Personal Project Procedure

Directions for making a personal project.

Before starting a personal project, it is important to make sure that you have the skills, time, and materials to complete it.  Use the Personal Project Punch List to guide you.  (That's probably where you got this link.)

As you plan your project, keep all of your paperwork together.  Use new, untorn sheets of notebook paper, graph paper or drawing paper.  You may put multiple steps on a single piece of paper.  If you do, label each section and skip a space in between.

Here are some helpful links:

• Personal Project Punch List

• Materials Acquisition

• Project Scoring Guide

• Sample Completed Project

1-Project Proposal

Write a short narrative answering these questions.

• What is the name of the project?

• Why are you making it?

• What existing skills will you use?

• What new skills will you have to use?

• What materials will you need?  Are any of these materials unusual or something that will need to be purchased?

Don't start your project until your teacher has approved your plan!

2-Detailed Drawing

If you are making a project from a prepared plan, include the original drawing.  If you make changes to the original plan, make your changes in red pen.  Changes must be approved by the teacher.

If you are creating your own drawing, it must be neat and clear.  You may include a rough sketch, but you must also include orthographic views (top, side, front).  Use graph paper and draw to scale.  You may also use a CAD program like Fusion 360.

Drawing must include all dimensions.  More complex projects may require multiple drawings to show the detail necessary to build the thing.

Ask yourself, "If somebody handed me this drawing, could I build it?"

3-Plan of Procedure

Make a numbered list of the steps necessary to build your project.  As you do this, walk through the steps in your mind.  Does the order make sense?  Your plan of procedure should look similar to the previous punch lists that you have made.

5-Cut Stock / Material Acquisition

Use a Material Acquisition sheet to keep track of all of the wood that you cut and materials that you use.  Keep track as you go!

Here's a link to the Material Acquisition page.

6-Make Workpieces

As you are making workpieces, label them to keep track.  If you write directly on the workpiece, write in an area that is easily sanded off.

7-Create Joinery

Remember, do not sand any joinery once it has been cut and fit!

8-Glue / Assemble

Before you glue, dry fit all of the pieces, assembling them in the gluing order.  If something doesn't work, fix it before you glue!

9-Apply a Finish

Choose a finish that is appropriate for your project.  If you choose to not use a finish, you must explain why in your description or evaluation.

10-Document

Take pictures of your project.  Choose a neutral background with good lighting.  Towels and sheets work well for this purpose.

Write a description of your project as if you were trying to sell it to somebody or win a contest with it.

11-Complete Evaluation

Use this Scoring Guide to determine a score you believe is fair for your project.  Write a short paragraph explaining the score you believe you earned using the Scoring Guide.  Explain any errors here.  Explaining an error and how you would fix it is a good way to raise the grade of a project that didn't turn out as you planned.