A Day making a wind turbine
by Amy Underwood Thompson
I first met Trystan in the Alps, and it was by pure coincidence that I happened to be in North Wales at the time the wind turbine project was getting underway. I was very intrigued and delighted to be able to get involved with the first day’s activities. Although my time with everyone was so brief, it was an amazing thing to be a part of and I thoroughly enjoyed the day, from meeting the really enthusiastic team to getting my hands on a saw.
Closely being watched using the draw knife!
I opted to be part of the woodwork group for the day and can proudly say that one half of a blade is down to my handy work. When we were asked whether we had worked with wood before, I confidently nodded along with everyone else, I had done design and technology at school and my fair share of assembling Ikea furniture, surely that counted? However, when everything got going I decided these probably weren’t the best of experiences. It was pretty obvious what to do with a saw, and I can use a ruler and pencil along with the best of them, but my naivety was rumbled when the guy instructing us saw me using a draw knife not only back to front but upside down as well.
Getting the hang of it all was really satisfying though, advice and help were continually available, and by the end I felt a personal attachment to my blade which I had lovingly marked out, cut and straddled while carving one side of ‘the twist’. Along the way I must admit I got distracted with the creative possibilities of the shavings of wood. For anyone interested they make exceptionally good pig’s tails.
Art, or as I like to refer to it – ‘The Wood Wave’
At the end of the day I also got a chance to try my hand at welding, a fun way to spend your time, what with all the sparks, but exceedingly more tricky than you expect, if you want to do it well anyway.
I would thoroughly recommended it to anyone thinking about getting involved, and if you’re afraid of the hardcore working schedule, don’t be. Copious tea and biscuits were promoted to help keep you focused throughout the day and the beasty lunch co cooked by two of the team was worth going for in itself. It was a fab day that had a real community spirit. Cheers everyone and good luck to all future projects.
A hard working piggy-wig designing a house that can’t be huffed and puffed down