Mr. Scott’s Trades class built and raced their CO2 cars. The goal for the students is to learn about the design process. They also get to study Orthographic Projection and working drawings.
Students came up with at least five thumbnail drawings, a more detailed design sketch and a full scale final drawing of the top and right side of their cars. They then had to drill the axle holes and cut them out on the bandsaw, all while following the state SkillsUSA rules for building the dragsters.
This year we built an above ground race track, and this helped out tremendously. The kids didn’t have to lay down on the dirty dusty floor in the woodshop and they had less misfires or re-races.
The cars are propelled down a track on 30 Lb fishing string. The string keeps them in line and guides them down the track. It’s a lot of fun for the kids and they all got involved, some being pretty competitive. I have seen cars that come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
I encourage anyone to stop by and watch them race. We will be racing close to the last day of school. The kids also make a double elimination race bracket on the Internet and this keeps things organized. I encourage all trades classes to think about joining SkillsUSA next year. SkillsUSA is a national organization that is geared to supplying the USA with a skilled labor force. STS, or Skilled Technical Sciences, is a growing field right now. We still need workers that can fix, build, and problem solve. Learning is fun and so is SkillsUSA.
