Sophomore Dawson Borcherding is crafting a marimba in woods class. Borcherding is a member of the drumline and has played percussion since eighth grade.

This is Borcherding’s first woods class at West. Every Woods 1 student has to complete three projects: a cutting board and either a table, wall mirror, or shelf. For the third project, Borcherding didn’t want to do anything small, so he did some research and found plans for a marimba. The construction is in three parts: the bars, the frame, the resonators. The bars and frame are made out of wood and the resonators will be PVC pipe. Every piece on the marimba is cut and sanded by hand. The marimba will take him the rest of the semester to finish.

“I’m on the first stage. The bars are the hardest part to build because you have to tune them to the right note,” said Borcherding.

Most high schoolers have very busy schedules and can’t find the time to take on large projects. Borcherding thought woods class would give him the time he needs to pursue a hobby he enjoys.

“I have built things with my friends before and I wanted to make stuff as part of a class because I don’t have enough free time to build.”

As a sophomore, Borcherding already knows what he wants to do with his future; woods class will help him fulfill his goals.

“I’m going to start my own garden business pretty soon. I’m doing a specialized garden business and a lot of that pertains to building stuff out of wood like planters and raised garden beds,” said Borcherding.

Borcherding plans on giving the marimba to his church when he is finished.