My eighth grade shop project was a gear puller. The metal working was great. The metal used was so soft, though, that the first time I ever tried to pull a gear, the grapplers just bent off.
Shoulda subsequently taken the Metallurgy Lab and spent time in the heat treat room.
We got the special extra credit class about how to temper that soft steel. Priceless.
My eighth grade shop class was print shop. I got to use the big copy camera. It literally changed the direction of my life.
I also helped build my parents log cabin. 3,000 square feet of cabin. And I planed three sides of every log. Twice.
My wife is still a little surprised when I know how to fix stuff. I like to keep her guessing.