RhinoCAM & Laguna Tools at Oskayak High School!

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Oskayak High School (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada) is a First Nations and Metis indigenous school focused on helping students keep their high school academic careers alive. The school is collaboratively governed between representatives of the Kitotiminawak Council, the Saskatoon Catholic School Board and Saskatchewan’s Department of Education. Click here to learn more…
Anthony Prima is a teacher at OHS. Anthony interned with and assisted his predecessor Marc Gobeil in the development of the virtual design and fabrication guitar building program there at OHS. Marc Gobeil is one of two recipients from the Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools to receive the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence for this program!
Being a very well funded school, Anthony and Marc could have chosen any CAD, CAM & CNC solution available today. We recently sat down with Anthony to discuss their STEM class and to ask why they chose to use Rhinoceros CAD, MecSoft’s RhinoCAM software and the Laguna iQ Desktop series CNC machine for the program there at Oskayak High School.


Where Is Saskatoon?
Saskatoon is a city on the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatchewan, Canada. North along the riverside Meewasin Trail is Wanuskewin Heritage Park, with exhibitions exploring indigenous culture. On the trail’s southern stretch, native wildlife inhabit the prairie grasslands of Beaver Creek Conservation Area. Regina, the provincial capital, is home to the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, with exhibits on natural history and the people of Canada’s First Nations.

About the OHS STEM Class

The aim of the course is to teach students the basics of drafting, CAD, and woodworking, culminating in their final project of building an electric guitar! The room and course are set up to act as a maker space to give students the opportunity to build. The class provides a practical and fine arts credit. It is a survey course so the students have to take three fine arts classes and draw an outcome from all three, including Computer Design & Drafting, Construction Carpentry and Electronics. The program has garnered some highly deserved recognition from Canada’s leading institutions and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself! 

Check out these videos and links,
Great job Anthony!

Saskatoon high school program blends music with virtual design. (Global News Canada)
The Laguna iO Desktop – Oskayak High School Program Showcase (STF – The Teacher Project)
Trudeau fields tough questions from Saskatoon students (PANOW)
Recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence in STEM

“Marc Gobeil and myself created the program here at OHS in 2014/2015 when I was an intern with him. Marc’s idea was to set up a program that could incorporate aspects of a shop class while administered in a computer lab. We both had lots of shop experience, and Marc had even built a few guitars himself. We needed software to perform both design and the set up of CAM machining processes. We also needed a CNC machine that fit well in our computer lab environment. We are very pleased with our decision to go with Rhino, RhinoCAM and Laguna Tools!”
Anthony Prima, Teacher & Technology Instructor
Oskayak High School, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada 

 The Laguna iO Desktop CNC Router

For the STEM computer lab environment at Oskayak High School Anthony and Mark turned to Laguna Tools based in Irvine, California and the Laguna iO Desktop Series 3 Axis router. Click here to learn more about Laguna Tools in Education!
Wildly popular among hobbyists, the iQ series of desktop CNC routers consists of space-saving machines at affordable prices. As excellent starter models, these CNC routers can produce a wide variety of designs with tremendous precision. Within the iQ series, you will find work and hobby CNC routers that feature:

  • All-welded, one-piece steel frames for quick assembly and accurate alignment from the start.
  • 3HP spindle with liquid cooling, which keeps the spindle at a constant temperature maintaining longevity.
  • Handheld controllers with screens displaying the tool path and the G-code during machining.
  • Automatic Tool Change, where machines can automatically change between three tools during one program.

 CNC Routers for Several Applications

The desktop CNC routers from Laguna Tools aren’t limited to just one application. Looking to design a picture frame from wood? These machines do just that with outstanding precision. Planning to cut signage from plastic? Laguna tabletop CNC routers can make it happen. Working with aluminum? Because of their large work envelopes, Laguna CNC routers are a better option to use on aluminum than a metal-working machine.

Learn More from the Laguna CNC Experts

Trying to figure out which desktop CNC router is right for you? Contact the team at Laguna Tools to learn more about how their tools can craft anything you have in mind.
Find out if the iO is right for You
Laguna Tools, based in Irvine, California, has been leading the industry in woodworking innovations for 36 years and continues to challenge the industry with new advancements.


“At Laguna Tools, we aim to be “globally local” as we are involved in many community outreach programs in which we offer our time, support, products, and services.”
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Don LaCourse

Don LaCourse

Don LaCourse is an Application Engineer with MecSoft Corporation. Don brings over 20 years of experience in CAD/CAM operations in both automotive and mold design applications. Don also has extensive experience in documenting CAD/CAM products and is actively involved with writing the on-line help as well as creating training tutorials for MecSoft's products.

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