Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program student John Gage Smith welded together an end table for a project, learned how to come up with his price of $200 for the product, developed a marketing slogan and presented the project to judges.
Smith, a junior at Poland Central School District, said the project provided valuable experience.
“I liked learning about the marketing and pricing,” he said. “If I do want to start my own business one of these days, it’s definitely something I need to know.”
Juniors in the Herkimer BOCES Welding program welded together end tables or similar products as a major project for the year and presented their creations to judges on Monday, March 21, at a Welded Tables Trade Show in the lobby of the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex in Herkimer.
Welding instructor Mason Fisher taught the students about blueprints and welding, and Career and Technical Education English teacher Sarah Crowe helped students with pricing, marketing and public speaking.
After judging, the top three winners were announced and all received Stewart’s Shops gift cards:
- First place: Robert Teel, of Owen D. Young Central School District.
- Second place: Aidan Monahan, of West Canada Valley Central School District.
- Third place: Isaiah Rathbun, of Dolgeville Central School District.
Teel said he was a little bit surprised that he won. He thought having a wood top to his table would be a nice touch, so he got wood at home and added that to his table.
“I did what I thought was going to look good,” he said.
Teel said the welding aspect of the project went about as he would have expected, and he learned some new things related to the marketing and pricing. His marketing slogan, based on the size of the end table was, “Big or small, we have it all.”
Teel’s favorite part about the project was “seeing it all come together as a final piece,” he said.
‘Reinforces what they’re learning’
For the project, students were directed to make end tables that were 2 feet tall and in a 1 foot by 1 foot square shape. Students had freedom to shift to similar but different products, and some did choose other options such as a stool and an oven.
Welding program juniors learn and practice welding techniques throughout the year, but the table project was the biggest chance they had to put everything together and take into account the heat of welding and how metals expand, Fisher said. If they don’t apply what they’ve learned correctly and make a mistake such as over-welding, then the measurements won’t work out, he said.
“It’s kind of a culmination thing,” he said. “The whole goal of this is for them to understand the effects that welding has on whatever it is they’re building.”
During the project, students gain experience designing a blueprint, reading a blueprint and building to a blueprint, Fisher said.
Fisher said he can explain and show students aspects of welding, but they won’t fully understand it until they actually put together a full product, make mistakes and have to fix the mistakes.
“That really reinforces what they’re learning,” he said.
Another aspect of the project was using a computer numerical control (CNC) plasma table to cut custom parts or logos for their tables. It was an opportunity for students to gain practice with computer-aided design and planning ahead to include “bridges” in the designs and lettering to make sure the parts that are cut don’t just fall through, Fisher said.
Smith said he enjoyed using the CNC plasma table and put a Volkswagen logo on his project.
“I loved it,” Smith said, of using the CNC plasma table. “I would like to learn more about it.”
Fisher said the table project helps lead into what Welding students will do in their senior year – including doing more custom projects, conducting customer work, building rocket stoves for a project and learning more about the physics of heat transfer, expansion and contraction.
‘An entrepreneurial mindset’
Fisher said Crowe came up with the idea of having students present their projects to judges at a tradeshow instead of doing a standard classroom presentation.
“It’s a lot more personable and interactive versus just standing up in front of everyone and speaking,” Fisher said.
Marketing, pricing and communication are important for Welding students to learn, Fisher said. Students have welding skills but might not know how to bid their work or advertise, he said.
“They can do the work, but it’s getting that pipeline to the work that’s the hard part,” he said.
Crowe worked with students to have them develop marketing around their products including a poster and a slogan and to prepare to present their products to judges.
The students also used mathematics to price their products. Students tend to set the price too low because they don’t take into account the value of their labor and expertise, Crowe said.
“They have a skill that most people don’t have,” she said.
Students came up with creative designs for their tables and other products, Crowe said.
“One thing I’ve learned from working with the welding students is how artistic some of them are,” she said
Crowe said students did a great job with their projects and with the public speaking about them. Putting the pricing, marketing and communications aspects together with their core welding work can help them in their careers, she said.
“A lot of the students have an entrepreneurial mindset, and they really do have skills they have learned that they can take into their own business,” she said.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program students who finished in the top three in a Welded Tables Trade Show on Monday, March 21, pose for a photo together. From left: Isaiah Rathbun (third place), of Dolgeville Central School District; Robert Teel (first place), of Owen D. Young Central School District, and Aidan Monahan (second place), of West Canada Valley Central School District.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program junior Isaiah Rathbun, of Dolgeville Central School District, poses next to his project for the Welded Tables Trade Show on Monday, March 21.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program junior Aidan Monahan, of West Canada Valley Central School District, poses next to his project for the Welded Tables Trade Show on Monday, March 21.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program junior Nathen Randall, of Dolgeville Central School District, poses next to his project for the Welded Tables Trade Show on Monday, March 21.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program junior Izayah Przelski, of West Canada Valley Central School District, poses next to his project for the Welded Tables Trade Show on Monday, March 21.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program junior John Soposki, of Richfield Springs Central School District, poses next to his project for the Welded Tables Trade Show on Monday, March 21.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program junior Isabella Drake, of Little Falls City School District, poses next to her project for the Welded Tables Trade Show on Monday, March 21.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program junior Alex Becker, of Central Valley Central School District, poses next to his project for the Welded Tables Trade Show on Monday, March 21.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program junior Brogan Graves, of Richfield Springs Central School District, poses next to his project for the Welded Tables Trade Show on Monday, March 21.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program junior Robert Teel, of Owen D. Young Central School District, poses next to his project for the Welded Tables Trade Show on Monday, March 21.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program junior Kiley Ball, of Central Valley Central School District, poses next to her project for the Welded Tables Trade Show on Monday, March 21.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program junior Emma Morey, of Central Valley Central School District, poses next to her project for the Welded Tables Trade Show on Monday, March 21.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program junior Brett Clements, of Richfield Springs Central School District, poses next to his project for the Welded Tables Trade Show on Monday, March 21.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program junior Tyler Duncan, of Mount Markham Central School District, poses next to his project for the Welded Tables Trade Show on Monday, March 21.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program junior Brad Burke, of Mount Markham Central School District, poses next to his project for the Welded Tables Trade Show on Monday, March 21.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program junior John Gage Smith, of Poland Central School District, poses next to his project for the Welded Tables Trade Show on Monday, March 21.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program junior Trent Bunker, of Herkimer Central School District, poses next to his project for the Welded Tables Trade Show on Monday, March 21.
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Welding program junior Chloe Willett, of Little Falls City School District, poses next to his project for the Welded Tables Trade Show on Monday, March 21.