The Carpentry sub-team has three main goals throughout the six weeks of build season. Although our goals are time-dependent based on materials and necessity, they may overlap one another. Unlike other sub-teams, carpentry does not focus on any one part of the robot and usually does not have set schedules, because our job varies daily. Since carpentry’s work depends on others’ progress, the leader of carpentry needs to constantly check on other sub team leaders and remind them of their deadlines.
Immediately after kick-off, this sub team begins building that year’s field for the game, as well as working on any other important projects, such as reconstructing the battery cart or the pit. The first and main job that carpentry must complete is building a playing field for practice. We usually only build between 1/4 and 1/2 of the full game field, commonly out of plywood and other inexpensive materials because it is purely used for practicing purposes. Also, carpentry plans when other sub teams test their different contributions to the robot on the field, in order to avoid schedule conflicts. We also prototype parts and figure out what needs to be further tested and to what extent. In addition, we create a test plan, which is crucial in order to verify and that everything is properly tested and checked to work as designed. Not only do we confirm that a piece works as a whole, but we search for specific aspects that could be improved, such as precision and accuracy. As the days pass, we then test the robot in its entirety to ensure that each and every part operates as planned in unison. Furthermore, we need to guarantee that the robot is completely safe, and wouldn’t be able to accidentally harm any team member.
Tips for Rookies: A carpentry sub-team is essential to a well-rounded team. Since the members of the sub team are not specialized in any one area of expertise, students on Carpentry should be able to handle many tools and perform numerous different tasks and assignments. People on the sub team must also be familiar with every function of each part of the robot and understand at least the basics for how the part works.
Leader: Alexandra C.
