Experiential learning is the process of learning by doing. This project requires that you gather raw materials, supply the labor and overhead, and make something from your raw materials. The item you manufacture should not be perishable and should be small enough so you are able to bring it to class for a short presentation. Keep a diary of what you did during the process and most importantly an accounting for the cost of the materials, labor, and overhead that went into your finished product.
Prepackaged snap together kind of products out there are not the kinds of things I want you to make. I want you to use your imagination and creative talents to come up with something of your own creation.
I chose these two hookah or birdhouse, choose one of them?
Manufacturing Project
General Overview of the Birdhouse
This outline hopes to shows directs tools, procedure and the costs that are involved in the making of a birdhouse that uses a rough cedar wood. It is a simple project which can be easily completed within one or one and half hours
With a cost of $48.65 as shown in table bellow, I made the first birdhouse;
| Direct Labor Cost And Materials |
|
| |
|
| Rough Cedar Board |
$5.57 |
| Finishing Nails |
$3.47 |
| Screws |
$6.67 |
| Saw |
$12.97 |
| Power Drill |
$14.99 |
| Hammer |
$4.98 |
| Total Cost |
$48.65 |
The Dimensions of the house will be;
Height: the front will be 8 inches, while the back panel will be 10 inches. It should be noted that the back panel has a stretch of about 4 more inches which will act as a handle or for positioning the bird house on other structures
Width: 5 inches
Depth: 5.5 inches
Diameter of the Entrance: 1.5 inches (3.8 cm)
Construction Material: Rough cedar wood
Tools
TOOLS
Power drill, Tape measure, Straight-edged ruler, Pencil, Hammer, Saw, Screws
Process
- The first process of making the birdhouse was by cutting the pieces of the cedar in the dimensions that I hoped the house will adopt. The cutting allowed for angling the wood planks to determine the back and the front. Since the back needed an extension of about 10 inches, I also made a cut for the side planks with the front of the side planks being 8 inches while heading to the back I made sure it was 10 inches. The back piece was cut at height of fourteen which allowed for an extension or a sought of handle.
- Cutting all the pieces to their various angles allowed the laying of the side pieces together and evaluate whether they fit to the dimensions I hoped the house will take. With the dimensions ready and the planks in position, I reinforced them with screws on each side of dimensions save for the top and floor plank which we could later position once we bored a hole to the front. It was critical to have a quarter of an inch being above the back as it allowed for circulation of air.
- The same position was done for the floor piece in the side of 2 inches hence making it easy to positions the sides by only one screw as noted while we were fastening the side pieces.
- With every side bar in position, I made a 1.5 inch diameter hole on the Front board carefully choosing to create a hole that will be balanced and even on all directions. Smoothening on the hole was essential
- At the bottom of the structure, I drilled two small holes that will allow for the ventilation of the structure. These holes were carefully made to ensure no waters stays in the structure should it find its way in, while they will be small enough to ensure a balance of the temperature.
- The top plank was the last to be reinforced, since it needed an angle to ensure it perfectly fit with the back panel and the height of the front panel to avoid entry of water, I used a ruler to synchronize the distance of the top and the bottom of the panel factoring its width.
- With four screws I fastened the top plank ensuring there were no spaces and there It was I had the bird house ready
Conclusion
A birdhouse is a simple project that is not labor intensive yet it allows an individual to make a lot from the project. A structure such as this would be sold in the retail at $59 while on large scale a person can sell it at $55 dollars since they will be using the same tools that they initially bought. For starters, I will be making the houses on order, but I will have three samples where I live just in case someone wants them. Thus, there will be no overhead costs involved.
