The Chopper Shop is a fully equipped welding and metal fabrication studio. The shop has a welding room multiple with oxy-acetylene rigs and a ventilation system. Our work room holds a wealth of metal working tools, and is lined with work benches for machining and sheet metal fabrication.
In Chopper Shop, students learn to design and build their own high quality chopper and low-rider bicycles. Students progress from learning the fundamentals of welding and metal fabrication to building custom bikes using complex techniques needed to build show quality bikes. After mastering the skills involved in bike building and design, students are allowed to create projects on commission. Students at this level work with clients to create proposals, contracts, and budgets while continuing to improve their technical and creative skills. These advanced students are mentors for beginning participants and establish a youth driven environment for the class.
In May, we enjoyed riding in the Art Car Parade. This year we brought out some new bicycles and the Stretch Limo Go Cart, a go cart made by two students in Chopper Shop.
If you have any photos from the parade please send them to us.
We had a brief mention in this weekend’s Chronicle. Columnist Lisa Gray lists Workshop Houston’s Chopper Shop as an indisputably good thing as part of her ‘A Dozen Happy Thoughts about Houston column’. See the article here: A Dozen Happy Thoughts About Houston
A few weeks ago we were invited to show off some of our creations at the Make:TV booth at the PBS programming fair. Chris, Montrell, and I packed up the Naruto bike and the motorized skateboard and headed over to the Houston Intercontinental Hotel. We were hanging out at the booth when some guys came up and started checking out the bike and talking to us. They were really excited about the bike and asked us if we knew the Lowrider song (which they then sang).
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As they were leaving, I asked them why they were at the PBS gathering and they informed me that they were members of the band War and that they had written the Lowrider song. AWESOME! Of course, we had to get a picture.
Here is Lonnie Jordan (the only remaining original member of the band) and a friend (sorry, I didn’t get your name) with Chris and Montrell.
The Chopper Shop is a fully equipped welding and metal fabrication studio. The shop has a welding room multiple with oxy-acetylene rigs and a ventilation system. Our work room holds a wealth of metal working tools, and is lined with work benches for machining and sheet metal fabrication.
