Immersion Program

An ideal alternative for students looking for something beyond the traditional classroom environment. Our four-month semester-long experiential education program centers around skills-based training. A perfect opportunity for those who want to experience a field before they commit to a career.

Introduction

Our immersion program is an ideal alternative for college-age students looking for something beyond the traditional classroom environment, or mid-career professionals looking for a change— all of those who want to learn by doing. The four-month semester-long experiential education program centers around skills-based training.

A perfect opportunity for those who want to experience a field before they commit to a career.

We offer continuous enrollment and three semesters of content. Everyone must complete semester 1 content before they can move onto the next level.

Term 1: July—October
Term 2: November—February
Term 3: March—June

PART TIME: $3000/ semester

20 hours/ weeks

FULL TIME: $6000/ semester

40 hours/ week

Semester 1

Introduction to the following (schedule reflects learning goals for full semester participants):

SAFETY

Safety videos.
Monthly safety sheets.

TEAM BUILDING

Learning to work as a team for safety and productivity of projects.
Learning to work together in group activities.
Understanding and implementing directions correctly.

POWER EQUIPMENT

Safe set up and operation of:
- Radial arm saw
- Jointer
- Planer
- Sanders
- Lathe
- Drill press
- Pocket screw machine
- Cleaning and oiling power equipment.
- Basic welding

HAND TOOLS

Using hand tools such as planes, chisels, wood files, saw, and scrapers.

KNIVES

Grinding knives used on all hand tools.

FORKLIFT

Safety orientation.
Powered industrial trucks safety training and certification.

MAINTENANCE

Cleaning and maintaining shop space.
Waxing tools.
Run broom.
Air dusting.

MATERIALS

Learning the different kinds of grades of lumber. Learning properties and uses of plastic laminates.
Matching materials for color, grain, texture.
Handling materials safely.

LAYOUT

Minimizing waste.

CNC

Helping with CNC processing.
Basic maintenance.
Basic understanding of operations.
Labeling of parts.
Reading and understanding assembly sheets.

PRE-ASSEMBLY/ASSEMBLY

Inspecting parts for splits or defects in wood.
Verifying that individual component parts conform to specifications, using tools such as a template, ruler, caliper.
Trimming component parts of joints to ensure proper fit.
Boring holes, by hand or machine.
Determining the order in which parts will be assembled.
Assembling and fitting door jambs and casings.
Assembling and fitting drawers.
Fitting and applying moldings.
Processing materials with oscillating and orbital sanders.
Reinforcing glued joints with nails or other fasteners.
Assembling wall panels and wainscot.
Assembly of face frames and cabinet doors.

GLUING

Selecting appropriate glue or adhesive.
Applying glue or adhesive.
Clamping parts together, using clamps or clamping machine.
Cleaning parts after the glue dries.

FINISHING AND TRIMMING

Finish sanding.
Sealing.
Varnishing and lacquering.
Assembling and installing hardware.
Inspecting the final product.
Final touch up and repair.

ARCHITECTURAL MILLWORK

Sizing of stock.
Processing stock into profiles.
Recording inventory to be sent to job sites.
Wrapping stock for delivery.

JOB SITE MEASURING

Semester 2

Continuation of 1st-semester learning (schedule reflects learning goals for full semester participants):

Working on perfecting techniques.

SAFETY

Monthly safety sheets.

TEAM BUILDING

Working as a team member on projects.

POWER EQUIPMENT (operates under supervision)

Operator Qualified Training:
- Radial arm saw
- Jointer
- Planer
- Sanders
- Lathe
- Drill press
- Pocket screw machine
- Service and maintain power equipment in a woodworking shop.
- Chop saw
- Edge Bander
- Laminate trimmer/Router
- Table saw
- Bandsaw
- Shaper
- Orbital & Oscillating belt sanders
- Blum press
- Mortise machine
- Operates with limited supervision:

MEASURING

Understanding and conversion of decimals, metric and fractions.

HAND TOOLS

Continuation of skills in using hand tools such as planes, chisels, wood files, saw, and scrapers.

KNIVES

Grinding and honing chisels, lathe tools, hand planes, and scrapers.

FORKLIFT

Implementing safe driving techniques when driving a forklift.

CNC (continuation of skills from 1st semester)

Helping with CNC processing.
Basic maintenance.
Basic understanding of operations.
Labeling of parts.
Reading and understanding assembly sheets.

PRE-ASSEMBLY/ASSEMBLY (continuation of skills from 1st semester)

Assisting in the assembly of parts for cabinets – Euro and Face Frame.
Assisting in the assembly of exterior doors.

ADVANCED GLUING

Vacuum gluing.
Assisting in the assembly of flitches in the vacuum process of bending and gluing stock.
Using epoxy based glue.

SPRAY ROOM

Mixing of products for spraying.
Assisting in the spraying of finish.
Spraying flat product independently.
Maintaining filters and safety equipment in a spray booth.
Maintaining dust filters in a shop.

MATERIALS

Wood identification.
Proper organization in storage.
Recording of finish usage

MAINTENANCE

Cleaning and maintaining shop space.
Waxing tools.
Run broom.
Air dusting.
Recognizing jobs that need to be done in advance to facilitate daily flow.
Knowing the proper storage location of hand tools.
Rotation of knives on planer and jointer.

LAMINATE WORK

Preparing the laminate.
Gluing.
Applying laminate onto a substrate.
Filing and finishing.
Scraping and filing laminates and edge band.

JIGS

Recognizing when a jig is needed for safely accomplishing a task.
Making the jig template to speed up the production step.
Using the jig as a template tool.

MISC. PROJECTS

Turning bowls on a lathe.
Vinyl lettering detailing on trucks.
Applying gold leaf.
Making a Windsor chair.

MISC. INTRODUCTIONS

Electrical work.
Tiger Stop
Table saw
Planner
Sander
Jointer
Driving truck with a work trailer. Setting up of tools:

INSTALLATION PROJECTS ON THE JOB SITE

Assisting in the installation of exterior doors and cabinets.

Semester 3

Continuation of 2nd-semester learning (schedule reflects learning goals for full semester participants):

Working on perfecting techniques.

SAFETY

Monthly safety sheets.

TEAM BUILDING

Working as a team member on projects.

POWER EQUIPMENT (operates with supervision)

Operator Qualified Training:
- Radial arm saw
- Jointer
- Planer
- Sanders
- Lathe
- Drill press
- Pocket screw machine
- Chop saw
- Edge Bander
- Laminate trimmer/Router
- Table saw
- Bandsaw
- Shaper
- Orbital & Oscillating belt sanders
- Service and maintain power equipment in a woodworking shop.
- Service and maintain hand equipment in a woodworking shop.
- Blum press
- Mortise machine
- Operates with limited supervision:

MEASURING

Understanding and conversion of decimals, metric and fractions.

HAND TOOLS

Continuation of skills in using hand tools such as planes, chisels, wood files, saw, and scrapers.

KNIVES

Grinding and honing chisels, lathe tools, hand planes, and scrapers.

FORKLIFT

Implementing safe driving techniques when driving a forklift.
Operates forklift solely (lift, maintaining, changing out of LP gas).

CNC (continuation of skills from 2nd semester)

Helping with CNC processing.
Basic maintenance.
Basic understanding of operations.
Labeling of parts.
Reading and understanding assembly sheets.

PRE-ASSEMBLY/ASSEMBLY (continuation of skills from 2nd semester)

Working cut list for door and face frame parts.
Layout and assembly of face frames.
Pocket hole layout.
Assisting in the gluing, assembly and processing of cabinet doors.
Assisting in the assembly of interior and exterior doors.
Assisting in the assembly of parts for cabinets – Euro and Face Frame.
Making drawer runner fillers:
- Sizing
- Micrometer use
- Attaching hardware to drawer and drawer faces to boxes
- Attach glass bead for glass-doored cabinets using a miter shear knife.

ADVANCED GLUING

Vacuum gluing.
Assisting in the assembly of flitches in the vacuum process of bending and gluing stock.
Using epoxy based glue.

SPRAY ROOM

Mixing of products for spraying.
Spraying a finish independently.
Spraying flat product independently.
Maintaining filters and safety equipment in a spray booth.
Maintaining dust filters in a shop.
Applying multi-complex finishes.

MATERIALS

Wood identification.
Proper organization in storage.
Recording of finish usage.

MAINTENANCE

Cleaning and maintaining shop space.
Waxing tools.
Run broom.
Air dusting.
Recognizing jobs that need to be done in advance to facilitate daily flow.
Knowing the proper storage location of hand tools.
Rotation of knives on planer and jointer.

LAMINATE WORK

Preparing the laminate.
Gluing.
Applying laminate onto a substrate.
Filing and finishing.
Scraping and filing laminates and edge band.

JIGS

Recognizing when a jig is needed for safely accomplishing a task.
Making the jig template to speed up the production step.
Using the jig as a template tool.

WINDSOR CHAIRS

Making a Sack Back Windsor chair.
Making a Continuous Arm Windsor chair.
Shaping of spindles on a lathe by hand.
Shaping of spindles by duplicator.
The shaping of seats.
Hands-on use of (hand tools for Windsor chair):
- Splitting maul and wedge
- Draw knives (straight, concave and convex)
- Spokeshave
- Hand auger
- Spoon bits
- Travisher plane
- Compass plane

MISC. PROJECTS

Turning bowls on a lathe.
Vinyl lettering detailing on trucks.
Applying gold leaf.
Assisted in photo shoots.

MISC. INTRODUCTIONS

Electrical work.
Setting up of tools:
- Tiger Stop
- Table saw
- Planner
- Sander
- Jointer
- Driving truck with work trailer (drop-offs and pickups at job sites).
- Measuring job sites.
- Use and understanding of GPS devise.
- Basic understanding of blueprints.

PROJECTS ON THE JOB SITE

Assisting in the installation of interior and exterior doors and cabinets.
Demolition of a bathroom to stud walls (involving awareness of adjoining room wall finishes.
Rough wiring of circuitry and switches.
PVC pipe (cleaning, gluing, marking and aligning glue joint connections).
Basic training:
- Nomenclature, application techniques and uses of a framing square
- Basic angle work
- Stud layout – 16 OC
- Duplicate cutting in the field (not applicable to Tiger Stop)
- Techniques and applications for refinishing of pre-finished surfaces
- Jacking and supporting porch roof while changing out supporting posts
- Operating ditch witch, running conduit and pulling of the cable
- Operating jackhammer
- Setting up mechanical scaffolding
- Basic knowledge of house framing:

Introduction

Semester 1

Semester 2

Semester 3

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