About

Learn about the world of composites — their properties, uses and ways of being worked — at the March meeting of BARN woodworkers. Come to this free presentation with questions, bring prospective engineering students/kids if you have them, and feel free to ask for help on the design of your next load-bearing structure at BARN!

The speaker will be Kyle Lobisser, a BARN participant and outdoor enthusiast whose composites projects have included bicycle wheels, the hydrofoil he uses to ride waves, and the other products shown in these pictures. He currently works for a Bainbridge-based startup that is developing a low-cost vacuum chamber (made of composites, of course) that extends the storage and shelf life of fresh produce. Think crisp, sweet Washington cherries in October!

Lobisser will begin by discussing the basics of composites and comparing them to other materials — including wood — on the basis of stiffness and strength. Then he will discuss methods for obtaining mechanical properties of materials, and how those properties are optimized and applied to different structures, from airplane wings, to bike wheels, to iPads, to hydrofoils. 

He will discuss design for manufacturing (DFM) and how carbon fiber products are made differently, depending on structural requirements and desired manufacturing rates. He has worked at both ends of the spectrum, as a structural analysis engineer for Boeing, which produces 10 carbon airplanes a month, to a product design engineer for Apple, which makes 10 million iPads a quarter.

These monthly meetings are held every second Saturday of the month and always feature an informative presentation on some aspect of woodworking or small boatbuilding, plus a short business meeting. It's a good opportunity to meet other woodworkers of all skill levels, learn what's new in the shop, and share your thoughts on class offerings and shop operations. We serve free coffee and nibbles.