What we accomplished this week was setting up the frame of the trailer as well as a lot of learning. With the help of our mentor we learned how to tack weld, cut metal at angles, position material square to each other, how to level the material, and we started the process of learning how to use the MIG welder. The main accomplishment of this weekend was angle cutting the pieces of the frame and tack welding them together at the ends to hold them together.
Besides making the frame, this weekend was focused on perfecting the frame of the trailer because without a perfectly built trailer frame the trailer can run sideways and can be very dangerous on roads. There was a lot of learning we experienced this weekend, but what that means is that we can be independent. Now that we know how to cut materials, align the materials, and weld them together there is not much more learning to be done. We still need to practice more with the MIG welder, but we can move very quickly now because we know what we are doing and do not need to ask as many questions to our mentor. We set ourselves up for success by enabling ourselves to be more efficient.
After completing the frame of the trailer, we sat down with our mentor to talk about the future parts for our project. We mainly focused on the next step of our project which is the tongue on the trailer frame. In order for it to be attached to the trailer it has to be cut several ways, aligned correctly, and welded perfectly. It is a very difficult aspect of the build and we had our mentor explain how to do it. He helped explain to us the steps needed to form it and showed us the tools we will need for it. We decided that the next time we worked on the project we would focus on this aspect of the build with the assistance of our mentor. We want to do build this perfectly so it does not pose any dangers down the road.
What we did well this week was learning the techniques and skills we will need for this project. There are not many questions we need answered which is going to boost our productivity when we get to work on the project. We feel very successful in learning and comprehending what our mentors showed and taught us. We feel very confident that we know what we are doing now and feel we can set out on our own to complete this project.
What we need to improve on is finding time to work on the project. We have miscommunications with our mentor and we also have time constraints from our own lives including football and school. It is hard to schedule everything together so we can work on the project. And when we cannot go to our mentor’s workshop and work on the project it is difficult to find alternatives to still improve our project. We believe that once our school’s football season is over, an organization we are both apart of, we will be able to work on the project more and complete the project at a quicker pace.
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