sanding and sloyd knives

Today the first, second and third grade students continued work on their "road" signs for our campus. Sanding was fun. They brought pieces to me and noted, "Feel this. Isn't it smooth?" And they noted how warm the wood got from their work. Long forgotten it seems in American education is the relationship between crafts and scientific observation.

You can see my progress on the sloyd knives in the photos below. I drill through the blade so that the holes for the brass pins pass through the scale and I then apply glue so the other scale can be glued in place. I am using epoxy glue and will leave the clamps on overnight. Tomorrow I will be able to glue the brass pins in place, sand them down and begin shaping the handles so they feel comfortable in the hand.