Empowering future woodworkers

Shaper Tools, manufacturer of the Shaper Origin portable CNC, recently collaborated with the San Jacinto Unified School District in San Jacinto, Calif., to provide an enrichment learning experience for high school furniture students.

In a three-hour clinic led by Ben Angerer, the West Coast education director for Shaper Tools, students from the district’s four-year wood tech program at San Jacinto High School were introduced to the project planning and digital utilities available with Shaper Origin, including the browser-based drafting utility Shaper Studio.

The students completed a design build tutorial, creating small trivets using files from the design library Shaper Hub and deploying the at hand design utility Shaper Trace.

“CNC curriculum can be a chore, but Shaper’s browser-based design space keeps it simple and the Origin’s post process at the machine enables hands-on CAM access with an introductory conversational approach,” says Roy Castillo, the school’s wood technology instructor. “It was an incredible opportunity.”

“Shaper Tools is proud to partner with educational institutions like SJUSD’s to give students hands-on learning experiences and to further education across the United States,” Philipp Glaser, co-CEO of Shaper Tools, said in a statement.

Learn more at shapertools.com. 

This article was originally published in the April 2024 issue.