In Precept
What we accomplished in lab last Thursday
Wheels: Took off seat for access to wheel
Electrical: Helped disassemble fork, disconnected bullet connectors on wiring harness, took picture of serial number (two serial numbers match which means motorcycle is legitimate and we can use The Triumph Tiger Cub Bible)
Frame: helped disassemble brake, emptied gas tank, removed stopcock from gas tank
Top End: took master link out of the chain
Bottom End: drained oil from 3 chambers, disconnected oil line that fed to the top end, removed nuts and bolts from bottom end, used Whitworth socket to remove plug
Clutch: took exhaust system off. Took off silencers (muffler)
Fork: took apart handlebars (removed U bolts), fork, top of the mud guard (fenders) from the wheel
Fasteners: drew diagram of the two covers (timing side cover and clutch side cover), diagrammed where each screw goes. This way, we won’t put long screws into short holes.
Photographer (Grace): took photos of forks, parts on the handle, bottom end
Prof. Litman: important to know which way things were, pay careful attention during removal. Make sure to locate oil screen at drain plug (problem that arose in the past).
Lots of firsts:
– Adjustable wrench
– Removing seat
– Disassembling very old motorcycle
– Working with mechanical parts
– Seeing, taking apart master link
– Everything was new!
Shop Class as Soulcraft (Introduction and Chapter 1)
Introduction (Leader: Vidur)
Motorcycle references
- 4 throttle (lever that you rotate slowly to use more fuel) and clutch (a set of plates that allow you to disconnect the engine from the rest of the drive train. Before the transmission)
- 7 dipstick (in a car) (piece of metal that descends into oil pan to indicate how much oil there is)
What is the introduction saying?
Diego: author explains his shift from academics to vocational work. Discusses different mentalities people have about different types of work
Ale K: wants to rehabilitate the honor of the trade, passive attitude toward technology. I think he goes too far his criticism of non-manual work
Professor Littman: He’s preachy!
Grace: Ironic that he’s writing an academic book
Izzy: “Meaningful work” and “self-reliance” tied to agency. He finds more satisfaction from labor, but it’s not fair to say that knowledge work is not satisfying
Jamie: Is he going too far in his criticism of knowledge work? Can you bring manual labor up without bringing knowledge labor down?
Parker: He’s just asking people to reconsider why manual jobs are looked down
upon, not discarding everything else. There’s an intellectual aspect to manual work
Preston: I agree with Jamie. Maybe we are sensitive to this because we’re Princeton students
Professor Littman: Medicine and auto mechanics are both diagnostic arts. Intellectual activity involved in diagnosing
Grace: If it was as difficult to become a mechanic as a doctor, we’d value them equally. Selectivity, intellectual standing
Micah: You can diagnose in many fields
First half of Chapter One (Leader: Catherine)
Motorcycle references:
- 12 – welding
Welding: to fuse
Soldering: use solder to wet a surface to act like glue between two pieces of material
Brazing: solder is brass, acts as glue
What’s most important:
Ale K: Emphasis in the education system on not having a determined path. Craftsmanship is learning to do one thing really well, society values jobs that change
Professor Littman: One path is more limiting, one is more open – different forms of education
Ali W: feels more accomplished when he builds something physical
Professor Littman: to repair something, you have to understand it
Jamie: vocational tracks tend to be inequitable, track minority students into trades and privileged students into college
Ale K: Could you have a shop class that everyone takes instead of tracks?
Professor Littman: sometimes parents of minorities don’t want their kids pushed into college – stable jobs
Grace: hands-on education is important
Micah: craftsmanship posing a challenge to the ethic of consumerism
Preston: cultural/societal pressure to not go down vocational path
Jenny: he went to college first
Jamie: Agreed, he comes from a place of privilege, getting to choose the vocational path after getting the choice of doing both. Some kids don’t get to choose
Oscar: Is shop class the best thing for children who don’t have as many opportunities?
Second half of Chapter One (Cognitive Demands) (Leader: Grace)
Motorcycle references
- 24 – “carbs” and “brakes” – Carburetor cleaner dissolves waxy, dried-out gasoline, brakes have a different cleaner
- 25 – backfire is a really loud bang.
Intake backfire: if the intake valve is open at the time of the spark, you can actually get flames.
“Backfire of a too-lean fuel mixture” – if you don’t have enough fuel, engine can run very hot and you get a bang
- 26 – Phillips head screwdriver has a cross, stripping a screw is ripping the threads out, either on the screw or receptacle
What’s most important:
Ale K: cognitive skills required for mechanical work. Need judgment based on experience
Ali W: feels important in his community, satisfaction in helping others
Jamie: tangible sense of accomplishment, both in the physical motorcycle and the way people treat him
Professor Littman: there’s certain types of work that can’t be done offshore. Problem-solving versus problem-finding
The Shop
Finished disassembling the motorcycle and bagging/labeling parts
Reading Assignment for Thursday: Chapters 3 and 4 in ZAMM