Page 22 - HIWT Winter 2013 World of Welding

THE WORLD OF WELDING http://www.welding.org

WELDING STUDENTS LEARN THE ART OF BUILDING AND
WELDING STEEL RAILING

By Neil Mansfield
AWS CWI-CWE®

Most welding vocational instructors from around the
country have, at one time or another, built a set of hand
railings or steel stairs. Near Boston, Massachusetts,
Mr. George Aziz, who is a metal fabrication / welding
teacher at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High
School located in central Massachusetts, has a unique
project that he has developed and fine-tuned with his
junior classes throughout the years.

Teaching the next generation of welders and fabricators
to design, fabricate and weld is the core of any
vocational welding program and by including layout,
fabricating and welding is an excellent way to introduce
young welders to the art of building stairs and railings,
which is a key skill to develop. The students get the
fundamentals while being able to use their creative
talents.
James Speaks, Autumn Alden and James Turner display
The stairs and railings project begins with Mr. Aziz teaching the stairs with the tribute to Boston Strong
building codes, how to take field measurements and read
blueprints. He includes designs, material selection of iron for
the stairs, pipe railings, and ornamental hand railings, along
with weld finishing and, above all, accuracy. to support the citizens with rallies during Boston’s troubling
times.
Mr. Aziz begins each day with a classroom related theory
session in which he provides the fundamentals of stair layout At the end of this weekend long session, the take-away was
on the smart board. He explains the rise and run and how that students had a solid baseline of understanding building
to divide stair threads, stair pans, stringers, angle cuts, picket codes and had welded together a set of steel stairs attached
spacing, and code height for residential and commercial hand to a set of ornamental iron railings and pipe railings. It is a
railings. In return, each student then makes a set of 1/4 scale project that is deeply rooted in shop math, creative design, and
hand drawings of stairs and pipe and ornamental hand railings accurate layout, weld quality, and building codes. This next
on an over-sized piece of white sketch paper. Then the student generation of welders is making some impressive sets of stairs
takes the scale drawings from the class room and develops a and railings. Happy weld puddles to them!
full-sized set of drawings that adheres to Massachusetts hand
railing and steel stairs codes. The emphasis of Mr. Aziz’s Mr. George Aziz is a Metal Fabrication / Welding Teacher who
entire lesson is placed on building to code specifications and loves the outdoors with a passion for hunting and fishing.
the importance of quality and accuracy.
Mr. Neil Mansfield is the Lead Metal Fabrication Teacher at
Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School, U.S. Navy
This year’s junior class happened to be the class that was Seabees Chief Ret., blacksmith artists, industrial welding and
impacted by the Boston marathon terrorist bombings. Some sheet metal worker. He is a graduate of Hobart Institute of
of the student teams wanted to express their feelings by Welding Technology and says, “I have taken much from Hobart
exhibiting Boston Strong images as well as some patriotic in my military career, my civilian career, and my teaching
designs. There was a great sense of pride in helping Boston career. It has been an enriching, life-long experience for me
citizens and standing by one another in support of their tragic and I am grateful!”
event last April. Many of the junior class traveled into Boston
Neil is proud to be part of Mr. Aziz’s welding team. Visit Neil’s
metal creations at www.mansfieldmetalart.com.

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