Students from the Comox Valley and Qualicum donned their safety glasses and work boots on Wednesday to start work on a very unique school project.
The students, mentored by members of the Timber Framers Guild, will be helping to complete a timber fire-pit pavilion for the Tribune Bay Outdoor Education Centre.
“It’s really cool and really interesting,” said Katia Bagmec, a grade 12 student at Highland Secondary School.
“I haven’t had a lot of experience with hands-on workshop working so a lot of people know a lot more techniques and stuff than me so it’s nice to learn from them.”
Bagmec says on the first day they learned techniques with hand and power saws, including straight and curved cuts. She said she is excited to use her newfound skills to give back to her community in her last year of school.
Randy Churchill, owner of Churchill Timberworks, has been partnering with SD71 on community projects for three years. They built a small park pavilion at Joe Walker Park a couple years ago and just this spring, built another park pavilion for Royston Seaside Trail.
| Students will work with a TFG mentor learning theoretical and practical skills building a new timber frame. Photo submitted |
“We like the energy of younger folks coming in; it’s fun to share your love of craft and your interest in doing good things and good work,” said Churchill.
“The kids, I think, get to see something quite a bit different. This is not a normal construction site, it’s part woodworking and furniture building, it’s part big worksite stuff. We get to work with cranes, we also get to work with hand saws and sharp chisels and intricate details.”
Ten Timber Framers Guild members came from across North America to work on this project and receive training in compound roof joinery.
Chris Beebe has been a general contractor and a practicing journeyman for 15 years but has only been doing timber framing for the past three. He travelled all the way from Willits, California to work on this project and says he wishes he had opportunities like this when he was a teenager.
“If I had this in high school, I would have had a great idea as to what I wanted to do sooner,” he said. “It’s very humbling when you cut something wrong and to correct it until it’s right is such a reward and then to see it all come together.”
From Oct. 6 to 8, the students and guild members will be on Hornby Island to raise the octagonal timber frame shelter.
jolene.rudisuela@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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