Sand Addiction - August 2007 - (Page 50) Back2 School of classes (Introduction, Intermediate, and Advanced) that cover topics such as tube notching, tube bending, tube cutting, pattern design, chassis design, suspension, sheet metal work, race prep, welding, and shock re-building. Their instructors have many years of experience in fabrication and are state-certified. Students begin work in the classroom and then go to the workshop. They begin on small projects and work their way up to specialized projects. (When we were there, the Intermediate students were building 120 A-arms for Wide-Open Baja.) I asked Melissa if I could talk to one of the students to find out why they had chosen The Fab School. She introduced me to Jey Clegg from Georgia. (Apparently, students come from all across the country to study with Troy.) Jey said he had first learned about the school online and then decided to come out for a visit. He was impressed by how organized and clean the shop was. He also liked that there is classroom instruction alongside workshop instruction. Jey started classes in January of 2007 and is enrolled in all three courses, which will take 18 months to complete. When he graduates in May of 2008, he hopes to work for Blue Torch Fabrication in Alabama, where he will gain more experience. Ultimately, he says, “I want to take that experience home and start my own place.” When I had finished talking with Jey and Melissa, I went back out to find my husband. I found him in the classroom where Troy was explaining proper positioning for A-arms (to maintain proper camber for an off-road car versus a sandcar). It was a great opportunity to see Troy’s intelligence and incredible talent at work. The two of them talked back and forth about strength, bracing, stability, and whatnot until Troy stopped to ask if I had what I needed. I really did, but he told me again and again that we could come back anytime to try things out and ask questions. That was another thing that struck us about Troy – he’s eager to share his experience and he’s generous with his time. He is also deadly serious about what he’s doing. As he puts it, “This is a professional education. We’re here for the hobbyist, but we’re not training people to build stuff in their garage. We’re training people to get jobs in the industry – where they will build a career.” CONTACT Top to bottom: - Troy with Christian in a welding booth. - Troy teaching students at the whiteboard before using the shop equipment. - Students working on individual projects. - Jey Chegg fine tuning his drawing berfore building it. THE FAB SCHOOL WWW.THEFABSCHOOL.COM 951.782.0567 2001 3RD STREET, SUITE E. RIVERSIDE, CA 92507 50 www.sandaddiction.com http://WWW.THEFABSCHOOL.COM http://www.sandaddiction.com
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