In addition to the demands of a five play Theatre Season, the students in the Technical Theatre classes of Spring High School also get to hone their skills building unit sets for use in the University Interscholastic League One-Act Play Contest. For a number of years, Spring High has offered these unit sets for sale to other schools at a reasonable price. The project accomplishes several goals. It allows the students to learn many of the essentials requirements of the course by working "hands on". It serves as a fundraiser to help with the cost of play production. And, it provides other schools with a source for unit sets that is affordable. It is a win/win situation for all involved.

Students learn that accurate measurements are critical to all phases of the project. Proper marking not only gives the correct measurement, but also tells the cutter which side of the line to cut on. This insures that the lumber will be the correct length.

When a measurement is to be repeated over and over, a measurement jig can be constructed to both save time and insure conformity.

Careful measurement insures that parts fit together smoothly and correctly.

There are 240 lap joints in the unit set. These are carefully milled out using a radial arm saw with a dado blade. The enormous amount of sawdust created by this machine is donated to Scout troops and Seniors groups for craft projects.

The lap joints are secured with a mastic cement and wood screws. The proper amount of cement is critical in making the joint strong and in preventing a mess.

The unit set flats are covered with heavy weight cotton muslin. The fabric is purchased in 50 yard pieces and carefully measured and ripped to fit.

Polyvinyl glue is used to secure the cotton muslin to the flat frame. Just the right amount does the job without the mess.

Using a mixture of one part polyvinyl glue to two parts water, the cotton muslin is treated. This causes it to shrink to a tight fit and helps it hold that shape. The treatment also helps the fabric become a more paintable surface.

The unit set is painted with interior grade latex wall paint. The contest rules require "medium grey". Our medium grey is created using six gallons of white to one gallon of black. Students learn to box the paint until the color is smooth.

Students learn that there is a lot more to painting than they thought. They learn to hold the brush properly, to tap and never wipe the brush, to paint with the grain on open grain wood, and to paint in crosshatches on frabrics.

Students learn that safety begins with proper operation of the tools. It always pays to take the time to set up the machine to do the job correctly and safely.

All of our construction is done with screws. The students learn very early in the course to operate the screwguns with the correct amount of pressure and speed.

Students learn the value clamps in assembling the various units. "Quick grip" bar clamps, as well as, traditional "C" clamps are used. Sometimes multiple clamps are necessary.