Another of the volunteer work sketches. This time using a rotary tenoncutter in a drill. This year we tried three leged stools and I simplified the design a bit. The seat of the stool is a triangle made of three sticks with round mortise and tenon joints. The triangle needs to be tapped together a bit at a time, but once it is together and we weave the seat with straw rope it won't come apart. This is a nice size of drill (rechargeable 18volts) as it has enough power to put up with the stresses of the job and cut steadily with a brake as well and a very responsive trigger. I get the kids to understand the controls first just running the drill, then they actually do something with it. They keep the battery and handle against their leg or hip so that they don't get their wrists jerked and know that if they let go of the trigger the drill will stop immediately. The tenon cutter works great and makes shavings like apple peal, which the kids also like to mess around with. I am there to give a hand if something looks wrong and to keep an eye on the angle as there is a tendency for the kids to try and hold the drill so tight that it doesn't follow its course as they lean forward, but leans with them instead. This causes the cutter to chew out the side of the tenon making it weaker.
Charcoal on cartridge 20x 35cm