Campion's Own Makerspace Allows Hands-on, Creative Work

Dan Philpott began teaching Campion’s woodworking classes 9 years ago, and students are turning out more impressive work than ever. The 23 students enrolled in this semester’s class completed lathe work, glued projects, and computer-aided engraving.

In a consumer-oriented society, enabling students to work with their hands and their imaginations is more important than ever. Woodworking class  does exactly that, and Philpott works alongside students to help them create their designs.

A recent visit to Campion’s shop revealed nearly every student busy with some task, whether it was sanding a wooden bowl on a lathe, cutting wood on a band saw, using a computer to set the parameters for a CNC project, or spraying varnish on a finished piece.

Most students complete at least 5 or 6 projects and incorporate any number of woodworking techniques such as finger-jointed corners, which sophomore Tommy Eickmann used to create a small chest.

Sophomores Emanuel Espino and David Marroquin both completed about a dozen projects each, varying from wooden pens to checker boards.  Their enthusiasm hinged on their creative license. The freedom to choose his own projects is also what Cesar Lowrance likes the best. “We can be as creative as we want and can make whatever we want,” he said.

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When Philpott began teaching the class in 2006, the shop contained a ban saw and a drill press. With his continued management, the shop now boasts over $20,000 worth of machines, including various lathes, sanders, saws, and finishing materials.

The latest addition to the woodshop’s array of machines is a computerized numeric control (CNC) engraving machine, which allows the students to manipulate an image or text using the machine’s software, and then set parameters that guide a drill bit to cut or engrave the image in wood.

Sophomore Hannah Phelps said, “Using your imagination, you can really make about anything in this class.” Her classmate Devaney Bright agreed. As they both watched the CNC machine cut shapes of the continents out of a piece of cherry wood, Bright described projects she has made for her mom and her current inlaid map project. “I like learning how to use tools that I wouldn’t have gotten a chance to otherwise,” she added. Both she and Phelps are planning on taking welding class from Mr. Philpott next semester.

“I want the students to feel comfortable in a shop setting, use different machines, and work with their hands,” he said. Campion—and Dan Philpott—value hands-on education that provides students with skills they can use now and in the future. Philpott hopes students will walk away with the skills and confidence to tackle future projects and household fixes themselves.

Stephen Johnson, who has prior woodworking experience with his dad and grandpa, has spent about a month working on a wooden bowl. He said, “My favorite thing about the class is just making stuff and working with your hands.”

Senior Steven Reinke thinks woodworking class is "more fun because it’s more interactive.” Here he finishes a pen on the lathe.

Dan Philpott helps students initialize the CNC engraving machine, the shop's newest piece of machinery.