Potter de Deux

Breakfast is almost over, time enough to get through a chapter before the projects start for the early diners.

Anatomy of a Paraglider

Ribs, ports, leading-edge, trailing-edge, cascades, risers, control toggles - we study the design and construction of the old paragliders so that we can make the fewest cuts and have the least sewing to do when we remake them into sails.

Finding Your Center

The "Split" team (so named because they are going to cut their wing in half) is trying to decide which side of the center seam to cut on.

A Window to the World

Maxine and Eleni prepare to cut a window in the "Solids" (so named because they are keeping their paraglider somewhat intact) team sail. With two pairs of scissors in hand, Eleni contemplates the dual nature of her impending action - that which will be cut, and that which will not.

The Golden Spike

Their trails marked with unerring precision by Maxine, Tywen and Eleni meet somewhere in Colorado - with perfect alignment. It is a miracle of modern geometry.

An Emergent Refinement of the Solid

Aided by Tywen's excellent drawing skills, team Solid works out some of the details on the pending modifications to their sail.

The Road to the Laboratory

With the freshly minted sails packed for transport, the teams head out to the fields by the bay to test their designs.

Sorting Spaghetti

Theo and Hanna review the controls on the split system.

Where's the Crows Nest?

With Hanna and Theo keeping the sails under control, Ian and Jiro begin to raise the mast.

Solid Control

With Gever acting merely as an anchor, Maxine teases the wing into a controlled inflation.

The Brakers Job

In this iteration, Maxine is handling the inflation, Eleni and Tywen are managing the orientation and energy of the sail. It is evident that this craft will take the full attention of a three person crew.

Compression Testing

Because we are concerned about rolling resistance on the sand, Ian volunteers to add his weight to the wheel for an important test.

Casa Quesadilla

At the Tinkering School cafeteria, you can have a sandwich or a quesadilla. Today we are recommending the quesadillas.

Rules of Pickle

Two basemen throw the ball back and forth, trying to tag the runner who is trying to tag each base sequentially. It is a game that cannot be understood from outside the context of the game.

Cartload of Tools

Eleni and Jiro negotiate off-road terrain with the cart full of drill presses, chop-saws, and serious hand-tools.

Notes From a Project

Years from now, archaeologists will put this whiteboard in a museum and scratch their heads. In Tinkering School we recognize two kinds of tinker-drawing; the kind that you do for yourself to explore an idea before sharing it, and the kind that you do collectively to achieve consensus.

Phase Two

After a nice lunch, and a fruitful whiteboard discussion, the two teams begin the arduous build of their sand carts. Both carts will be built on the same basic triangular chassis design, but there the similarities end as the implications of their sail designs feed back into the carts.

Working on the Back End

The Solids (Tywen and Maxine) are building their rear axle as a separate component. It's a daring choice, because it adds a little problem down the line - the connection of the axle module to the chassis.

Drill Angel

All good people know that pre-drilling the screw-holes is the secret to getting a two and a half-inch screw through a seasoned 2x4.

Dualies

Like many big trucks, the Split's vehicle has dual tires in the back to help distribute the weight onto the sand. It's an excellent design enhancement, and one that the Solids wish they could import into their cart, but the axle component on theirs is finished and no one wants to tear it down and rebuild it now.

Harley Style

Jiro celebrates (to the bemusement of Hanna) the completed installation of the Harley style steering column. It's a variation on the successful steering system from the row-carts of last year that both teams have readily adopted.

Preparing for a Difficult Perforation

It's really important that the axle and steering-column holes be drilled accurately. Maxine and Eleni rehearse the solution at the drill press before applying clamps (and safety goggles, of course).

The Steeves

The Splits adopt a new name, taken from the donor of the paraglider they are using as their sail. Steve would have liked the idea.

Transition Race

A difficult afternoon of complicated construction gives way to a race to the top of the stairs. It's just the thing to re-oxygenate our weary brains.