say, my wife is a teacher in the NC public school system and she hasn't had a raise in at least 5 years.

Our state legislators seem to think that funding (called vouchers) should be taken away from the "failing" public schools and given to private schools, and then talk about the poor condition of our schools. They say teachers should be paid based on student performance on standardized tests, yet shove more and more students into a classroom and hike up the expectations.

And then they tell parents (voters) that it's the teachers' fault that their child is failing. God forbid that the parents engage with their children and become active in their education and wise up and see where the hurdles in their child's education are.

Before we jump on the "teachers are whats wrong with this country" bandwagon, try spending 30 minutes in a room with 25 kids. And then realize that you don't just have to herd the cats, but you have to teach them something, deal with some of their tragic home lives, build their self confidence, inspire them, and everything else that adults can do for themselves. Oh, and there isn't time for PE where they can run around and be kids, because we need to cram more standardized testing into their heads.

Can we put this can of worms aside and let this thread be about the project in the header?

***To the moderator, I apologize if this has gone over the line in regards to the forum policy. Feel free to remove it if necessary or even if unnecessary.***

[myxpykalix]

On that note.....one thing you can do in the designing and selling of the plotter pen is to show the administration the viability of the programs which shows all phases from design, prototyping, production and marketing which is teaching them computer, production, and marketing skills.
I doubt that the sales will make the programs self sustaining but all the various aspects are things that alot of young people need to learn. Not everyone is going to be college material and we need more tradesmen.

Keep us advised on the dragknife tool, i'd be interested in that
Keep up the good work!

[Kyle Stapleton]

Bob,
When teaching a production or any shop class you have to make things to teach a skill set, and at the end of the day you can make things that you can use or you can make things you can toss in the trash. Anyway you do it you are going to be spending money, why not try to make a little back. We use the funds to take our kids on field trips that they could not afford any other way.

With the potter pen holder students are learning to use a CNC lathe, it just happened that this project teaches many skills in the use of a lathe: chamfering (inside and outside), male and female threads, drilling to a depth/through and flat bottom boring, multiple zero points, ect... the list goes on. So if they are being sold or not they will be made.

As for, "Selling things for $25.00 that are worth twice that amount in the real world is not the kind of lessons I want my kids to learn" Bob. if you think the price point is way to low feel free to teach your kids an econ lesson, buy the whole lot and sale them for double the price.(it is not, only sold two)

This is my only reply to this topic, this forum is a great place to learn and have a little fun lets not ruin it with Right wing, Left wing stuff.

[Kyle Stapleton]

Here are some more picture of the pens work. silver sharpie on black vinyl.
Also they are working on a tip to hold a full size sharpie if you have room in your z.

[scottp55]

Kyle, Desktop we use only has 4" Z. With pen holder fully inserted in collet how much Z is needed to the tip of the sharpie?

[Tom Bachman]

Kyle, can you send me information on getting one of these?