The St. Louis High School’s woodshop took a select few students to a sawmill Wednesday., Nov. 21. The trip was to show students the process of how trees are turned into lumber for students to use in the woodshop.
The students traveled 45 minutes to Pewamo for the Devereaux Sawmill. The sawmill is one of the biggest in Michigan. The students got to experience the process of how the logs become rough pieces of lumber, which the shop uses for almost all of their projects. What makes the Devereaux sawmill special is that the workers put their lumber in a kiln for better quality and the buyers appreciate it.
Some of the students found the field trip beneficial. According to senior Justin Rodriguez, “I felt it was beneficial as a woodworker due to us actually getting to see the process of how the majority of the wood we use is made and the different steps that get it to be usable.” Additionally, junior Ben Godfrey found the field trip beneficial. According to Godfrey, “I enjoyed getting to learn the process of how the wood is produced and the kiln. I also found it beneficial to see the rough cuts on the wood before it gets to the shop for us to turn it into something like furniture or toys.”
Some students just enjoyed the trip because they got a day break from school. Junior Jackson Shattuck shared, “I enjoyed the field trip because it got me away from school. I also enjoyed it because I got to see how they take a tree and turn it into lumber for us to use.”
All in all, the woodshop field trip was both fun and educational for the students who attended.
