This week, Benchmark’s resident Fixpert, Maya Alvarado gathers oak offcuts, packs up tools and materials and leads a making workshop for residents at local housing charity Two Saints’ hostel…
06:20: I wake up and ensure that my camera batteries are charged, as today my sister Rhianna will make a film documenting a workshop that I will lead at local hostel Two Saints. I will be working with the hostel’s homeless residents to make useful things out of wooden offcuts from the Benchmark workshop.
07:30: I arrive at the Benchmark workshop; I still have a little bit of preparation to complete for the day. As there aren’t any pillar drills or band saws at the hostel, I cut some oak offcuts to size for the residents to transform into coat hooks. Using a jig that holds the panels at a fifty-five degree angle, I drill holes to receive dowel pegs. These will be strong enough to hold clothing and bags in each room.
10:00: Tea time – I chat to Pete about my plans for the session at Two Saints. He is keen to get involved in another workshop and shares lots of great ideas for products that will use offcuts in suitable ways.
10:15: Using a jig that holds the panels at a fifty-five degree angle, I drill holes into the oak blocks to receive dowel pegs.
11:15: I borrow a few Benchmark site bags and pack a drill and a range of different hand tools that could be useful in the workshop. I gather screws, fittings, brushes and oils.
11:30: I load the Benchmark van with the materials, and Dan Bruce from the design office kindly gives me a lift to the hostel.
12:00: I arrive at Two Saints and offload the bags from the van. Darren Higgins, one of the community inclusion officers greets me at reception. We run through the plan for the workshop and get talking about ideas for future sessions.
12:30: Darren shows me the current bike locking facility, which is not that secure. He describes an ideal bike shed that would house bike racks inside. We discuss how this could be incorporated into another making workshop session, it will be great to get a series going and a group of residents to attend regularly.
13:00: I get into the workshop room and set up stations for participants to work from. Each consists of a piece of oak – each of different sizes and characteristics, either three or four dowels (depending on the size of the panel), a pencil, sandpaper and a sanding block. This has been advertised as a taster session for other workshop collaborations between Two Saints, Fixperts and Benchmark, which means that I do not know how many people will join in – I am excited to see how the session turns out!
13:30: Three participants arrive ready to start making. They each select their own piece of oak, looking for a particular grain or quality. We start by removing the sharp from each edge using sandpaper around a sanding block. Then working our way up through the level of grit, we sand the surface of the oak pieces to achieve a flat and smooth surface.
14:00: Next we prepare the dowel pegs for the holes, they are a few millimetres oversize to ensure a snug fit. With a little sandpaper along the end that will go in, they are reduced down in size to be tapped in easily. The jig comes in handy as a ledge to work from. People choose different finishing methods for the pegs – either leaving the end completely flat, or tapering off the edge through sanding. There is a fun energy about the room and the guys are all natural makers.
14:30: Using different sized drill bits, the pilot hole to secure the peg is made into the dowel itself. This is just slightly smaller than the screw we will use, so that a nice thread will be created easily.
15:00: Next a larger clearance hole is made in the oak panel. The jig is again useful to control drilling at a ninety-degree angle. The peg will be secured in place by drilling from the back of the panel, so a countersunk hole is prepared to allow the screw to sit flush to the wall.
15:30: Now the pieces are ready for assembly and using a cordless drill, they are screwed together. The clearance hole allows the screw to move easily through the panel and begin creating a thread into the pilot hole of the dowel. The group comment that it is exciting to be making on site and would like to do more of it.
15:45: We stop for a quick tea break and discuss ideas for projects that could be helpful. As part of the Move On programme at Two Saints, residents will soon be gathering together items to furnish their new homes, so furniture will definitely be of use. Last week Pete helped me to select some timber that would be great as legs for a stool or small coffee table; this will definitely be suitable for a future workshop.
16:00: We talk more about Fixperts and the range of projects that have been completed by makers all around the world. Rhianna shares her favourites, the Tal’s Perfect Ponytail and Pen Holder for Donal and I tell them about the residency I am doing at Benchmark. Having heard about the Fixperts process, the team are keen to learn more; I suggest a sketching and design workshop at Two Saints, building up a range of useful skills for each stage of the project.
16:15: I play the Hingehog FixFilm and we discuss how such a simple device can make a great difference to someone’s everyday life. A magnetic door wedge is connected to a trolley and can simply be placed into approaching doors to make travel through them far easier.
16:30: We wrap up the day by looking at our final pieces, they are clean and fresh and an excellent second life for left-over Benchmark material. Some choose to leave the coat hooks raw, and others apply Benchmark’s white oil with a brush to push it deep into the grain. The pieces look wonderful and everyone is in agreement that more workshops should continue generating an opportunity for a wide range of products to be created.
16:45: Pete comes to Two Saints to collect Rhianna, the tools and myself. We drive back to Benchmark and have a giggle on the way!
Further reading for the especially geeky:
- A day in the life of the Benchmark Fixperts Resident – Week 25
- A day in the life of the Benchmark Fixperts Resident – Week 24
- A day in the life of the Benchmark Fixperts Resident – Week 23
- A day in the life of the Benchmark Fixperts Resident – Week 22
